EUROPEAN TOUR 2003 SOUVENIR CD (WITH ERIK NORLANDER)

Like the previous "souvenir" CD from the 2001 European tour, this second one is from the subsequent European tour in 2003. Again like the previous one, this promotional disc functions like a label sampler, bringing together live and studio recordings from Lana Lane, Erik Norlander, Rocket Scientists, and Don Schiff (a Rocket Scientists member alongside Norlander), all of whom have released their albums through the Think Tank Media label (Norlander's and Lane's own record company).

In 2003 Lana Lane released Project Shangri-La and Erik Norlander released his conceptual double album Music Machine. The title track from Project Shangri-La is featured here, as well as two tracks from Music Machine; the heavy Beware The Vampires, and the Rick Wakeman-esque instrumental Metamorphosis.

The first six tracks of this disc seem to be identical to the first six tracks of the Return To Japan live album released in 2004. I'm not certain if it is the very same recordings, but it certainly are the very same songs. Autumn Leaves too is a live recording, that also later appeared on the Return To Japan album.

Phantom's Theme is a studio recording that appeared here for the first time, but was later included on the Best Of Lana Lane 2000 - 2008 album. I Believe In You is a song written by John Wetton and was included also as a bonus track on the Japanese CD version of Project Shangri-La. Both of these are piano-dominated ballads. No Quarter is a Led Zeppelin song, performed here by Lana Lane and Arjen Lucassen (with whom both Lane and Norlander have worked as members of Ayreon's cast of musicians).

The Eighth Wonder is a Don Schiff instrumental in a somewhat similar style to the one that was featured on the 2001 tour souvenir CD. The disc closes with a Rocket Scientists live recording consisting of Dark Water part 1 and Earthbound.

Almost by its very nature, a disc like this is primarily for fans and collectors. Many fans will probably already have most or all of the various releases mentioned above from which the majority of these songs were taken (or appeared later). Newcomers should, of course, begin with the regular studio and live output by Lana Lane, Erik Norlander, and Rocket Scientists.