Customer Reviews

Live at Symphony Hall Boston

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

 

 

This album is actually a compilation of two collections that were released in the mid to late 1980's, "A New Year" and "Late Night Radio", both of which are out of print. These were concerts done at Symphony Hall in Boston, with Tom and some of his closest musical cohorts at the time. Many songs are new and recorded for the first time, and some are staples of the Rush repertoire. Why 4 stars rather than 5? Some of the material here suffers from being dated, like the Star Trek inspired "Beam Me Up Scotty", which gets old with repeated listenings. From a production point of view, it's great that the shows have been preserved and once again made available to the public. My rating really is 4 and a half, but I couldn't register that. The album is worth having in your collection, but not before "Circle Game" or a couple of the imported "two-fers" that are in print now. It's likely this will go out of print pretty quick, though, so get one if you think it's worth the money.

This wonderful CD is actually the compilation of two separate concerts held a year apart at Boston's famous Symphony Hall and with a virtual panoply of featured artists backing Rush in his version of an "updated "Club 47" type concert. My daughter and I were lucky enough to be present for both, and what we walked away with was a treasured set of memories regarding Tom Rush's enduring voice and musical talents, as well as his good taste in musical friends. Herein we have Tom's segments of the two concerts, cobbled together masterfully in a memorable musical set that will leave the listener glad to have heard it.

From "Merrimack County", his confessional regarding having walked away from the wonders of New England in his youth looking for bigger worlds to conquer, to one of his most recent compositions, "The Dreamer", this is a set that shows just how marvelous a folk voice Tom has been all these years. Of course, he has also included here many of his more recognizable folk works, such as "Jamaica, Say You Will", a Jackson Browne tune, "Wasn't That A Mighty Storm", the ironic "On The Road Again", as well as the provocative "Blow, Whistle, Blow". He also presents some newer material, such as "Late Night Radio", "Louisiana Eyes", "Kind Kind Loving', and the almost mystical "Anna". All in all, an impressive entry, and one I am glad is now available on CD. Enjoy!

Captures the spirit of Tom Rush live, with mostly a "Greatest Hits" set list. Some songs less than inspiring, but on balance a fine effort. Credit David Buskin and Robin Batteau as great side-men!

Love the cd, it took a while longer to receive than expected, would buy from again.