LIVE AND LET LIVE

This is one of a handful of albums that really kick-started my love of progressive music in its many forms. I bought the original Music For Nations LP shortly after it was released in 1984 and it is still one of my all time favourites.

Geoff Mann was one of the most charismatic front-men and his theatrical approach to performance shines through on this recording. You can really sense how deeply he feels the sentiments expressed in The Ceiling Speaks, Sequences, Fact And Fiction and We Are Sane and this enhances the experience of listening to these recordings. The instrumentals The End Of The Endless Majority and The Poet Sniffs A Flower showcase the bands musical talent and provide some relief from the intensity of Mann's performance.

The CD release added Creepshow, East Of Eden, and Love Song into an already heady mix and it is in this performance of Love Song that you really sense the emotion of Geoff Mann's farewell gigs. And even with these additions there is not a single weak track on the album.

If you only ever buy one TN album you should make this it. It is a masterpiece.