Customer Reviews

We Live Here

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of the more difficult PMG albums to like. What has changed most since the previous studio album ('Letter From Home', but can it really be six years earlier) is the rhythm. It isn't just that the personnel have changed -- Pedro Aznar has disappeared, to be replaced yet again by Messrs Blamires and Ledford. No, for this album, the compositions are guided by the new groove, a sort of Metheny hip-hop, minus any rap.

Some, but not all, of it works. None of Metheny's subsequent albums has followed this path.

Well worth the price alone is a wonderfully exuberant track #4, 'To the End of the World', which provides empirical proof that there is a God. Structurally, it's a re-working of 'Are You Going With Me' to the new groove, but there is no harm in that. I could swear that even the intellectual Steve Rodby gets funky for a few seconds!

A fascinating aspect of the sleeve notes is where each artist lists seven or eight albums of the past. It doesn't say whether these are their most influential albums, or their favourite albums, but there are a few surprises. Guess who lists Stravinsky? Beefheart? Wayne Shorter? (Three of them, actually.)

No Metheny compilation would be complete without track #4.

I own about 10 Pat Metheny albums, and I enjoy all of them alot. That said, this album has always stood out as my personal favorite. It includes some of Methenys best work as a guitarist, and as a composer. I really cannot fathom all the negative reviews this album is getting...

This is a unique Metheny album, unlike most others. It contains rhythms that trace back to Pop and Rock. "To the End of the World" is the real standout track on this album, an epic 12 minute piece with varying themes and rhythms. It stands out among Methenys superior compisitions. "We Live Here" features a tribal element, proving the bands boundaries and limitations are endless and nonexistant.

The band, Lyle Mays - keyboards, Steve Rodby - bass, Paul Wertico - drums, and of course Pat Metheny on guitar, are all on top creative form on this album. Great album to own if you are looking so see what all the hype over Metheny is about, or if you have a hankering for some good Jazz/Fusion.

I lent this CD to my neighbor and started thinking about it for the first time in a few years. I looked it up on Amazon.com on a lark - wow, I had never seen the internet when this came out!

I think one perspective missing in the reviews here is that this album came out at a time before a "smooth jazz" radio station had carved out an infamous spot on the dial in every
American metropolis. I.e. back then it didn't sound like a cheesy Peter White album with an upgraded guitar player. Unless you lived close to San Clemente, CA, you probably hadn't heard enough round grooves with jazz guitar to make you puke before this came out.

Personally, I'd like to hear Metheny do a groove project every few years. The good stuff on this album is my favorite Metheny music, and that's saying something.

Get it. I preffered it to 'The Road To You'. The thumping title track, The Girls next Door, To The End Of The World and Stranger In Town will leave you wanting for more.

Episode D'Azure is simply special :-)

Sure, this album is a lot more "mainstream" then most Pat stuff - but the risk has paid off. This is one satisfied customer, encouraging you to enjoy the experience as well.

Originally I was not as enthused by this recording as I was for most of those that preceded it. Perhaps because this recording took a different tact than his others. A decidedly different album for Pat. The album starts out with three very contemporary and deceptively radio friendly pieces that flirt with hip-hop and smooth groove sensibilities. At first you might want to dismiss these because of that. I did almost did. I would ask that you take a closer listen. They're subtle pieces with interesting segues, hooks and nuances. Pat shows that he could groove on these, improvise soulfully and incorporate disparate influences into something Pat Metheny or more accurately Pat Metheny Group-like. On the fourth piece the master shows himself. That piece being "To the End of the World" and continues through six very good pieces and finishes on a true high note with "Stranger in Town". There are pearls here, definitely. "Episode D'Azure" is a wonderful ensemble piece with Pat and Lyle weaving in and out throughout the piece. A dynamic and inventive piece. The title cut is raw passion, steadily building, layer upon layer, Pat's synth-guitar wailing longingly over a primal rhythm. "Red Sky" is another one of those pieces that like. "To the End of The World" shows Pat's understanding of tension and release. "Stranger in Town" is my personal favorite, a guitar player's piece.


