Customer Reviews

Access All Areas

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the ultimate Spyro Gyra "Live" album, for that matter anyones live album. Unfortunately due to time constraints, the opening number "Old San Juan" has been omitted from this cd. Quite curious considering it is one of the best songs on the album and the staple for any Spyro show. Of course all will enjoy "Shaker Song" and "Morning Dance" but the whole show is wonderful and an enjoyable listening experience. These are great musicians and if you ever have the chance to see them live, do so immediately. Do NOT pass on buying this one even with the omission. Maybe the "lost" cut will show up on a dvd audio release someday. 5 stars

If you have ever seen Spryo Gyra live you know how they always take their songs up a notch with added improvisation and true showmanship. While their studio work is great, this album is what jazz is all about. I saw them in concert during the tour when this album was made. Unbelievable! Yes, Old San Juan is missing from the album (it was on the original vinyl...I have a copy), but the rest of the songs are fab!

Access All Areas is a fantastic Spyro Gyra cd. It is also their only one that is live. It was originally produced back in 1984. This album features many of their early hit songs. They are also in a different manner and end more abruptly because all of the tracks are played live before an audience. All songs are terrific, however. Note, that the piece Old San Juan doesn't appear on this album do to time restraints.

My top 3 favorite songs from this compilation, would be tracks 5,7, and 10. Conversations is a rapidly paced, terrific song. It has a nice, jazzy beat. The musicians play very well, and it's obvious, this song being a demonstration, that the group is very talented. Especially, the drums solo on it. It actually sounds like Neil Peart is playing it, it's that good. Morning Dance is a very relaxing, tropical-like piece. Latin Streets is a good song with a good keyboard part and amazing guitar part. All other songs are extended from their usual times on their debut records and are played to perfection.

All around, this cd rocks. It's good to have it in your collection. Seeming how it is the only live Spyro Gyra album, so far. Definetly worth it. Thank you for taking the time and generosity to read my review.

This is a fine look back at Spyro Gyra in the early days of their recording and touring. Members Chet Catallo, Kim Stone, Eli Konikoff, Geraldo Velez, and Dave Samuels were still members of the group, and City Kids was the newest release at the time this cd was recorded live, in Florida. This reissue starts off the classic, "shaker song," skipping over "Old San Juan", which appeared on the original album. "Serpent In Paradise, Conversations", and "Morning Dance" are highlights throughout the album. This live cd is great, just as it was when it first came out. If you like Spyro Gyra, you'll love this cd.

The original LP was a masterpiece. Why did they deliberately ommit "Old San Juan from the CD?" Why???????

Excellent live collection of Spyro Gyra creations. It's got the obligatory "Morning Dace" and "Shaker Song" with some band favorites thrown in for a deeper flavor. The recordings convey the enthusiasm of the crowd and the band's rapport with them. Particularly good is "Latin Streets," the band's farewell encore, including a fantastic, smooth, and rocking guitar solo as the band just sits back and enjoys their music and our enjoyment of it as well.

I just dug out my old LP, cleaned it with the Spin-Clean machine I got from Amazon, and am playing it for the first time in 30+ years as I write this. This is one amazing LP. It sounds as good as a CD, maybe better. And, let me tell you, I am NOT one of these people who thinks LPs are generally better. I mostly like classical, but I make an exception for GOOD jazz, and this is one such exception. My experience since I got the Spin-Clean is that the classical LPs are generally inferior to CDs, perhaps because of the higher dynamic range needed for classical, but jazz LPs are really good, especially Spyro Gyra. They seem to have taken a lot of care in the miking, mixing, and mastering of the disc, as well as in the pressings. I don't know if the master was digital or analog, but it doesn't matter; it's great.

To those who complain about the missing "Old San Juan" on the CD, I say: "Get the LP!"

The LP version has two discs, which is why there are more songs on the LP version.

BTW, I have "Morning Dance" on CD, which I also like a lot.

This is another old favourite that has made the transition over the last 20 years or so from cassette to vinyl and then finally on to CD.

The 1984 album captures Spyro Gyra in concert in Florida in November 1983 and the recording is another that (in my view) highlights the group at their best. It features songs from their early albums like Morning Dance, Incognito and City Kids and the songs are all expanded and improved on greatly here. I find the live versions here much more fun than the original studio versions.

The only exception was "Old San Juan", which was on both the cassette and vinyl versions of "Access All Areas". I always felt that the original studio version on "Incognito" (complete with Jay Beckenstein's whistle) was much more superior and was thus not too torn up to discover that the live version has been omitted from the CD, along with Beckenstein's opening greeting to the crowd. ("Yeah! We're gonna have fun tonight!") Nevertheless it is a very unusual move. CDs usually have bonus and extended tracks and this is probably the first time I've come across a CD that actually has a track from its original source taken out.

Anyway, there's still more than enough music left over to satisfy me. The entire band is especially tight but special props go to Jay Beckenstein on Saxophones, Dave Samuels on vibes and marimba, Tom Schuman on keyboards, Chet Catallo on guitars and Eli Konikoff on drums. They provide an exciting hour or so of music and this is a great example of the best in live 80s jazz-fusion.

My favourite part is the first half of "Schu's Blues" where the highly enthusiastic crowd at the concert provide accompanying handclap percussion to Schuman's solo piano. It's a great moment.

The original was 5 stars, but I can't believe that the definitive Sypra Gyra piece has been left off this CD. It was their concert opening number during the 80's and showed that jazz could both swing,and rock. Is there a place where this classic can be obtained? Please tell me a boxed set is in the works which will feature this lost treasure.

I agree with the comments that have been made about this Cd (Access All Areas). The early days of Spyro Gyra were really hot. There is just one draw back to this current Cd. The tract Old San Juan is not included. I had the tape format of the album in the mid to late 80's. It included this tract. Is it possible to find the Access All Areas Cd with the tract: Old San Juan included? If your fortunate to do so, you'll very quickly understand why Spyro Gyra was one of the premire groups, if not the premire group to see in a live session. Can anybody hear me?