Live/ The Deluxe Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)With his "Live At Sunrise" cd out of print, rock legend Dave Mason's latest release "Live At XM Satellite Radio", is more than an adequate replacement. His guitar playing and singing have never been better, and his band is well rehearsed playing a flawless set of classic rock tunes, that proves to be captivating. There is no filler at this show, as every single song rocks the house with vintage Dave Mason early seventies rock n roll. You don't want to miss "Only You Know And I Know". "We Just Disagree", "Look At You, Look At Me", "Dear MR Fantasy", "All Along The Watch Tower", and of course the song that has withstood the test of time like no other "Feeling Alright", which features a blistering guitar duel between Dave and band member John Sambataro. Also included, are some nice bonus tracks of Dave singing the Eagles "Take It To The Limit"[which first appeared live on his 1976 LP ""Certified Live". A duet with the late Jim Capaldi "40,000 Headmen", and a brand new studio track "Deaf Dumb and Blind". Rumor has it that Dave will be releasing a new studio cd in the near future titled "Alone Together Again". If this release is any indication, it proves that Dave Mason is still a talented singer and guitarist who is as good as any of the other so called classic rock guitar legends. After hearing this release, I certainly am looking forward to hearing his long anticipated new studio release in the future.

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As co-founder of the legendary rock band Traffic, Dave Masonhas always been a powerful force in popular music. His tenure as theirguitarist, vocalist & songwriter, along with his friends Stevie Winwood,Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood, netted the quartet several hit singles andalbums including his signature tune Feelin' Alright and internationalsmashes like Hole In My Shoe.While collaborating with his friends like Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones,Eric Clapton, Delaney and Bonnie and George Harrison, Dave Mason continuedto develop his trademark sound, while igniting a solo career that took offwith his first platinum plus debut album Alone Together from 1970.Over the next three decades, Dave Mason continued his legendary status as astaple radio artist, riding the top rung of the many music charts withtunes like We Just Disagree, Let It Flow, All Along the Watchtower, Show MeSome Affection, and Something from the Heart.A few years ago, Dave Mason and his wonderful band entered into the stateof the art XM studios in Washington D.C., and recorded this new album Liveat XM Satellite Radio. This unique session was performed organically infront of an intimate gathering of friends and fans. From start to finish,it is a solid 100% classic Dave Mason concert.Things start off with a nod to his Alone Together album with the prog-rockclassic World In Changes and his Delaney and Bonnie hit Only You Know and IKnow. Mason's vocals and guitar styling are second to none as the crowdroars in approval.We Just Disagree was Dave's most successful venture at Top 40 radio back inthe late seventies. This emotional live reading brings back the memories ofthis era and skillfully shows the interplay between Mason and his goodfriend guitarist John Sambataro (Firefall, McGuinn Clark & Hillman). Thistrack is indeed a defining moment of the show.No Dave Mason concert is complete without the classics All Along TheWatchtower, Traffic's Dear Mr. Fantasy and the surprise groover Feelin'Alright. His fans and new converts will agree, this new live offering willsatisfy the classic rocker in all of us.In addition to this pivotal live recording, Dave has gone into the vaultsand found a very rare live interpretation of the Eagles classic Take It ToThe Limit. Recorded several years ago in the Orange County, Californialocale, this tune takes on a whole new feeling with the Dave Mason magic.As a further gift to his fans, Dave has also included two new studio tracksthat will truly enhance your listening experience. First, there is the veryrare Dave Mason/Jim Capaldi duet of the classic 40,000 Headmen. Recordedshortly before his untimely death, Jim Capaldi truly sings his soul out onthis revisit to the Traffic era. Dave shares on the vocal chores, as wellas an incredible guitar workout throughout.The intriguing closer, Deaf, Dumb And Blind, is one of those tunes that hisfans have been clamoring years for. Dave's vocals are the ticket here, theamazing music he creates is still intact after four decades of recording,and like a fine wine, his career just gets better all the time. This tunewill surely become one of his future classics.

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Soundstage: Steve Winwood (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)...you'll want this just for the incredible opener CAN'T FIND MY WAY HOME. I have a copy of this show and it's wonderful. It's beautiful. It's Steve Winwood and that tells anyone who knows anything about great rock music all they need to know.
Other highlights include DEAR MR. FANTASY, LOW SPARK, BACK IN THE HIGH LIFE, and DIFFERENT LIGHT from the last album, "About Time"...tho' to be honest, this is a show full of highlights.
One of the greatest voices in rock, if not the greatest, and a master of the Hammond organ and quite the guitar player, Winwood is one of those artists who personifies quality musicianship and a level of professionalism few other artists match.
I'm a big, big fan...if you can't tell.