This album shows what an inventive musician can do with contemporary music forms and not sound cliched. Pat's take on the current forms played heart, soul and individuality.

Just when you was absolutely positive that you heard Pat Metheny at his best,along comes "We Live Here".I can't say this is the best,because his cd's are so diverse,and because this one ranks right up there with "The First Circle",but it just doesn't get much better than this. I got the chance to catch this tour when they stopped in Chicago (Highland Park),at the Ravinia.1st of all,the Ravinia was made for the Pat Metheny Group.nuff said. David Blamires,Armando Marcal,and Mark Ledford (I may be wrong on which one of them was here) but at anyrate,they performed "This Is Not America" live for the 1st time,and it was AMAZING!! Utterly AMAZING!! But back to this we Live Here,if you don't have this one...you can't get it fast enough,BELIEVE IT!!

As a HUGE Pat Metheny Group fan, I own about 8 of his CDs and listen to them regularly. "We Live Here" is one my favorites...along with "Still Life Talking" "Letter from Home" "Secret Story" and "Speaking of Now".

The group's membership has changed composition over the years, with Pat Metheny (of course) and Lyle Mays the only two core players that have been on every PMG album since their self-titled release in 1978. Others have come and gone, with some mostly staying (such as drummer Paul Wertico and bassist Steve Rodby). On this album, we've got those four plus David Blamires (vocals, brass, guitars, and misc others), Mark Ledford (brass, vocals, whistling, mallets, guitars, and misc others), and Luis Conte (percussion). With 7 guys, it's the largest of the various iterations of the PMG and in contrast to the PMG of early days when it was simply a quartet, these additional members allow the group to achieve sonic textures that simply couldn't be achieved with fewer players...particularly with the multi-talented Ledford and Blamires adding so many little nuances like marimba, flugelhorn, and rhythm guitars. Their voices blend quite nicely as well, contributing that signature "oo ah ee" stuff to Pat's signature guitar work. It's just one of the many things I like about this album.

The group also adds some things not heard on other albums such as strategically placed sound effects (thunder and rain, along with an approaching subway train and an electric motor) which again add some interesting texture and complements the music nicely. It never feels forced or results in a sound that is over-produced and unachievable outside the confines of a studio...as can be witnessed by getting a copy of the DVD by the same title...the group flawlessly replicates on stage what is heard on the album.

I particulaly like "Red Sky" and "To The End of the World" (my favorite), but every track is good...with none meriting the "skip" button. It is a fantastic album when you just want to unwind after a hard day...with a glass of wine and the fire crackling. I also like to take this album on road trips. There's nothing quite like winding through the curves of the Pacific Coast surrounded by this music, creation, and a powerful car.

While a lot of people within my circle of friends are unfamiliar with Metheny, when I put on one of his albums they invariably say, "this is GREAT music...who is that?" (including my 70-year old mother). The music appeals to such a wide range of ages and tastes because in so many ways it defies categorization. It's jazz, but without falling into the cheezy "smooth jazz" genre and yet not falling into the traditional jazz category either. The PMG is a group that has really defined its own sound and carved out a unique niche in the world of jazz.

And it's a niche that I love. I think what I like best about the PMG in general, aside from the beauty of the music and the obvious talent of the musicians (these are guys who take their craft extremely seriously), is that it's just plain interesting music...never boring. I also like the fact that the group departs occassionally from the 4/4 rut and ventures out into some unusual time signatures, always navigating them effortlessly and grooving them fluently, led by Paul Wertico's amazing abilities...particularly his cymbal work.

I can highly recommend this album to PMG lovers and newbies alike. You won't be disappointed.

