Customer Reviews

Live at the Roxy Theater

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For all the unlucky people - like me living in Paris - who have not seen and heard Brian in concert, and also for all the others, this 2 CD set is essential. I regret I can't have the right words in english to say how much this collection is great. From "Surfer girl", "California girls" and other Beach Boys first era hits, to "This whole world", "Add some music to your day" and Brian's personal tunes from his solo carreer like "Love & Mercy" and "Lay down burden", Brian and his backband invites us to a fabulous travel into emotion and joy and beauty and timeless pleasure. Beyond his well known status of "genius", Brian is certainly one of the major figure (the first for me) of the rock and pop music of the second half of 20th century. And, yes, we are in 2001 and the magic thing still works. BUY this 2 CD magic set (with two bonus tracks compare to the first issue for net only selling), this is the best buying for you in this year ! Hugues.

Forget the giant sandbox, the magic transistor radio... hell, forget "Smile" for a minute and just drop these discs into you CD player and *listen* to Brian Wilson sing and play piano! Listen to these songs as if for the first time, listen to his still-supple but no-longer-sacchrine voice, listen to the amazingly empathetic backing band. Seperate the man from the myth, and your are left with a wonderful live performance of some of the greatest songs ever written. The new takes on the "Pet Sounds" material are beyond beautiful, Brian's reading of the Barenaked Ladies music-geek anthem "Brian Wilson" proves that he is not a fried, drugged-up loony, but a "with it" guy with a slightly twisted sense of humor. The recording is nicely done, capturing the ambience of the Roxy nicely with good dynamics and plenty of inner detail. A great album that is full of charms.

Before you buy this album, you should know that Brian Wilson's voice is not made of the heavenly syrup it once was, and the inclusion of one of the Beach Boys' worst singles ("Do It Again") only increases this sense that you can't go home again. That said, I am one of those people who believes Brian Wilson is a true twentieth century genius, and to see him up on stage again playing these songs after decades of abuse is a supreme joy. While his rendition of "Be My Baby" lacks the power of the original, the love and happiness with which he approaches it makes up for his cracking voice and the weak saxophone solo. The band includes the excellent pop quartet The Wondermints and members of Poi Dog Pondering, who provide a broad instrumental palate as well as vocal support. Disc 2 is really where the good stuff is, even with the somewhat disturbing inclusion of a bit of Barenaked Ladies' "Brian Wilson" (it just doesn't seem right for the man himself to be singing "lying in bed like Brian Wilson did," referring to the many years he spent locked in his bedroom, afraid of the world). "Til I Die" sounds as good as ever, and "Darlin" rocks harder than the original. Two instrumentals from "Pet Sounds" are followed by a less-than-spectacular "God Only Knows" and "Lay Down Burden," the eulogy for his brother Carl (who died in 1998). "Love and Mercy" is a wonderful way to close the album, the lead-off track from Brian's 1988 solo album (and his comeback after years of drug abuse and overeating), here it is stripped of the gross synthesizer over-production that gummed up the original and serves as a sort of closing prayer. The naive lyrics and sweet sentiment seem to be Brian's mantra, and I have to say it's a message that I take to heart. Brian Wilson brings out all that is good and squishy inside of me, so even though his current work is nowhere near as amazing sounding as what he did in the 60's, somehow he's still doing it right. I want to thank him for that.

Live At The Roxy Theatre is a triumph. Brian Wilson and his band recreate classic studio creations that leave the listener wanting more. This set, like Wilson's concerts, contains both classic Beach Boys songs such as "Don't Worry Baby," "I Get Around," and "California Girls," that Wilson wrote and produced, as well as lesser-known gems like "This Whole World," and "Add Some Music To Your Day." Wilson also includes newer songs, like his tribute to brother Carl, the touching "Lay Down Burden," as well as two other new songs, "The First Time," and "This Isn't Love." The ballads are beautiful and the rockers are really rock. Brian even pokes fun at himself a bit by covering the Barenaked Ladies song, "Brian Wilson." I would recommend this album to anyone who wants to hear songs spanning Wilson's entire career or just wants to hear great live recreations of Wilson's classic writing and production style.

It's like he never left...

With the assistance of the talented Wondermints, Jeff Foskett, Poi Dog Pondering's Paul Mertens, Brian Wilson releases to the general public the live performance return "Live at the Roxy"! Having been a Brian Wilson fan all of his career, this one surprised me considering the horror stories I'd heard regarding Brian's voice and his ability to perform. Not that he's up to par with the vocal gymnastics his falsetto afforded us 1963-1969, but with the talent behind him this two disc CD is an appropriate return to form and live performance for the man many call a musical genius.

A fitting capsule of his first solo tour, Live at the Roxy shows us the musical genius that the Beach Boys often left out of their live shows with tunes like "Please Let Me Wonder", "The Little Girl I Once Knew" and a healthy dose of tunes from "PET SOUNDS", including both landmark instrumentals performed perfectly by Brian's band.

For the wide eyed Brian Wilson fan this is tantamount to a greatest hits live album. For Beach Boy fans it may just be another in a long list of GREATEST HITS packaging...but once you listen you can't help but dream that this is the beginning of a new wave of music from Brian Wilson.

(Having seen "Pet Sounds Live" last year and hearing about his current reviews while supporting Paul Simon in his summer concert tout, I can honestly say we'll hear a lot more from Brian Wilson as long as he loves the music!)

Ogie D.

Much to the surprise of everyone, Brian Wilson began touring in the late '90s, and his shows became everything the Beach Boys were not-- a celebration not of surf and cars and fun in the summer, but of genius, digging below the hits and unearthing many gems. Backed by a supportive and brilliant band, the music on these two CDs, taken from two nights at the Roxy in Los Angeles, is brilliant.

