MSG---Reactivate Live Box Set
According to my internet-based research, all four discs are soundboard recordings---that is, from the mixing desk at each venue, and this means that the signal is mixed for the mono PA system and therefore doesn’t sound all that great through headphones. But, other than a few minor glitches here & there, they sound just fine through speakers---at least discs 1, 2, and 4.
Disc 3 is from a rehearsal session in Kent, England in the Autumn of 1980 and sounds very rough at times (especially Rock Bottom & Lights Out ). In fact, Schenker’s performance on disc 3 is a bit dodgy and one can only assume that this is due to the fact that there was no audience to feed off of or impress. But nevermind. The performances on the other three discs are excellent (especially discs 2 & 4).
I disagree with one reviewer who suggested that this package is more for the “seasoned fan”. It’s not. It’s for anyone who has ever heard even one Schenker song and liked it alot. The raw nature of the sound quality displays Schenker’s virtuosity much better than the glossy quality found on One Night At Budokan (which, by the way, is still a damn good album to own). And as for “bum notes”: Schenker was an inspirational performer. He played by feeling. He never tried to play a solo the same way twice. He played what he felt at the moment. This means that, despite the fact that there are multiple versions of the same songs in this Reactivate package, each one is a unique performance. The songs you hear on his studio albums were frameworks to jump in and out of during his concerts rather than straitjacket blueprints to confine himself to. And so, if you’re gonna perform with spontaneity and inspiration rather than play your songs exactly like your studio versions (yawn), then you’re bound to hit a few notes that seem out of place while you’re burning a new path through old ground. Believe me, if you hear any “bum notes” on discs 2 & 4, you’ll be glad rather than disappointed---glad because you’ll hear them within awesome solos never to be repeated.
Yes, Reactivate Live will be a welcomed addition to the collection of any true fan of Michael Schenker’s astonishing talent ---despite the sad fact that each disc holds far less material than it’s capable of. (Heavy sigh…) And the liner notes are a waste of space. They don’t tell you anything about the history of the recordings. They don’t tell you where they’ve been and how they were chosen---they don’t even tell you WHO chose them. They don’t tell you if each concert is presented in its entirety or if it’s been edited---and if edited, why? No, all we get is some plonkerville prattle from Paul Raymond who has the cheek to say, in reference to the disc 2 show, “A good show by a band that promised so much but, due to the diversity of its members, never really quite delivered”. Never quite delivered what? The moolah? The posh clothes & mansions & tropical islands? So what if they were never a HUGE corporate success? They rocked. They rocked harder than any other group. I don’t know what Paul Raymond is talking about because I’ll tell you what, this 4 disc set DELIVERS some of the very best heavy metal/hard rock guitar soloing you’ll ever hear (and there’s more on Back To Attack---in fact, even better!).
Buy it. Play it through speakers. Turn off the EQ & Xtra Bass and other fun audio tricks---at least for your 1st listen---and hear it the way the audience’s did.
Disc 3 is from a rehearsal session in Kent, England in the Autumn of 1980 and sounds very rough at times (especially Rock Bottom & Lights Out ). In fact, Schenker’s performance on disc 3 is a bit dodgy and one can only assume that this is due to the fact that there was no audience to feed off of or impress. But nevermind. The performances on the other three discs are excellent (especially discs 2 & 4).
I disagree with one reviewer who suggested that this package is more for the “seasoned fan”. It’s not. It’s for anyone who has ever heard even one Schenker song and liked it alot. The raw nature of the sound quality displays Schenker’s virtuosity much better than the glossy quality found on One Night At Budokan (which, by the way, is still a damn good album to own). And as for “bum notes”: Schenker was an inspirational performer. He played by feeling. He never tried to play a solo the same way twice. He played what he felt at the moment. This means that, despite the fact that there are multiple versions of the same songs in this Reactivate package, each one is a unique performance. The songs you hear on his studio albums were frameworks to jump in and out of during his concerts rather than straitjacket blueprints to confine himself to. And so, if you’re gonna perform with spontaneity and inspiration rather than play your songs exactly like your studio versions (yawn), then you’re bound to hit a few notes that seem out of place while you’re burning a new path through old ground. Believe me, if you hear any “bum notes” on discs 2 & 4, you’ll be glad rather than disappointed---glad because you’ll hear them within awesome solos never to be repeated.
Yes, Reactivate Live will be a welcomed addition to the collection of any true fan of Michael Schenker’s astonishing talent ---despite the sad fact that each disc holds far less material than it’s capable of. (Heavy sigh…) And the liner notes are a waste of space. They don’t tell you anything about the history of the recordings. They don’t tell you where they’ve been and how they were chosen---they don’t even tell you WHO chose them. They don’t tell you if each concert is presented in its entirety or if it’s been edited---and if edited, why? No, all we get is some plonkerville prattle from Paul Raymond who has the cheek to say, in reference to the disc 2 show, “A good show by a band that promised so much but, due to the diversity of its members, never really quite delivered”. Never quite delivered what? The moolah? The posh clothes & mansions & tropical islands? So what if they were never a HUGE corporate success? They rocked. They rocked harder than any other group. I don’t know what Paul Raymond is talking about because I’ll tell you what, this 4 disc set DELIVERS some of the very best heavy metal/hard rock guitar soloing you’ll ever hear (and there’s more on Back To Attack---in fact, even better!).
Buy it. Play it through speakers. Turn off the EQ & Xtra Bass and other fun audio tricks---at least for your 1st listen---and hear it the way the audience’s did.
posted by Alexander T. Newport at 3:58 PM
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