Customer Reviews

Live and Let Live

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This CD captures a live performance of the long defunct nro-prog group "Twelfth Night". I first heard this in 1984 and was blown away. After wearing out my cassette copy, I spent the next 15 years trying to find a replacement. I finally located a vinyl of it in a rare record shop, and it became the only LP in my music collection. I only recently found this on CD, and it was like discovering the group all over again. This group was drastically different from the other neo-prog groups of it's day..encorporating a theatricality missing from groups like IQ and Marillion. Although the performance is a bit patchy at times, the earnestness of the performance more than makes up for it. Also, the encores seem a little lacking to me...but the first 45-minutes more than make up for this. Geoff Mann's voice remind me of a cross between Fish, Peter Hammill, and Freddy Mercury. The guy had a huge range, I'm betting 5-octaves. Muscially, the group ventures from Pink Floydish mood pieces to blistering rock a'la Zeppelin. I am very pleased to have this in my collection again.

Twelfth Night were undoubtedly the greatest of the early 80s British neo-prog bands (Marillion, Pallas, Pendragon, IQ etc.) but unfortunately, for one reason or another, their studio outings never delivered. Live they couldn't be touched and I count myself fortunate to have caught them four times live, and forever unfortunate never to have seen them with Geoff Mann fronting the band. They should have been huge but it just didn't work out for them. Musically this album can't be touched, from the power of The Ceiling Speaks, the beauty of The End of The Endless Majority to the epic glory of Sequences. Every track is pure quality and with the addition of the bonus tracks has got to be an essential purchase. This album captures the power and the glory of Twelfth Night live and I echo the other reviewers in regretting that the rest of the set couldn't have been released. That this band never fulfilled its potential is one of the tragedies of the prog genre. Few live albums seem to capture the real excitement, energy and feel of a live gig - with <Live and Let Live> you'll feel as if you were there and bought the T shirt. I bought this album when it was first released and it has had pride of place ever since as scratchy vinyl at the very forefront of my collection.

Buy it, turn off the lights, turn up the volume and prepare to be blown away by the greatest prog band never to grace a stadium.

Well, the summary says it all really. Bought the album on vinyl two years after it's original release. Never had the chance to see Twelfth Night live during the Geoff Mann period and regret it to this day.

An absolute must have for any (progressive) rock fan.

My greatest regret in life was seeing Twelfth Night for the first time two months after this album was recorded - still the best progressive rock band that emerged from the 80's, but they never quite hit the peaks that were inspired by Geoff Mann and recorded on this disc. From the fearsome rythym of "Ceiling" to the gut-wrenching emotion of "Love Song", every track features an unmatched range of feelings and musical expression. Simply the best album ever recored in my opinion - buy it; if you like rock in any form you won't be disappointed.

The final concerts of Geof mann with THE best eighties 'progressive' group bar none. Geoff was a charismatic and entertaining performer and this album highlights his great contribution to the band. The music is excellent throughout and such classics as Sequences (the first time it was officially released as a vocal piece was on this album), We Are Sane and The Creepshow highlight the scope and imagination of this great and sadly missed band. The only bad thing about it is that the whole show was not taped and released as it would have made it the greatest double live album of all time. Buy it, you won't be disappointed