The credit largely goes to Brian's band, the core of which is the L.A. pop band the Wondermints-- a superb group of musicians, and former Beach Boys touring bandmember Jeffrey Foskett, who largely sings Brian's falsettos. Brian's vocal range has contracted a bit over the years, and the vocal arrangements are structured for him to sing all the leads. While his voice is weak and occasionally goes off key or misses notes, its still got enough of that magic to carry itself.

The set is amazing-- from the opener, bizarre 1965 single "The Little Girl I Once Knew", the energy level is high, the performance is filled with obscure gems such "This Whole World", "Kiss Me Baby", "Please Let Me Wonder" and "'Til I Die" (the latter is a powerful and moving rendition), hits ("California Girls", "I Get Around", "God Only Knows", "Good Vibrations"), a couple "Pet Sounds" instrumentals, and a pair of new songs.

Now mind you, Brian's sort of odd mannerisms, accentuated moreso during these early shows, are there, but they're easy enough to ignore, and really, the performance is top notch. This is very highly recommended for any Beach Boys fan.

Taken from the best of 2 nights at L.A.'s Roxy Theatre, this 2 disc collection of live tracks performed by Brian Wilson and his band comprising both Beach Boys classics and solo gems stands as one of the most enjoyable releases to come out this year. To be honest, although I am a Beach Boys fan (falling somewhere between casual and devoted, I never really recognized the genius of this man until hearing this set. This stuff really is second to none, and outstanding renditions of "California Girls", "God Only KNows", "All Summer Long" and many others prove it. Although Wilson's voice has matured considerably, causing him to hit a couple of sour notes, he's wonderfully expressive and in virtually top form. Mention must be made of his 9 piece band as well as they're simply incredible. The recreations of the "Pet Sounds" material is nothing short of breathtaking. If you only buy one live album this year, make this it!

After years of personal struggle, storied Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson offically reemreged from his shell with "Live At The Roxy". This is by far Brian's best solo release, spanning 2 discs of his classic music, both solo and with The Beach Boys.

Disc 1 begins with a fiery take on "The Little Girl I Once Knew", one of the many obscure Beach Boys numbers featured here. What follows is a lare group of gems spanning nearly 40 years of music - "This Whole World", "Don't Worry Baby", "Kiss Me Baby", "California Girls", "Surfer Girl", "In My Room", "Add Some Music To Your Day", and "Please Let Me Wonder". Also, a new recording written in 1983 but not heard until now, "The First Time", is also included, and is one of Brain's all - time best compositions. Also, it's nice to hear him shy away from the ballads and rock out on "Do It Again" and "I Get Around". Also included is an interview with Brian that is short and sweet.

Disc 2 begins with Brain making a satire out of hunself, performing a cover of the Barenaked Ladies song "Brian Wilson". This immediately segues into the chillling "'Til I Die", perfomed so seriously that it makes one wonder if Brain really has recovered from his emotional problems. He bouncs back with a scorching rendition of "Darlin'". A few songs later, he does a heartwarming rendition of "God Only Knows". Then comes the heartbreaking "Lay Down Burden", his tribute to Carl Wilson. The mood swiftly changes with a cover of "Be My baby", to me the definitve version of the song. "Good Vibrations' bbrings the house down. It's almost as if you're there. "Caroline, No" endures thanks to his vocal work. "All Summer Long" glides along a caefree way with the blissful vibes. The haunting ballad "Love And Mercy" is also in its definitve version, shying aay from the technology used on the album version. Two bonus tracks add to the excitement of the album: an escapist rendition of "Sloop John B." and a thrilling "Barbara Ann" brings the set to an explosive close.

I think this cd shoudl be bought by anyone who likes music as much as I do. It's possibly the greatest live album ever made. Brian clearly is over his problems, and this cd shows his positive outlook on life.

I was a Beach Boys fan when it wasn't cool to be. I remember traveling across the state to see them perform one 4th of July in Tampa, and having the time of my life. Not too long ago, Brian and his new band played here on their Pet Sounds Live tour. My sister took me to that concert as a birthday present, and I'm still thanking her. This album brings me back to that November night. I always loved the "Pet Sounds" album, and the fact that they were playing the whole album live was a treat. They play most of them on this disc as well, as well as many Beach Boys classics and some new songs. Knocked my socks off! The good folks at Rhino had the good sense to release this album in high resolution DVD-Audio surround sound. The mix keeps the band up front, but allows the rear speakers to provide the ambience of the Roxy as well as crowd reactions. It truly took me back to that night at the Sunrise Musical Theater (now closed, sadly) where I heard it all live. If you're a Brian Wilson fan, seek out this DVD-Audio version. Even if your DVD player doesn't support this format, you can still enjoy it in surround with Dolby Digital. It's the next best thing to being there.

Most Beach Boys fan wil find it shocking when they realize that their most troubled member, leader Brian Wilson, has actually released more solo albums than any other member of the group. This live album is the best so far.

Recorded live over two nights in 2001, Brian and his small but skilled band steamroll through a set of distinct gems, including "This Whole World", "Don't Worry Baby", "Kiss Me Baby", "California Girls", "Surfer Girl", "Add Some Music To Your Day", "Please Let Me Wonder", "Til I Die", "Love And Mercy" and over a dozen others.

There's a real sense of joy when you hear this album. Brian has exhuberant energy lacking from other documented recordings he did with The Beach Boys. His voice is in great shape here, even reviving the trademark falsetto on the "Don't Worry Baby" intro.

I would recommend this album for all Beach Boys fans, both young and old, as it brings back meories for older fans, and presents fresh material for the newer generation of Beach Boys fans.