Before all of us purist Metheny-adicts go Berkshire and accuse PMG of selling out to the evil Kenny G, let's have a little faith that Pat actually knows what he's doing here and that this is an honest effort to expand the already broad horizons of the PMG jazz landscape.

I know. The entire album is set to what initially sound like canned drum machine loops that would seem to render Paul Wertico's presence moot. It is initially tempting to think that Warner Brothers pressured Pat into producing something that would appeal to the main-stream smooth jazz radio audience, but I don't think this is the case.

For all of it's obvious and deliberate pop orientation, there are enough pure jazz notions in all of the compositions to render the CD still head and shoulders above anything any "smoothy" journeyman could ever hope to produce. It's almost as if Pat was saying, "OK. I'll come down on your level just this once and with nine fingers tied behind my back I'll still show you hacks how it's done."

Even in this dumbed-down format, the chord progressions are musically mature, the instrumentation lush, and the soloing far more harmonically advanced than anything the rest of the smooth crowd wishes it could achieve.

In the end, "We Live Here" is a production up to PMG standards that passes the listenability test. I am still more likely to grab "Watercolors" or "Letter From Home" first, but for a change of pace and to ameliorate my wife (who does not share my intense appreciation for jazz but does like this CD) on those long car rides around Dallas/Fort Worth, WLH easily passes muster.

I'd say this is Pat Metheny Group's most accessible album to date. That's my opinion anyway and I have all the others. It's certainly their funkiest and as close to the edge of smooth jazz as the group is ever likely to get. There are even beautiful but easy vocal hooks to sing or hum along to (performed by David Blamires and Mark Ledford) on a couple of the songs. Metheny plays guitar (and guitar synth, of course), with Lyle Mays on piano and keyboards, Steve Rodby on acoustic and electric bass, Paul Wertico on drums and Luis Conte on percussion. (Ledford also plays trumpet).

I would like to hope that this album, when it was released back in 1995, brought new fans into the fold without scaring away any established ones. Personally, I loved it from first listen. I'm not not overly keen on the title track (though I do appreciate its brilliant artistry) but the rest of the album is typically flawless. Favourite tunes include the opener "Here To Stay", "The Girls Next Door", "Episode d'Azur", "Something To Remind You" and "Red Sky". I find Mays' piano solos on some of the selections are particularly heartwarming and if I were going to introduce PMG to a friend, this is the CD I would buy for them as a gift.

This record may be an upset for purists. Well, this can be no jazz, can be no contemporary, can be what Metheny is not accustomed to do. But, who cares? The disc is fantastic, whetever the optics you have. Don't forget this has a Grammy award (something Pat has in more than a dozen).

I can say I have been late to Pat Metheny. I have listened to Yellowjackets and Weather Report with both joy and interest and I have made an idea of what fusion or contemporary jazz was. Some other groups are more predictable, like Fourplay and Rippingtons, but they still got the punch. They move into latin jazz, adult and even funky, so the "label" is not clear.

Describing this disc is not simple. The quality is exceptional, the rhythm is catchy and some songs deserve a lot of hearings to discover all that is behind. Some could say it has an abuse of programations and canned melodies but still you can hear the best Pat's guitar and Lyle's keyboards.

"Girls next door" has not only rhythm, melody and virtuosism. It has such a delicious bizarre mood that makes it an irresistible song.

"To the end of the world" is incredible and hypnotizing. You don't want the 12 minutes to reach to an end.

"Here to Stay", is a rich melody that introduces de disc. It is the sort of thing you are going to discover further.

The overall disc sounds really modern and accessible for new public. I repeat that this is not a good thing for purists. Remember that when you are trying to discover a new artist you need to understand his proposals and then you can go further.

Accesibility doesn't mean low quality. Metheny has got a lot of recordings, better or worse (well, it is difficult to find a bad recording from him). But if you want to know about him, I strongly recommend to start with this "We Live Here". You won't regret.

Afterwards, you will be loving it for a lifetime.