Customer Reviews

Powers of Ten Live

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I listen to this album, practically every day, I feel a strange mixture of emotions. First of all I feel happy I'm alive because the music here is really uplifting, joyful music; I feel happy I have ears because the music here is perfect, wonderful, amazing, exceptionally beautiful music that I am grateful I have the opportunity to hear; I feel happy I'm musically schooled so I can fully appreciate and comprehend the absolutly perfection of the music played here; I feel proud I'm human, because the music here is really fantastic and tells a lot about what human being is able to achieve in terms of beauty and value. And in the same time I feel extremely sad because we have lost the opportunity to listen more perfect music from Shawn, because he's gone. At the same time the music he left behind him is complete, perfect music in itself. There's nothing of his personal musical universe that Shawn has left unsaid or unplayed in a sense. In few albums he declared completly his immense musical mind and left something, a musical legacy that will never be forgotten. This album, due to its "live" character, is probably the best way to deeply feel and enjoy Shawn's immense talent and musical imagination. This is unforgettable universal music.

This CD unveils a virtuoso/composer at the height of his powers. If you have ever wondered if Shawn could take his music to new levels this CD answers that question. YES. All of the favorites from "Powers of Ten" are on here as well as two from "The Tritone Fascination" plus an incredible cover of Weather Report's "Black Market". Shawn is far more than just a shredder. He is a total musician. Composetions such as "Gray Pianos Flying" and "Trois Cept Cinq" are a testament to that. Other Songs such as "Get You Back" and "Not Again" display his ability to write melodic pieces as well. This CD is a must have for any Guitar or fusion fan that you know including yourself. The only bad part of this CD is that Shawn himself did not do a great job mixing it. His guitar is not mixed in well during the whole CD.(the Drum/Guitar solo almost to the point where you can't hear him) Nevertheless, this is the only LIVE version of Shawn's solo music, so it is highly recommended.(Note for the Shawn Lane addict. I want you to know that the songs are different from the "616/G.I.T" video from the same tour. In fact, there are less of them and shorter versions. Yet I still recommend getting this because the addition of a saxophone player adds to the number of melody lines and gives more of a full band sound.)

The original Power of Ten album is out of print, as I understand. Unfortunate because this brilliant musician played not only guitar, but every other instrument as well. On this live album Lane's band was assembled to promote the original album, and bassist Barry Bays and drummer Sean Rickman do a great job.

Shawn only lived to the age of 40 (1963-2003) but accomplished a lot in his short life. He was just a kid when he played with Black Oak Arkansas but was nothing short of legendary down south (he hails from Memphis) even before he released any albums, due to bootlegs and demos floating around. He's done solo albums and played with everybody from Ringo Starr to Joe Walsh to Waylon Jennings, but it seems he was content to do his own thing rather than become another shred clone (and yes, the dude could shred).

I was not too crazy about some of his later Indian influences though his musical excellence could not be denied. He did a lot of great stuff with Swedish bassist Jonas Hellborg (check out some of their albums as well).

How to describe Shawn Lane to those who've never heard him? First and foremost, a brilliant guitarist and more. He was a guy who thought for himself and never let himself be categorized. Therefore I cautiously use terms like jazz, fusion, and prog rock. This album is a great place to start if you want to discover a guitarist who deserves to be a household name like Clapton or Hendrix, but probably never will be.

This whole album is great, but my favorites are "Hard Case" and "Get You Back". Listen to the variety of styles Shawn Lane displays here and you'll be hooked on this musician the world lost way too early. The only reason I didn't give this CD 5 stars is because the recording, though good, is less than Shawn's music deserves.

I'm not sure why Amazon only lists the import (which, as far as I can tell is identical to the U.S. version). What a wonderful disc this is! Of course the muscianship is next to unbelievable but what separates Shawn Lane from say, Steve Vai or Joe Satriani is that he's really well rounded (no pun intended). He can play keyboards and drums and he can write really beautiful, joyous tunes--not just pentatonic shred/blues-rock that impresses for an instant & then is forgotten.

Shredders won't be disappointed however as Shawn Lane actually plays faster than Paul Gilbert or John Petrucci. In fact his speed would be almost a self-parody if the songs weren't so interesting and cool. He's not in a league with Allan Holdsworth (who is) but if you like Eric Johnson and you know who Michael Schenker is and you want to hear melodies, not just riffs, this is for you.

I remember picking up the orginial "Powers of Ten" disc many years ago and the treat my ears had listening to it. I had that same experience again listening to this live album. For those of you who already have the orginial 10 disc, there are some new tracks and jams on the album that make it a must buy (not to mention Shawn's great playing on the old tracks). Grab this album and you will quickly rediscover why Shawn is such an awesome musician!

If you love fusion then you must own this CD!
From the opening announcement "All right gang, I think you know why you're here", you really do begin to understand what this CD is all about!!
The opening "Esperanto" has the drums locked into a complex groove propelling the ultra cool unison sax/guitar lines along until the hair stands up on the back of your neck! The sound quality is exceptionally well balanced for a live recording and every musician here is top notch, just check out Sean Rickman on drums! Best of all you have Shawn playing lead guitar!
There is no doubt that Shawn is one of the all time best guitarists and composers bar none. He's not just about playing fast notes; he plays with the utmost feeling and emotion. Check out "Get You Back" and "Epilogue For Lisa" and tell me that he lacks emotion! If those riffs don't give you chills you better check your pulse! Smoking versions of Weather Report's "Black Market" and Ray Gomez's "West Side Boogie" are on tap. The guitar solos on "Not Again" and "Hardcase"... fuhgeddaboudit! A question on the CD cover asks, "What will we see, and what will we come to understand, once we enter the next levels?" After hearing and truly listening to this CD you will come to know that Shawn Lane & The Powers Of Ten hit that next level during this performance and just kept on going and going!

