Live in Hyde Park [Import]

Red Hot Chili Peppers | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 3, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import
• Label: n/a
• ASIN: B0002TKOYG
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #209,162 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Taken from their mammoth shows in June 2004, Live in Hyde Park captures the Red Hot Chili Peppers at their very best. The scene was set by changeable weather, the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, and Chicks on Speed being unfairly jeered off the stage.

Heralded by a tense intro, the funky, fists-in-the-air sound of "Can't Stop" cutting through the ether is one of those moments that make live albums so compelling for those who were there and those who weren't. The Peppers go on to play through 2 CDs' worth of favorites from By the Way and Californication plus newer material such as "Fortune Faded," "Rolling Sly Stone," and "Leverage of Space".

It's difficult to pick highlights, as the level of musicianship from the four was high as ever but unexpected, quirky numbers such as John and Flea's rendition of Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" stand out as memorable euphoric moments. Sadly, the only pre-Californication songs were old favorites "Under the Bridge" and "Give it Away," both sounding fresh despite being 13 years old.

Live in Hyde Park is definitely a worthy addition to any record collection. It's amazing that a band in their third decade of success can release their full debut live album, but the Chili Peppers prove that they've still got it (now, more than ever) and will be around for a very long time to come. --David Trueman

Product Description

Import only 27-track double live album compromises material from all three London Hyde Park shows recorded in the summer of 2004. This release is the first official live album from the Chili's and features many of their live favorites, 'Around the World', 'Get on Top', 'Scar Tissue', 'By the Way, 'Give it Away', 'Californication' to obscure covers, Donna Summer's 'I Feel Love', Looking Glass' 70s hit 'Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)' among others. Live At Hyde Park comes with a magnificent photo booklet featuring live as well as behind the scenes imagery, including a spectacular heli shot panning the whole of London with Hyde Park and all its audience. Warner. 2004.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars captures the experience of a live RHCP show, August 9, 2004

By 

Ron Cronovich "Ron" (Kenosha, WI) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Live in Hyde Park (Audio CD)

I've seen the Chili Peppers live twice, own all of their studio recordings, own both of their live concert DVDs, and several of their CD singles/imports.

I think it's useful to compare Live in Hyde Park with Live at Slane Castle (even though Slane is a DVD), as both are from the same tour and have similar (though not identical) setlists.

Slane is more polished, with more post-production. I strongly suspect that Anthony Kiedis redid some of the vocals, because his singing is in tune far more on Slane than on Off the Map, Hyde Park, or in concert in person. Some of the musical instruments may have been re-recorded, re-processed, or otherwise touched up. All of this gives Slane the polished sound of a studio recording. On top of this, I would say that the band plays more conservatively on Slane than they normally do, probably because they know a concert DVD is being filmed.

In sharp contrast, Hyde Park seems less polished, more raw, and better captures the experience of seeing the Chili Peppers live. Anthony's voice is not always perfectly in tune. The mix is not always perfect. But so what? The energy just oozes out of your speakers, through your ears, and into your brain and your heart. Also, the playing is less conservative and more adventurous, like when you see them live.

I still think Slane is a worthwhile purchase. I describe it as half-way between a live concert and a studio CD. But if you want the next best thing to seeing the Chili Peppers live, get Hyde Park.

My other comment about Hyde Park is that it overwhelmingly focuses on Californication and later work, with only two tunes from Blood Sugar Sex Magik and nothing earlier. This shouldn't be surprising, because they just didn't play much of the old stuff at all during the entire tour. If you strongly prefer the older stuff, you'll be disappointed with Hyde Park. But if you like the newer stuff pretty well, I think you'll be very happy with Hyde Park, and recommend it strongly.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Live Album, August 10, 2004

By 

Matthew E Fisher (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Live in Hyde Park (Audio CD)

You have to hand it the Chili Peppers, they have been staying busy enough to keep their fans happy. They usually wait a few years in between each album cycle, but since By The Way was released in 2002 they have released a Greatest hits album with a DVD and two new songs, a concert dvd, a live show CD and John Frusciante will have released seven solo albums this year alone (yes, seven!). Hopefully their next CD out will be a new album, but I'm happy for now.

As for the actual CD, its awesome. Ever since I watched Live at Slane I have been dying for a live CD. I have no qualms about the setlist. Some people prefer early Chilis work, others prefer the later stuff (but I guess no one prefers their evil middle child CD One Hot Minute). I like the Chilis from beginning to end and appreciate that they are one of the few bands left today that keeps on evolving and changing, a sign of only true musicians who actually write their own music.

Does anyone know what is the Live in Hyde Park listing on Amazon that is going to be released on August 23rd and costs 53 dollars? I might feel a little cheated if its a longer and better set than the already released version, but I think I'll eventually pay for it anyway.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good...not quite great, February 17, 2005

By 

The Goat (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Live in Hyde Park (Audio CD)

If you want a good live CD of anything that pretty much rocks, by all means get this.

If you want a seminal Red Hot Chili Peppers live recording, then don't -- get one of their live DVDs instead.

If you're just looking for the best of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, get Blood Sugar Sex Magik.

More details:

I do really like this CD. I don't like it because it is a stunning performance by the Red Hot Chili Peppers; rather, I like it because the Red Hot Chili Peppers sound pretty stunning no matter what they do.

The songs are all very well executed - I think you'll be hard-pressed to find tighter and more creative live musicianship than what these four guys produce. There's a lot of energy throughout the show, and I think a fairly good mix of songs and moods.

BUT...there are a few things that keep this at four stars only.

1 - production feels a bit rushed (this was released something like a month and a half after the concerts, so clearly there was pressure to squeeze out the CD). Vocals aren't loud enough (but then again, having been at the June 25 Hyde Park concert, that was the case live as well). The guitar is so saturated that it tends to get fuzzy and drowns out the other instruments -- even the sound John Frusciante's pick connecting with a string gives a loud "ka-crunch".

2 - I can see why some reviewers think this is a lacklustre performance. John's solos, while strong, are nowhere near the fantastic melodies he is capable of producing (see the Slane Castle DVD for example). Songs like "Zephyr" and "Scar Tissue" lose some shine because of that. Even Flea's short solo bursts aren't as inspired as what I had come to expect, and feel a bit like they're on autopilot. Doesn't quite gel.

3 - Anthony's vocals, despite being mixed too low, are a bit flat. He just sounds tired a lot of the time.

4 - And yes, the setlist could be better. Only two songs from BSSM, that's not very satisfying. So there's a Donna Summer falsetto cover...so what?

So in conclusion, by the standards of any live CD, this is very good. However, the band sound a bit absent-minded throughout, not as fierce as usual -- and let's face it, this music needs to be played fiercely, otherwise it tends to fall apart a bit.