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Dave Mason - Live at Sunrise (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)I was actually at this Dave Mason concert which was recorded live at the Sunrise Musical Theatre in Sunrise, Florida (Fort Lauderdale). I have read the other reviews here at this site and many complain that the show was short. There is a reason Dave Mason did not play for very long. It is because he was not the headliner for the event. Dave Mason was the opening act. The headliner was Deep Purple. They also recorded their show and you can buy their DVD...which they called Perihelion. The audience was aware that the shows were being taped so the audience was extra boisterous. On a side note...the Sunrise Musical Theatre no longer hosts concerts. It was bought out a few years ago and is now a Church.

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Recorded live at the Sunrise Theater, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Dave Mason (Vocals & Guitar), Richard Campbell (Bass Guitar, Vocals), John Sambataro (Rhythm Guitar, Vocals), Bobby Scumaci (Keyboards, Vocals), Greg Babcock (Drums). Songs: Let It Go Let It Flow, Only You Know and I Know, World in Changes, We Just Disagree, 40,000 Headmen, Look at You Look at Me, Dear Mr. Fantasy, All Along the Watchtower, Feelin' Alright.

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40,000 Headmen Tour: Live Review

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(More customer reviews)One of my favorite albums of all time is Dave Mason's 1970 epic 'Alone Together'. Aside from the songs 'We Just Disagree' and 'Feelin' Alright' (both included here), Dave didn't do a lot else of consequence to me... but he didn't have to either. Mason built a career around 4 of the 'Alone Together' songs featured here ('Sad and Deep As You', 'World In Changes', 'Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave' and 'Only You Know and I Know'), in addition to 'Waiting On You' and 'Look At You, Look At Me'. With each successive album, I hoped against hope that Mason could replicate this masterpiece, but it wasn't to be. Fortunately, Dave's voice is every bit as vibrant as it ever was, so he can continue to reinvent these songs as he does here. I have no problem with that. Mason is also an overlooked electric guitar maestro, so it is always a treat to hear the new plucks and twangs he puts on these numbers. He accentuates his use of the wha-wha less than in the 70's, which is understandable, but I miss it a bit.
But before 'Alone Together' there was the memorable band 'Traffic' from the late 60's and early 70's, which early-on teamed Mason with Steve Winwood and percussionist Jim Capaldi. This reunion of Mason and Capaldi then features many of Capaldi's best compositions with 'Traffic', such as the kicking opener 'Pearly Queen', '40,000 Headmen', 'The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys', and a straight forward, less psychedelic 'Dear Mr. Fantasy'. The setlist is rounded out with another Capaldi composition, the love ballad 'Love Will Keep Us Alive', and a cover of Bob Dylan's 'All Along the Watchtower', a staple of Mason concerts for many years. Except for 'Pearly Queen' and 'Dear Mr. Fantasy', Capaldi handles the vocals on all of his own compositions, and the songs fit his gravely vocal cords well. Needless to say, there isn't a loser in the bunch.
Some of the highlights of the concert are every solo played by Mason, and occasional keyboard runs by Steve Thoma. Capaldi's unique percussion skills are on display, especially his conga accompaniment on 'Sad and Deep As You' and 'Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave', supplanting the usual drum kit. 'Shouldn't Have...' features a one-verse segue into John Lennon's 'Dear Prudence', and 'Low Spark...' is performed sans percussion as Capaldi adeptly accompanies Mason's wailing electric guitar with an airy acoustic guitar. We're looking at some talented musicians here.
And this recording is crisp, perhaps the sharpest live recording I've heard. The instruments blend nicely, yet remain distinct, and the vocals are clear and strong as well. While Capaldi writes in the liner notes that the mix is derived "with no overdubs or repairing whatsoever", it is obvious that sound tech John Taylor has been experimenting with the audience noise. Between songs, you will feel you are listening to a bootleg tape made from the 50th row of the auditorium, clearly picking up snippits of conversations among members of the audience as you struggle to make coherant Mason and Capaldi's on-stage banter. Yet with the beginning of each song, the audience is back in the can and you may as well be sitting in front of the drum kit with Mason on your left and Thoma on your right. It's an interesting recording endeavor, not overlooked and not without effect.
If you enjoy 'Alone Together' and Traffic, you'll enjoy this. The 3 song opener and 4 song closer rock the house down, and the middle section is mindful reflection. These guys have been around, and know how to deliver.

