Customer Reviews

No Substitutions: Live in Osaka

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The curricula of the two guitarists speak for themselves. Just to remember: Toto, Crusaders, Steely Dan, Donald Fagen, Roger Waters, Karizma, Los Lobotomys, Fourplay. What could have they done together? Music, just music... but what a kind of music! This is the first time I hear so much power, feeling and technique joined together in a record that has became my favourite after the first notes i heard! If Jeff Porcaro was still alive he surely had been the drummer on this record, but he surely was on stage with them, blessing their chords!

WOW! This CD is amazing! One can only wish they were present at the concert to hear the entire thing and get the incredible talent of Larry Carlton and Steve Lukather right in front of you! This has to be one of the best live albums I've ever heard. Luke and Larry have an incredible connection through their music here, each playing beautifully off each other, forming one incredible jam session, 2 distinct styles. From the opening notes of "The Pump" to the closing notes of "Room 335" Luke and Larry take the listener on a roller coaster of musical bliss that leaves you with goosebumps on your arms and the bitter taste of disappointment in your mouth that there isn't more! Any Larry Carlton or Steve Lukather/TOTO fans will LOVE this album. This is not one to miss out on! BUY IT NOW. (On a side note, I keep reading "Lukather - formerlly of Toto." Toto is still rockin strong.)

Steve Lukather's records have never been chart toppers, and Larry Carlton isn't, hasn't been, and will never be the same he was before he got hurt. So what ?

This is an unexpected union of two guitar players who both are, in their genre, institutions. The record starts with the standard "The Pump" (Jeff Beck, the hero of many), a cut I never get tired of listening to, to continue with a tonic "Give it up" and takes us through a journey where each of the two just have fun with their guitar (let's not kid ourselves, these guys can REALLY play !). Of course, you can argue that the record is worth it just because who they are and I did not beleive they would get together for a gig. But it is more than a collector's item because it still brings quality playing and a fun moment while driving your car or on a lazy afternoon. This is blues and rock'n'roll, with a marvelous and soulful softie in the middle ("only yesterday") which really turns you on from minute 4 or so.

The bad thing about this cd, as mentioned by another reviewer, is that it is only 53 minutes long. Why ? Mystery, because I am sure the show lasted twice as long and another couple of track could have been added to this cd, making it much better... I give four stars because of the benefit of the doubt.

If you are a Larry Carlton fan buy his latest , "Saphire Blue"... it is without a doubt his best. "No Substitutions" may have been great fun to watch live and record/perform but is a real 'widdle-fest' for bedroom guitarists. Most of these tracks are available on previous live LC albums, 'Last Nite' is a better live album. What is happening to SL? he plays with so much distortion and no subtlety, check out 'The Baked Potato Super Live' 1981 for SL's best fusion playing.

For guitar heads only, not covering any new ground. Why this CD got an award I don't know. It is not bad, just self-indulgent.

This meeting of two of the best guitarists in existence is amazing. I'd rather listen to this recording than the G3 Live CD. Lukather and Carlton have such a great time jamming with each other, it really comes out in the music. This is a really fun CD (and a great guitar lesson!). Check out Los Lobotomys' self-titled CD (with Lukather) if you can find it; more great fusion there.

The consumate album for people who appreciate excellence in modern guitar playing. Engineered by Steve Vai (no mean talent himself) it has some of the hottest guitar duels and counterpointing that I've heard in aeons.

This is a hot CD. Not to be missed by fans of good Jazz/Fusion/Rock guitar playing. Larry is *THE* premier session player of the late 20th Century - and Steve is very much the pupil.

An unforgettable listen - especially "The Pump". Don't miss it.

Addendum on 8 October 2004: There are three tracks missing from the original performance - according to Larry's webmaster and manager who was POSITIVE they were played on the night - and for the life of me I don't know why. They do a toasting-hot version of Jimi Hendrix's "Red House"; "Cause We've Ended As Lovers" is so magnificently subtle and plaintif, and "Little Wing" shows Lukather excelling. Why they were not included on the disk, who knows? Royalties???? Note all tracks were written by either Carlton or both of them, but strangely enough I've heard Jeff Beck do a version of "The Pump" years before this was released.

Steve Vai owns Favored Nation Records - the label this is released on. It's anyone's guess who had creative control, but the only thing wrong with the tracks which are left out is a rather off-color joke about Sammy Davis Jnr that Lukather sings as they retune. It could have been cut out.

RELEASE THEM MR CARLTON!!!!!!

This is a truly outstanding CD. The guitar playing of Larry Carlton and former Toto guitarist Steve Lukather is very melodic and intense. This live performance combines Carlton's jazz with some fantastic guitar playing by Lukather. The set up is simple, Carlton in your left speaker and Lukather in your right. It's all instrumental, produced and mixed by Steve Vai, and contains five songs for 60 minutes of pure enjoyment. If ever there was a true 5 star CD, this is it. Buy it, you won't regret it.

From the first couple minutes of the opening track "The Pump", this recording promises a rock `em sock 'em shootout between two exceptional guitarists - a promise which is never really kept, although there's still plenty to like about this instrumental concert performance. While Carlton and Lukather never really meld, the turn-taking approach gives each guitarist plenty of space to do their own thing, and they do it very well. The percolating rhythm of "The Pump" and the equally energetic "Don't Give It Up" take us through 21 minutes of powerhouse guitar-playing with scarcely a letup. Lukather is really on fire during this first part of the set, while Carlton excels at quieter, more lyrical passages. The introspective "(It Was) Only Yesterday" is less energetic (read "boring") while Miles Davis' "All Blues" is over by the time it really gets going, but I guess somebody felt a change of pace was in order. The set closes with a jaunty "Room 335", that echoes of Steely Dan's "Peg".

Very highly recommended to devotees of fusion guitar who lean towards the rocky side. If you come from the jazzier side of the house, perhaps not so much. But even if it's not as great a recording as we might have hoped for, there's still plenty of hot guitar playing to satisfy your inner shredder.

This is the Collaboration between Carlton and Luke to own.

Sure wish there was a full length set of this on DVD...NOT Paris that does n't cut it.

In recent (1998-present) years, Larry Carlton has been paying the bills as a working member of Fourplay, the "Smooth Jazz" (shudder) super-ensemble featuring Nathan East, Bob James and Harvey Mason. But don't forget this one critical fact: He can STILL pound the average rock guitarist into a fine powder! Here, he's paired with Toto's Steve Lukather, and it's a pretty even match. Jeff Beck's "The Pump" is the perfect showcase for some back-and-forth pyrotechnics. Fourplay has served up some fine tracks, as well as a big helping of "Quiet Storm" GARBAGE. This is a live recording from the guy who powered MANY of Steely Dan's hits...a guy who is more well-rounded than his Fourplay resume would suggest. Lukather's no slouch either. Get this, as well as the DVD, and you WILL NOT be sorry.