Strange Behaviour Live [Import]

Karnataka | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 28, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import
• Label: Immramma UK
• ASIN: B00025C362
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #403,983 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Intro: Karnataka (Excerpt)

2. Time Stands Still

3. After The Rain

4. Crazy

5. Dreamer

6. Heaven Can Wait

7. The Right Time

8. I Should Have Known

9. Delicate Flame Of Desire

10. These Dreams Are Over

See all 11 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Must Be The Devil

2. Strange Behaviour

3. Everything Must Change

4. Talk To Me

5. The Journey

6. Tell Me Why

7. Heart Of Stone

8. Out Of Reach

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very enjoyable farewell cd for this version of the band., February 6, 2006

By 

Squire Jaco (Buffalo, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strange Behaviour Live (Audio CD)

Yes, "Strange Behavior" is the final album from this lineup of Karnataka, and departing lead vocalist Rachel Jones is probably the best reason for you to grab this "live anthology" of the band before she and others left.

They perform all of the songs (except "One Breath Away") from their last studio album "Delicate Flame of Desire", as well as many more selections from their other two albums. There are even a couple of "hidden track" songs tacked onto the last track "Out of Reach", which appear to be previously unreleased songs. With 134 minutes of music here, and a nice cd sleeve with photos of all the band members in concert, you really get your money's worth (assuming you can find it selling in the $20.00 range!).

If you're a newcomer to this band from Wales, Karnataka's music is sort of a cross between progressive rock and classic rock, with some Celtic/folk influences. They probably share the closest similarities with Mostly Autumn, except the vocals are all female. But you'll also find references to Hogarth-era Marillion, Genesis, Enya and some Renaissance. While their songs are mostly in the 5-7 minute range, they successfully weave romantic themes with lush, hypnotic atmospheres and catchy melodies.

The sound production on this live album is really great. Jones' fine vocals are harmonized sweetly with the voice of Anne-Marie Helder (who also plays flute). The standout instrumentalist in these performances has to be Paul Davies whose Andy Latimer/David Gilmour guitar passages really shine here on this cd - even more than on the studio albums.

This album will appeal to many lovers of music in general. There aren't any "killer" tracks that stand out and really move you, but there also aren't any "clunkers". Just a lot of good, pleasurable music of a slightly different nature. I recommend this cd as a great overview of a very entertaining band.

I value interesting music that is played and recorded well. This cd's rating was based on:

Music quality = 8/10; Performance = 8/10; Production = 9/10; CD length = 10/10.

Overall score weighted on my proprietary scale = 8.4 ("4 stars")

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A sad disappointment, October 15, 2009

By 

Millamant (Australia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Strange Behaviour Live (Audio CD)

I will preface this review by saying that I adore Karnataka as a band. I have their other albums and play them constantly, and I was really looking forward to receiving this live album. Unfortunately, it was a terrible disappointment from the very first track.

I am going to be quite blunt. Rachel Jones, who has a beautiful voice, spends a large percentage of the album singing appallingly flat, and Anne-Marie Helder, who is the backing vocalist, is not much better. They are not in tune with the band; they are not even in tune with each other. The problems are worst at the beginning of the performance, which is doubly unfortunate, because they start off with some of their best known songs; but even when they warm up, the problem never entirely resolves itself. I'm inclined to think nerves may have been responsible, but it is a cringeworthy performance from an otherwise wonderful band, and you can't help wondering what they were thinking of when they released it.

I have given the CD three stars, which is probably over-generous given the awfulness of a lot of the vocals; however, the actual band is on good form, so the rating is for the instrumental performance rather than the singing.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Live performance with energy, January 30, 2006

By 

Timothy Susman (Mountain View, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Strange Behaviour Live (Audio CD)

I'm sorry that I won't get the chance to see Karnataka live, but this CD is the next best thing. Rachel Jones's voice is just as beautiful live as it is on studio tracks, and even though the band sounds very highly produced on their albums, the live songs retain all the energy and full, rich sound I loved from their album. It's likely that only fans will buy this album, but I agree with a previous review that if you want to introduce someone to the band, this excellent compilation of their best songs is a good way to do it.