2001 Live From Oz

do yourself a favor and buy this cd every track is flawless and stands out from one another.

He get's all the cool sounds that today's money can buy. He writes bloated, pompus, bombastic, pretentiously intricate stuff that would be best suited for Playstation 2 sound tracks or Japanese animation. It is devoid of any funk influence what so ever which is a major over sight. Be American for God sake, we all need the funk! It exists everywhere except in this band's compositions. Call it "Groove" if it makes you feel better. All Fusion doesn't have to march or have odd time signatures.

Outside of this context, Live From OZ is like listening to lite jazz for those who use to listen to early Metallica but grew up. Like lite jazz, they don't have to think about it. It can just wash over them like a thorazine bath. But Planet X is a serious thorazine bath! You can be the hero in Starship Troopers in your mind, and Live From Oz would be your sound track as you mercilessly killed giant bugs on some far away planet. Pseudo intellectual metal/fusion heads can blare this music from their cars and feel superior because, "The songs have movements and stuff just like in classical music! Wanna get Rush tickets?"

Sherinian gives the songs titles that he's overheard from badly attired geeks at sci-fi conventions. Then there's "Europa" and no Santana. He's nailed the ability to write tunes in odd time signatures and by golly everybody's gonna know that he can write tunes in odd time signatures. "Let's do this one in 9/8 just because I can!" You can't help but feel sorry for the drummer, because even though his performance is flawless, you know he's just dying to stop counting and relax. "Can we just funk out in 4/4 for just one song please!?"

Guitarist Tony MacAlpine is a freak and a genius. I would never say this if Tony was white, but Tony is the whitest black guitar player I have ever heard. No black guitar player has ever sounded as white as Tony. No, not even Tom Morello! His guitar playing is 100% devoid of any blues, funk, soul, or R&B influence (Have you heard L.A. Blues Authority? Tony was born without the blues gene!). In fact he doesn't even sound American.

It's like he was kidnapped at birth and flown to Europe to study Chopin and Allan Holdsworth. We all run from the towering spector of Jimi Hendrix until we understand how to transcend the influence. But it's cool because MacAlpine is the absolute best of the best of the post Malmsteen Neo-Classical camp. His 2nd solo release Maximum Security is a must own for anyone who feels the need for a guitar inferiority complex. It's a masterpiece. He does amazing things blending Holdsworth, Malmsteen, DiMeola, and Vai, but making all of it his own.

Let's not even get into the classical concertos he can perform on the piano. Yeah, a freak genius. He smokes all over this disc and even the great Sherinian breaks a sweat trying to keep up with him when they trade 8's DiMeola/Hammer style.

Yeah, I'm being ... sarcastic..., but it's a cool disc. It doesn't stick to your ribs like Yes use to do but it's still cool, if only for the musicianship and the bombastic nature of the tunes. This was one of the first discs I bought that I heard where MacAlpine wasn't playing strict Neo-Classical. He always said he was a fusion guy and he was right.

I also purchased Moonbabies and Black Utopia (Tony should have been on this one too. A huge mistake!) which I like as well. Tony, if we ever meet in person again, don't hurt me. You're a gifted freak, but I can still take you on the basketball court.

Pompus Sci-Fi Music for a World Deviod of all Funk!