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Traffic - The Last Great Traffic Jam (with Bonus CD) Review

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(More customer reviews)Where to start? As a long-time Steve Winwood fan, I've grabbed everything I could get by Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith, solo material and side projects. Among these include several live concerts, such as Traffic Live in Santa Monica (released on laserdisc), a live 1987 concert for the German RockPalast, and the Austin City Limits performance for PBS. I've also seen Traffic twice, in 1973 and in 1994 (from which tour this was filmed).
The 1994 concert tour, promoting `Far from Home', was one of the best concerts I'd ever seen, and I've seen many. I was hoping the energy and musicianship I saw then had been captured for this DVD, and I'm happy to confirm it was.
Before commenting on the music itself, it should be noted that this is more than just a concert DVD. Woven into the film is footage of the band as they traveled the U.S., just being normal people (well, famous rock star normal), with such images as Winwood shining his shoes, or Bramlett and Winwood playing air guitar to the drone of a livestock auction show on TV. It's clear that the band enjoyed good rapport and had fun doing the tour.
With Winwood and Capaldi of the original band (more on that later), joined by Roscoe Gee (from `When the Eagle Flies'), Randall Bramlett, Mike McEvoy and long-time Winwood collaborator Walfredo Reyes, Jr. (who played on the live RockPalast, the Austin City Limits show and the About Time CD), these guys cook!
Concentrating their set on mainly Winwood/Capaldi compositions, they kick off in fine form with `Pearly Queen' and `Medicated Goo', giving freshness to these classic tunes with tastefully extended jams, Winwood blazing on guitar. ` Mozambique', from Far From Home, offers a glimpse as to the direction Winwood would take on About Time. An instrumental, it has a world-music type feel with fiery guitar work. The classic song `40,000 Headmen' has Winwood switching to organ, and the band pure perfection. Bramlett's flute work was true to the original, but was not merely derivative. Exquisite!
Another favorite, the instrumental `Glad', moves Winwood to piano for a rousing version, with an extended piano solo. The band offers a letter-perfect take on `Walking in the Wind' from the 1974 release `When the Eagle Flies), a song rarely done live.
The crowd was enthralled to silence as the opening chords to `Low Spark' began. I've heard this song countless times over the years, but this is the definitive version. It has never sounded better! With energy to spare, they kick into `Light Up' (they use abbreviated names instead of the full song title), with the late Jim Capaldi on lead vocals. To be honest, this is one Traffic song that I never really cared for, usually skipping it when I played `Low Spark'. While it's the same song, what a difference this performance makes! Capaldi's exuberant stage persona created an almost intimate atmosphere in the large auditorium, and the song segues into a long, rhythmic boogie jam with each band member giving a brief solo, followed by a mind-numbing Winwood guitar solo. No guitar player has anything on this guy! Amazing.
The version of `Dear Mr. Fantasy' found here is notable for two reasons. First, it was captured at an outdoor daytime concert in California; the other footage was from night performances in concert halls. Secondly, it had Jerry Garcia playing guitar with the band. Now, Deadheads will probably like that, but for me, it was no great shakes. Garcia looked really bad physically (as another reviewer noted), and frankly, I didn't think he added anything. His countrified slide noodlings didn't really fit the song, and when Winwood played his guitar solo, he virtually blew poor Jerry out of the water.
Closing the disc are two crowd-pleasers. First, the lovely `John Barleycorn', with only Winwood on acoustic guitar, Bramlett on flute and Capaldi on tambourine, presenting yet another textbook offering of superb musical craftsmanship. The final song, which must end every concert Winwood performs, was the obligatory `Gimme Some Lovin'. This version was reminiscent of the performance captured on `Welcome to the Canteen', with an extended, polyrhythmic arrangement, with lots of percussion.
To those that think Dave Mason's absence was a big loss, I disagree. Although he was an original member, his song contributions were weak, apart from the classic `Feelin' Alright'. And, while he was a gifted guitarist, he wasn't particularly distinquished. Moreover, he wouldn't collaborate with the other band members on songs, which was a source of tension throughout their relationship. It's no musical loss that he's absent.
While this release was under the Traffic name, it really is more of a Steve Winwood/Traffic hybrid performance. Winwood is much more energized and in command here than in any other live performance mentioned earlier. He has great musicians who work flawlessly together, and this DVD captures that dynamic perfectly.
I paid less than $14.00 for this, and it included an excellent bonus CD with acoustic versions of '40,000 Headmen', `John Barleycorn' and `Low Spark'. I cannot recommend `The Last Great Traffic Jam' highly enough. It's a joy to have.

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Live: 40,000 Headmen Tour Review

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(More customer reviews)I had the pleasure of attending the Hartford CT show where much of this cd was taped and it was a magical night, witnessing two of rocks most underrated legends perform great songs. There was magic in the air and it comes through on this cd. 40,000 Headman, Dear Mr. Fantasy, and Low Spark will bring you back in time, yet with a fresh sound for the 90's. Daves Feelin Alright, World in Changes and Only You and I Know show his masterful guitar playing and strong voice. Pearly Queen and Watchtower will keep you rocking. Treat yourself to a great classic rock listening experience. I've played it no less that 100 times in the last 6 weeks.

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12 previously unreleased live tracks recorded by these two founding members of Traffic between February & April, 1998 on the 40,000 Headmen tour. Over an hour long, it contains fantastic versions of classic Traffic cuts, some of Mason's solo hits and an amazing rendition of Bob Dylan's 'All Along The Watchtower'. 1999 release.

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