801 LIVE

The year was 1978. My first year of college. Ah, the memories. One of those was being introduced to progressive rock, I'm sure like many, with my first introduction to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. But that's a different review.

At some point, I don't remember when, where or why, I picked up this album as a cut out at our local record shop. Hopefully, there are others out there that remember cut outs. Any way, I was totally blown away by this album. In fact, the guy in the dorm room next to us decided to quit school and become a professional drummer based on the drumming in this album. I don't know how he fared, but I do know that Simon Phillips is absolutely phenomenal on this effort.

The songs on this album are either from Quiet Sun, Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera or cover versions of other artists. Unlike some, I find the live versions of the Quiet Sun songs better than the studio versions. They seem to me to have more energy and life. Ditto the Phil Manzanera songs. The Eno songs, as expected, are quirky and wonderful. But for me the real gems are the cover songs. TNK (Beatles) and You Really Got Me Now (Kinks) are worth the price of admission themselves. Both are memorable and extend the originals into weird and wonderful new territory.

To this day, this remains my favorite all-time live progressive rock album. I believe, maybe with a great deal of sentiment, that this album is an absolute must in any progressive rock fan's collection. Definitely a 5 out of 5.