Customer Reviews

Live in Hyde Park

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Three reasons why I bought this CD on the day of its release. Firstly, because I love the Chili's. Secondly, because I was there, man!!! And thirdly, because the day I was there (Sat 19th June) I was disappointed by the fact I could hardly hear them. Unfortunately, we were about a quarter of a mile away from the stage, so apart from the sporadic sound, we couldn't see a great deal either. And before you say `why didn't you push your way to the front', we tried, and failed. So I wanted to hear it in all it's (albeit reproduced) glory.

It's hard to tell if there are any songs taken from the day I was there, as I do not remember hearing any of the band `talk' between the tracks which are on the CD, e.g. Anthony cheekily announcing he has found a way to break into Buck Palace (the recording is supposedly an amalgamation of the three days, but how do I know if any tracks were taken from the 19th?).

I have played the CD almost everyday since purchase, and can honestly say it will fit nicely into my top ten. It has a raw, energetic sound, but at the same time an unpolished edge. If you have a sound system worth a few quid, this CD will not bring out the best in your set-up. Possibly due to hurried production, I don't know, but I have other live recordings with far more clarity. This is a shame, because instrumentally and vocally the Chili's are a rather talented bunch, and I was hoping to be able to define each instrument clearly. Flea was born to Bass, but it doesn't come across with much `funk' on the CD. I can forgive this though, because it's still a superb `ball's out' experience.

True music aficionados can clearly hear various different musical influences from the Chili's. Certainly on the more bluesy numbers, there are undertones of the great Led Zeppelin.

If you were at the concert, you couldn't fail to notice how diverse the crowd were. This is the appeal of this band, the fact that they can draw a huge crowd of people from all walks of life; rich or poor, old or young, hippies, rockers, rappers and funksters, there's something for everyone. The supposed hardcore fans who moan that this album only appeals to those who like the `radio friendly' Chili Peppers have a point. But as the old saying goes, you can please some of the people some of the time,....etc.
To be a great and long lasting band, you have to have a hardcore fan base. To be a truly great band, you have to appeal to all.

Apart from maybe your Grandmother....

but first to the guy who said this album was a disgrace...You obviously don't know that the red hot chili peppers have stopped playing anything pre-Blood Sugar Sex Magik besides me and my friends (when joh wasnt even in the band) because of john's hatred of himself during that stage of his life. For you to say by the way is a disgrace is just disturbing. how can you call yourself a red hot chili peppers fan? by the way is a great album and is just different from all their other albums. But come to think of it, have the red hot chili peppers ever had 2 albums that were really similar at all from mother's milk to by the way? NO. each album they do is completely different and has its own new style. that's what makes them such a great band.

NOW FOR THE REVIEW PARTt: I know its long, but i think it's well worth ur time if ur considering buying this album.

I think this is one great live album. The introduction is really funky and sounds great. "Brandy" sounds very good and is far better than the origional. when i first saw teh setlist i was particularly excited to see "Get on Top" was on it. and this song does not dissapoint. My only complaint during this song is that anthony tries to rap too loudly and finds himself almsot shouting during the verses, but noetheless it is a great song.

With great jams after by the way, before right on time, with fleas great bass introduction to around the world, with the half jam. half song after throw away your television that they have been palying all tour, the long jam after give it away (about 9 minutes), the absolutely amazing introduction fro californication, and their flat out amazing live work, this album is definitly one any music fan needs.

