Customer Reviews

California Screamin

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the latest release by the Dixie Dregs. For those of you unfamiliar with the band they play a mix of instrumental rock/jazz/country/blues fusion. Their influences seem to be Jeff Beck, the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Jean Luc Ponty. In fact Jerry Goodman from the Mahavishnu Orchestra handles some of the violin parts on this latest release. The musicianship is excellent. Steve Morse is not only a great guitarist but also an interesting songwriter. The songs while flashy at times also contain memorable hooks and melodies. Some of the music switches tempos and styles within the same song. Long time fans of the band like myself may already have live versions of some of the songs on this disc from either the "King Biscuit Flower Hour" or "Bring 'Em Back Alive" discs. Both of these discs are well worth purchasing. However this disc contains great covers of Frank Zappa's "Peaches En Regalia" with Dweezil Zappa guesting on guitar and the Allman Brother's "Jessica". It also contains a live version of the rare song "The Great Spectacular" from their hard to find first lp. In addition it contains memorable versions of some of their best songs such as "Freefall", "The Bash" "Refried Funky Chicken" and "Sleeveless In Seattle". Long time fans will enjoy this disc for the rarities while it will provide a good sampler for newcomers. If you are a fan of progressive rock, instrumental music or great guitar playing I urge you to pick this up. You will not be disappointed. If you enjoy this disc some of their studio albums are currently being remastered and reissued.

Eagerly anticipated Dregs Live album reveals Steve Morse and his posse doing it as only they can. Features original bass player Andy West playing alongside current Dregs bassist Dave LaRue and both violinists too --Jerry Goodman and original member Allen Sloan and of course the trusty pair of T Lavitz and Rod Morgenstein backing up Morse, his guitar and his great body of music. Performance was tight for the most part-- the amount of people on stage trying to play a distinct part got in the way only a few times; only the Dregs could have pulled this off.

Set list was good but not great, with two and a half cover songs (although partially made up for by a better-than-the-original Zappa cover "Peaches en Regalia") and the choice of "What If". With a body of work like Morse's song selection could have been a little better, but duplication with the previous live album "Bring em Back Alive" was probably a factor. Having said that, including "The Bash" on this album was a HUGE plus, and the new stuff gives the night some fresh fun. Careful listening brings the listener an idea of astounding musicianship and the Dregs' good-naturedly wacky sense of musical fun.

Fans of Instrumental Rock and/or the Dregs should RUN, NOT WALK, to get the pinnacle of live albums "Bring 'em Back Alive" but this one deserves a spot in your collection as well.

I first saw the Dregs in the late 70's after being prodded by a co-worker to see them on their next trip to Nashville. I saw most of the greats...Hendrix, Zep, Who, you name them...but I never saw a band play more together and more flawlessly. This CD proves that they haven't lost their touch...they're as tight as ever. And it's good to see Andy West take a break from his video game programming to do what nobody does better...play bass. Steve Morse continues to rule.

After listening to these guys for 22 years Im still blown away! This CD captures the raw power that a Dregs gig can provide....BUY IT!

At first I thought is was ok but after a alot more
plays I think this is a great CD. I didn't think
the sound was very good either but it's because the
bass is very loud, turn the bass down a few below
12 o'clock and the sound is amazing, very detailed.
All instruments are very well defined. Much better
on Solid State equipment than Tubes. Recommended.

All of the songs here are well played, as you would expect from the Dixie Dregs. But the song selection and ordering keep it from being a fully satisfying live album. It's a 3-1/2 star album, though there's enough I like about it to make me round up. But if you don't have the superior "Bring 'Em Back Alive" yet, definitely buy that before you get this one.

This 1999 live album reunites guitarist Steve Morse, drummer Rod Morganstein, and keyboardist T Lavitz, along with both Andy West and Dave LaRue on bass and Allen Sloan and Jerry Goodman on violin (LaRue and Goodman had played on 1994' "Full Circle"). The CD booklet doesn't say which bassist and violinist play on which tracks--it doesn't sound like they're all playing at once. The album includes three tracks each from the first Dregs album, "Freefall", and the last, "Full Circle". My favorite track is a cover of Frank Zappa's "Peaches en Regalia", with Morse playing dual guitar leads with guest Dweezil Zappa. The "Full Circle" cuts are all highlights here, especially "Sleeveless in Seattle". "The Bash", a lightspeed bluegrass version of "Wabash Cannonball", has never been one of my favorite Dregs pieces, but the version here is the best I've heard. One the flip side, "Wages of Weirdness", off "Freefall", is one of the lesser pieces in the Dregs canon, and a strange choice here for the leadoff position. The middle of the album is paced strangely, with slow ballads "Night Meets Light" (great though the song is) and "What If", and a long cover of the Allman Brothers "Jessica". The album closes with 1-1/2 minutes of the strangest rendition of "Dixie" you will ever hear.

(1=poor 2=mediocre 3=pretty good 4=very good 5=phenomenal)

If you haven't heard of the Dregs but are a music lover... buy it today. If you are a guitar player as I am you must buy this! Steve Morse is unbelievable as is the rest of the band. I've been playing for 29 years and sometime in the early 80's I bought a Dregs album... back to square one! There were people back then whipping up and down scales (like Al Dimeola) but not with the feeling Steve Morse does it with. And now years later... they haven't lost anything.

I agree with the reviewer who says this is substandard work for the Dregs. Inasmuch as everything Steve Morse and the Dixie Dregs do is so much better than almost anything done by anyone else, it's a fine album for the hard-core Steve Morse fan (yes, this includes me) to own. But the sound quality of this effort is not great and the intensity of the music is somehow lacking compared to the band's usual work.

My recommendation - if you aren't familiar with Steve Morse and the Dixie Dregs, buy the far superior "Bring 'Em Back Alive" as the best possible introduction to the band. You'll also enjoy possibly the finest, heartstopping guitar solo ever recorded.

Steve Morse will never make a dull record, no matter under which guise he is. This live Dixie show features interesting interpretations of old chestnuts such as "What if", "The great spectacular" and "Freefall", material from the "Full Circle" album such as "Aftershock" and "Ionized", and a surprise rendition of "Jessica", the Allman Brothers Band classic. Two violinists (Allen Sloan and Jerry Goodman) and two bassists (Andy West and Dave LaRue) line up with Steve himself plus Rod Morgenstein on drums and T Lavitz on keyboards for a propulsive rock performance. Dweezil Zappa special guests.
The sound, however, is a bit muffled, the reason for the three stars. Even for a live record, it sure could sound better.
If you're looking for the first Dixie Dregs record in your collection, try a studio album (any Dixie work will do). If you are an established fan, do buy "California Screaming". It is not meant for completists. It is an important album by a truly accomplished band, that showcases virtuosity in a live environment with the same ease it does in the confinement and control of a studio facility.

I've been an avid fan of the Dregs (Dixie Dregs) since their first album back in the late 70's. They were the first band since the Mahavisnu Orchestra that knocked my socks off, never to be found. My favorite tunes have been the bluegrassesq tunes that have been so Dregized! I love the entire California Screamin' CD, but the live version of The Bash (with snipits of Frieght Train and Rocky Top) is over the top. Morse and Goodman display in spades their immense talent and flawless technique. From the Flock to the late Dixie Dregs, Goodman still smokes. Play on boys, play on!