CONCERT CLASSICS VOL. 4

Well how many years did their original fans spend, listening to such a pleasant and skilful progressive/ symphonic jazz-oriented music?! Probably not so many, because such a great ensemble - featuring A. Holdsworth, E. Jobson, J. Wetton and B. Bruford- was characterized by a fast decline and fall in a couple of years, after some great performances all over the world in the late seventies.the present live songs - witnessing a golden era for Wetton & C.- were sometimes uneven (talking about the production) and just a little bit weak; but nevertheless their incredible jam sessions (and solo-performances as well) made an important contribution to the memory of a seemingly immortal super band!!

I prefer the last period with T. Bozzio replacing Bruford on drums, in the music format of a keyboard-oriented trio, but also their early years with Holdsworth on his electric and synthesizer-guitar were remarkable, despite of their style being more jazzy in comparison to the experimental progressive rock performed by Bruford and Wetton (since the dissolution of King Crimson) and already expressed within the mini-suite "Carrying No Cross" (shared between two different line-up, along with other two tracks entitled "Alaska" and "Time to kill", but recorded in the studio-version only inside the album "Danger Money", unfortunately without Allan. ). Anyway all these three tunes were fantastic to be played live on stage. Instead "Caesar Palace Blues" is more fitted into the improvisational jazz style of Holdsworth (here including the experimental solo by Jobson at the electric violin), in comparison to the prog rock jam sessions regarding the following years without guitars and well expressed inside UK "Night After Night". For me this latter album is better than this "Concert Classics Vol. 4", because the production and generally the way it sounds are superior.

An interesting collection anyway (add an half star at least), but first of all buy "UK Night After Night"!!