My oppinions on the 2 NEW songs:

"Rolling Sly Stone" has a bassline that can be described very well by will ferrell. the bass is :"taken for a walk" in this song and the guitar during the verses is a relatively similar more in depth version of the guitar during the verses in around the world with the same guitar sound. The bridge is my one complaint of this song. It seems to slow the song down a lot. The song is goin really well and sounds like a great funky tune up until the bridge, but then gets right back into it after the bridge wit ha very short solo from john that gives an important efect on the song nonetheless. anthony does his sort of "rapping" thing he made famous in blood sugar sex magik and perfected in "aroud the world" off californication during the verses and does more "singing" in the chorus...nothnig too fancy from chad...he jsut does what needs to be done and gives his naturally good effect to the song.

then a very different second new song:

"Leverage of Space" has a beautiful introduction with john and flea leading into the verse, and anthony's singing is very very good. Flea's pre-chrous bass riff's are a perfect way to lead into the more full sound of the chrous which is a step up in intesity and volume from the more mellow verses. The ending of this song is amazing and features just flat out awesome guitar work with heavy effects by john. this song has softer verses with louder, more intense choruses. chad uses the crash a lot in the chorus and limits himself to light high-hat use, snare, and bass drum in the verse to keep the verses softer...2 great songs

an intensely spirited and comprehensive tour de force (through funk, punk and everything in between) that will surely satisfy those listeners who can handle a band that has truly evolved. Those of you perpetually stuck in the early days need to move on. The last few offerings from this band are stronger, more mature examples of genius - so of course they're going to play a lot of that stuff (and alienate the nostalgia junkies).

I, too, was there watching when their first video hit MTV. They've gone from novelty to masterpiece of DNA through no small miracle. Enjoy a great band having an amazing and well-deserved time.

This is without a doubt the best live recording i have ever heard by any band, the beauty of Flea and John jamming out in between several tracks is just so moving. And the new songs Rolling Sly Stone and Leverage of Space are so far up to par with anything else i have heard from rhcp. Get this album now.

Enough crying about the setlist. I am sure that 100 different people would come up with 100 different setlists that they prefer. Yes the Chili's sound different today than they did 10 or 15 or more years ago but that is precisely why they are still interesting and popular. (Remember, Abbey Road didn't sound like what you first heard on the Ed Sullivan show either). This CD is what live recordings should be. The songs are obviously different than the studio versions with an explosion of guitar pieces by John. The live versions of these songs are simply much more hard driving than the studio recordings and give the listener insight to the live RHCP experience. While the whole band sounds tight, it is John who really cranks things up a notch and his background vocals are noticeably appealing. When this band stops performing someday...this CD will be a fine example of live music at its best from a legendary band whose music is constantly changing and growing. The RHCP are not the same as they were 10 or 15 years ago, but they are still great.

If you loved their last two releases, "By The Way" and "Californiacation", you will love this CD. This has all the ingredients of a great live album - good set list, great cover songs ("Brandy"), and new, unreleased songs ("Leverage of Space" and "Rolling Sly Stone"). The highlights of the album include their extended versions of "By The Way" and the finale of "Give It Away".

The only downfall is that there are only 2 pre-Californiacation tracks. I really wish John would learn to play some of the "One Hot Minute" songs. Since he was not with the band during the album, he refuses to play any of these songs. I would love to hear "My Friends" or "Aeroplane" again. But, I respect and understand their reasoning to focus on the newer material. RHCP is a great band and I am happy that they are still around.

Being in my 40's and remembering the Chili's in 1985, this is not the novalty punk/funk band they once where. Yes, they still have the funk, but this is truely a great group of pure musicians all at the top of their game. The technical skill at each instrument can be compared with the rock ledgends of the past and they more than hold their own. In 2004 during the 3 shows at Hyde Park in London the Chili Peppers demonstrate on a live disc what many fans of the band have known for a long time, these guys can really play. The range of funk and disco songs to hard core guiter rifts that rival that of the greats like Page and Beck (Jeff)showcase how good this band has become. Add to that the pure excitement that came out of the early U2 shows and you have the best live band touring today. Put on a pair of headphones, close your eyes and see if you agree. It is a shame that this disc was never released here in the states since there is finally a live document (Other than the Slane DVD) that captures this band doing what is does best, Rock out live! No back up singers and extra players, its pure old school all the way through the 27 tracts. I myself can't believe the comparisons I have referenced, but they are well deserved. Keith Richards once said that any band on a given night may be the best band in the world. These 3 nights in London showcase what is truely a great band.