I'm from Memphis, his hometown, and had the pleasure of seeing Shawn live and talking with him briefly between sets. He was at a small local club, playing mostly cover tunes, which he enlivened by his amazing abilities. It's a shame he didn't receive more accolades and more high-profile gigs. A gifted and talented man but apparently a somewhat tortured soul.

Any guitarist who thinks Shawn Lane lacks musical credibility should hang it up. Lane's critics always cite his speed, which is awesome, when taking shots at him. I here little about his stellar note selection and overall musicianship--the two qualities that made him famous. Powers of Ten Live demonstrates Lane is one of the best musicians of my generation, who, for whatever reason, never received the interest he deserved. Top-notch musicians know this guy was a special talent. Shawn plays most of the songs on the CD almost exactly as he did on the original Powers of Ten. The guitar tone is kind of dark. I would have liked it if the guitar was a little brighter and louder in the mix, but the recording still sounds good. There is minimal audience noise on the CD, which I'm very thankful for. You won't find a better player to listen to.

How can it be that when I listen to Powers Of Ten Live I feel both joy and sorrow, elation and depression, hope and hopelessness, and great awe. What causes these extreme opposites in emotion? Well, that's easy, because no matter the positive emotion I may be feeling while listening to this album, in the back of mind I know this man is no longer alive, and will never again write another piece of music. Even putting that in words for this review is difficult to accept. I consider Shawn Lanes death one of the worst losses of the 20th/21st century. Shawn was a genius musician in the same vein as Alan Holdsworth, Aaron Copeland, Bach, Beethoven, Jimi Hendrix etc. While I will always be grateful for the music Shawn made while he was alive, I will forever wonder about what could have been.

I discovered Shawn back in the late 80's when at that time the only way to hear the man was to see him live and through rare bootleg recordings. Technically he of course floored me. I could not believe what I was hearing, I did not think anyone could play that fast. As a guitar player in the 80's I was obsessed with speed, but as I got older I learned to appreciate other aspects of lead guitar playing, such as tone, phrasing, note selection, rhythm, and timing. Shawn had all of that in spades. So many guitar players focus only on his speed, and at 18 notes per second he is the fastest guitar player to have ever lived. But there is so much more to the man than his fast playing. Unfortunately so many guitar players are extremely immature and turn guitar playing into some kind of competition, where it's all about who's faster than who. I suppose if that's all you care about then Shawn is your man, but you will be missing the genius of this musician if that's all you focus on.

I bought Powers Of Ten almost the day it was released and listened to it every day for about a year. That is no lie, I went through a couple of cassette tapes (remember those?) because I was obsessed with the album. It still ranks as the most treasured album in very large CD collection to this day. It was with Powers that we were exposed to the "real" Shawn Lane, a man of great musical depth and understanding. The man wrote music, sophisticated, extremely technical yet beautiful compositions. Power of Ten contains lots of draw dropping guitar playing, but it is far from a shred guitar type album. Even more stunning on Powers is that Shawn played most of the instruments on the album with the exception of guest musicians on drums and bass for a couple of songs. His keyboard playing was as spectacular as his guitar playing. The only musician I know of who is equally proficient in both is Tony Macalpine.

Powers of Ten Live is a true treat. Despite the comments of other reviewers I think the sound of the album is quite good, considering when it was recorded and the limited budget the man had to work with. This is not some tin can sounding bootleg CD which is how some reviewers would have you think with their complaints. Shawn plays everything from Powers of Ten with the exception of Powers of Ten suite, Piano Concertino: Transformation of Themes (I was disappointed with this omission), and Paris (another song I would have loved to hear live). Shawn stretches his legs on the studio versions of the songs, especially the incredibly melodic and beautiful extended guitar solo at the end of Get You Back. Shawn doesn't miss a beat and neither does his fantastic band, especially the incredible drumming of Sean Rickman (who also played on the studio version of Powers). The band is just so tight and locked in. Not only were they incredibly well rehearsed, but they let the music breath in a way only musicians who are 100% in sync with one another can. We also get three tunes from the Tri-Tone Fascination, with one of my favorite Shawn Lane songs, Tri 7/5. The song opens with a beautiful, almost haunting chord progression that just moves me to the core. Shawn's solo guitar piece is as expected, mind blowing, with wide intervallic stretches mixed with impossible speed picking (and probably lots of hybrid picking too). As is the case with much of Shawn's solo guitar playing, it sounds other worldly and alien like, and truly inhuman.

I could go on and on here, and you might think I'm being overly dramatic, but my admiration, respect, and awe of Shawn Lane's talents knows no bounds. A musician's musician, yet equally as accessible to non-musicians. If you have even a passing interest in fusion style music, and want to hear the most technically gifted guitar player to have ever lived, you owe it to yourself to cough up the money for this album. I would purchase it at three times the price and still consider it a bargain.

This album is just fantastic, unique. Just watch his passion and technique playing Get You back, Rules Of The Game and Grey Pianos Flying and Black Market ! These are the best! Get you Back is one of the best guitar songs ever made. Although it has a simple melody, it's perfect! Grey Pianos Flying, Black Market and Rules Of The Game shows Shawn's incredible talent. A must have!! I only wish the original Powers Of Ten was also re-released...