Customer Reviews

Live on the Double Planet

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4 star:		(3)
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...this man is no bong artist. And this disc is anything but aural wallpaper. Michael Hedges was easily the most exciting and entertaining performer in the Windham Hill stable. I saw him a couple of times, once on Halloween. He came out in a wig, pumps and miniskirt.

For those who are new to his music, he is an acoustic guitarist. But, that's something of a misnomer, as his "acoustic" instrument is miked-up, flanged, and reverbed enough to swallow the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. His axe probably has more electronics in it than Jimi's Strat did. His songs featured him using both hands to play double lead lines, or fast and furious strumming, or swooping portamentoes, or smacking the guitar's body with his ring. Usually a combination of these. He wrung more tenderness, power, good cheer, and even majesty out of this instrument than anyone else I ever heard, thanks to the electronics AND his talent.

His originals here, other than the novelty "Funky Avocado", are rather stately ballads or tone poems. Of the latter, "Breakfast in the Fields" is a standout. At one of his concerts, he took a couple of minutes to explain how this tune came to him from his studies of Bartok. It's too bad "Rickover's Dream" is not included here, though.

A highlight of his act was his "super"-acoustic cover versions, and this disc doesn't stint with those. There's an impressive "All Along the Watchtower," a sexy "A Love Bizarre", and a hilarious sing-along version of "Come Together."

His early death was tragedy, of course. Buy this disc, and you'll see why someone you don't hear on the radio can still be considered a legend.

I was fortunate to see many of Michael's shows around the time this was recorded and also got to sit down a few times and talk with him about what he was trying to accomplish with the live recordings. His previous studio album (Watching My Life Go By) had been the first to include vocals, which had not overly impressed the bosses at Windham Hill. So they sent him on the road to do some live recordings, hopeing it would be a learning experience that would eventually yield better studio vocal performances.

For those of you that didn't listen to Michael at the time, many fans seriously disliked Watching My Life Go By, much in the way ardent Dylan fans revolted when he went electric at Newport. Hedges fans just wanted to hear Michael play his Savage Myth Guitar and keep the vocal parts trimmed down to the introductions. But Michael had a vision for his future and a big part of it included singing to compliment his Heavy Mental approach.

I guess I wasn't the typical Hedges fan - I enjoyed his singing, mostly because of the spirit of joy that he experienced while singing. Some of the songs on this set are not my favorites, but they were staples for his concerts in this era. To me, this disc is like sitting through the first half of one of Michael's shows, complete with the crowd energy he was capable of generating with ease.

Also included here are two cover tunes (Love Bizarre and Come together). His live shows often included three or so cover tunes such as the above or possibly Pinball Wizard, Emminence Front, Let's Get It Up, She Drives Me Crazy or Sofa, among others. I always got a kick out of hearing him cover tunes - I mean, think about how many solo acoustic acts have successfully covered AC/DC, Prince, the Who and Frank Zappa? But this just goes to show how versitile and gifted Michael was. I'm so happy to have had (and to have taken) the opportunity to see so many of his shows early in his career. His later tours were also excellent, but these were before the loss of innocence, while he was very hungry for success. That hunger also meant that the negative feedback he got about his vocals was difficult for him to take. But rather than receeding into a shell and reverting back to all-acoustic material, he continued to sing. I believe that this was the right decision. Singing while playing live gave excellent counterpoint to his instrumental works and, in his own words: "Gave me a few minutes to relax, then to focus more intensely on the instrumentals".

You ever had that feeling after deciding to be adventurous and plunking down $17, that you wished you'd played it safer? I had this feeling with this CD--for a day or two at most. It grew on me like few CDs have, until it became THE CD of the summer in which I bought it, and one of my very favorites of all time. It's original without being self-indulgent, technically astounding without losing the music, full of different moods, a great live ambience, and even humor. I adore it. I missed hearing Michael Hedges in person, and now I'll never get the chance (it was one black morning indeed when I heard he'd died). Don't you miss this CD.

I only saw Michael Hedges once before he died. I was 20, and had just finished a summer during which I worked the graveyard shift at the local gas station. There were no customers between 11pm & 7am, thus I had time to practice every night for hours on end. When I returned to school I bathed in a stream of compliments on how much my playing had improved (in retrospect that was more of a reflection on how bad I was *before* the summer's practice). Then I went to see Michael Hedges, and left the concert with a whole new world of possibilities and the knowledge that I had a long way to go.

I don't play much anymore, but I still have this CD at home to remind me of how it can, and should, be done.

This is a wonderful cd but just hearing him does not fully depict how amazing of an artist he was.

If you are here, then you must be a guitar nut. Go all the way and get the dvd "WIndham Hill Live" where Hedges plays 3 or 4 songs.

He is not only phenomenal but also you can see the physicality of his playing. It puts his music in a totally different light! That dvd is the absolutely best work by this tremendous musical visionary.

this takes you to a place of infinite rythm. i bought this particular album the very first day it came out. and, i still have the same cd. i listen to it everyday and still jam to it.

He is truly the master of musicians. He is in a category alone with no other. I have all his music. To start, get this one and "Aerial Boundaries" which I feel is his best. Unfortunately he has recently passed away. One of the greatest lost in the music industry.

Whether he is covering tha classics, or redefining his own compositions, Michael Hedges rocks. (I know New Age Music isn't supposed to rock, but this does.) It is hard to decide whether this is rock, folk, new age, or jazz. He dances on the edge of all these styles. Funky Avacado really comes alive on this album.

If you never saw Michael Hedges in concert, this album shows you exactly what he was like in person. He was funny, and a very sensitive musician, but above all else--he truly was an artist. He was a very visual performer, and that almost comes through on this record. He also recited poetry, wore wacky clothes, performed with mannequins, etc--all that was a part of who he was. Plus, every album you buy goes to support Michael's children. Buy this album, and you can relive, perhaps for the first time, the magic and the music (oneinthesame) of Michael Hedges.

this being the only Micheal Hedges album that i own and the only one that i have heard, i cannot comment in much detail about how this compares to his other recordings; but Live On The Double Planet is an extraordinary listen. full of inventive and creative playing that is beautiful and mind-boggling. the cover songs are amazing and really break out of the mold of the original...some are almost unrecognizeable until the vocals begin. the quiet pieces are the most effective compositions on here... the mood is very reflective and the beauty in his playing is astonishing.