LIVE - THE WAY WE WALK VOLUME TWO - THE LONGS

I guess it could be said that 'Live' albums are offered up strictly for the fans, those of us who couldn't make the dates of the tour or just living in places our favourite band never performed. This particular release recorded on the tour in support of the WE CAN'T DANCE album, is the 2nd part of a 2 volume set called 'The Way We Walk', this being sub-titled 'The Longs'. The single LP release of this clocks in well over an hour, almost giving Todd Rundgren's 'Initiation' a run for its money !! Thought I'd bring that to your attention.... The album features a selection of some longer tracks of theirs : opening out with a medley (dang it) of older tunes including Dance on a Volcano, Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Musical Box, Firth of Fifth and I Know what I Like, condensing some 35 minutes of awesome prog in the space of just under 20 minutes. At least it shows us proggers that they can still play their more complex material with a degree of ease. The instrumental section of Firth of Fifth is an exhilarating display. Elsewhere, we have the 2 'epics' off We Can't Dance, which Driving The Last Spike (10.17) tells of a heart wrenching story of those who toiled and passed on whilst constructing the old railroads in Britain. The tune itself is more like an extended pop-song with a prog leaning. The track 'Fading Lights' (10.55) feels more like a truly 'Progressive' piece with a slow intro, an instrumental passage to give Tony Banks room to impress us with his magical playing on his synths once again (like the good old days, may it be said), and winding down with another verse continuing from the intro. Great track, especially in the Live setting. The other 2 extended pieces are Home By The Sea - Parts 1 & 2 (12.14) from their eponymous album from 1983 and Domino - Parts 1 & 2 (11.21) from Invisible Touch (eek !!), the strongest part of that rather 'plastic' offering. Both benefit from sounding more 'natural' thanks to the live setting, but in reality are just fairly enjoyable tracks falling into the 'Crossover' category. For me, I settle on 4 - despite me loving what they do, and this featuring some very strong 'progressive' material, a marginal 4 it is.