Live From Oz [Live]

Planet X | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 21, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Live
• Label: Inside Out U.S.
• ASIN: B000063Y0I
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #246,448 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

The first live album from the progressive metal fusion supergroup. All performed during the 2001 Australian tour in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, & Adelaide. 14 tracks, 'Ignotus Per Ignotium', 'Inside Black', 'Dog Boots', 'Atlantis Apocalypse', 'Atlantis Sea of Antiquity', 'Atlantis Lost Island', 'Derek Sherinian Solo', 'Warfinger', 'Virgil Donati Solo', 'Warfinger Reprise', 'Tony MacAlpine Solo', 'Her Animal', 'Europa' & 'Pods of Trance'. 2002.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best albums I own, January 3, 2004

By 

Bubbalicious (Midwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Live From Oz (Audio CD)

as a guitar player I have always[since I was 13]liked joe satriani and other instrumental artists. after reading some reviews I purchased this album I was amazed at what I heard. I stayed up until about 12:00 at night trying to figure out "inside
black" on guitar. I recomend this album to anyone who has a taste for fusion and instrumental types of music. Live at the Oz is the best live album I own. if there was no cheering in the backround you would think this was a studio album

do yourself a favor and buy this cd every track is flawless and stands out from one another.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Live , intense fusion rock roller coaster ride!, February 2, 2007

By 

Ian Martin (Auckland New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Live From Oz (Audio CD)

"Awesome", "explosive", "amazing' are superlatives that come to mind when first hearing this intense, live hard rock instrumental music. Why Planet X's as a group is not more popular is bewildering. Anyone who likes rock instrumentals from the likes of Vai, Satriani or G3 extravaganzas should pick this up immediately.

In many ways this album is of a supergroup - everyone of these musicians are at the top of their craft, seasoned and admired and (employed!) by other musicians who know how brilliant they are! Clearly Vai knew who he needed to back his DVD 'Live at the Astoria' as both Tony MacAlpine and Virgil Donati were his number 1 support musicians.

John Petrucci, Steve Morse, Mike Portnoy and now Derek Sherinian all knew who would best fill the bass role for their respective solo efforts, so although not part of the Planet X band as such, Dave Larue is the special guest bassist for this tour and his note for note runs that follow Tony and Derek are more complicated than your average rock lead guitarist can play!

Okay - so the word "complicated" is used. Yes, this music is complicated and intense. You won't be humming it as you go for an Sunday afternoon stroll. But that's what's so compelling about listening to this album - it's an andrenalin rush of power rock fusion. Admittedly the compositions sound quite dark and live in the world of minor keys but the powerful interplay and angular time signatures that chop and change keep you riveted.

Another reviewer said that the poor drummer had to count throughout this album and couldn't just groove in a straight 4/4 . From what I've heard Virgil thrives on odd time signatures - it seems to come naturally and his bass double pedal seems to be in sprint mode rather than marathon groove. From an interview I've read, the mighty Simon Phillips, who mixed this album and who is still one of the world's greatest drummers, said he was blown away by Virgil's playing and sometimes couldn't even contemplate playing what Virgil did effortlessly. Sometimes I listen to this album and think that Virgil is what stops this from being an overblown, bombastic shredfest. The drumming is marvelous and gives the ordinary compositions edge.

I've listened to Tony since his first solo album and his "Maximum Security" album is still listed by many as a guitar landmark album. "Live in Oz" shows all Tony's chops but especially his Holdworthian whammy bar nudges and legato playing. This is what gives this album a more fusion feel than straight-out rock instrumental. I far prefer Tony's guitaring here to what I've heard on the CAB album; here some of the solos are quite organic and have space and in places beautiful rather than speedy. Don't worry there is sufficient shred as well on this to make most other so called great guitarists hop for cover!

Derek is remarkably supportive on this live outing - yes, he has the chance to exchange blistering lead lines with Tony on "Pods of Chance" that sound more like duelling guitars than keyboards - but overall I was relieved to note that the main solo instrument was Tony's guitar. Yes, Derek plays all the time but filling the canvas with waves of sound over which Tony wails rather than trying to outdo the guitar with keyboard antics.

Perhaps the one word that captures this album is "exciting". It's no musical masterpiece but rather a showcase of skills that make one laugh at their audacity! The rest of us mere mortals on planet earth can merely applaud!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WoW! My fave "live" recording since "Night After Night"!, August 31, 2002

By 

"dose2000" (St louis mo) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Live From Oz (Audio CD)

While i'm very familiar w/Planet X owning ALL their cd's, even a 3 cd Raw Pack that Derek made available on an extremely limited basis because it was autographed & dated by DS, I have to now rate this "Live from Oz" my favorite "live" recording, surpassing what used to hold that position, UK's "Night After Night"! This cd's was mixed by drum-god Simon Phillips and contains both older incredible Planet X songs(Dog Boots-Atlantis
ect)it also features enough "new" material that whether you're new to the Planet X experience or not, you'll simply LOVE this cd

This disc also contains solo's from each member, but they are of
the short variety(Tony's at 4:14 is the longest)so those that can
not keep their attention span for longer solo's(I personally love
to hear virtuosos do extended solo's, being a drummer especially Donati's)So "Live from Oz" should be in your cd collection, whether or not you know of Planet X, & just admire the higest form of "Progressive" music; or people who can play their respective instrument at the possible highest level. A must purchase!!
Steven Munari
PS: This cd contains a 15th "bonus" track, Clonus