LIVE IN MARBURG 1980. THE FINAL CONCERT

SBB out of Poland have stories. The communist government, the police and the authorities in general hated these guys. And so they were the object of a lot of abuse over the years until things in their country changed. I can't express in words the sheer power that this trio generated on stage. They were a lit fuse. And they all being virtuosos at that. So here we are with that first incarnation of the band, after many albums released in the 70's, they decide to call it a day. This is their final concert played in Marburg, Germany, November 10th, 1980.

They decided to be a four piece here, and I'm almost in shock that the lead guitarist is playing bass here. What!? And they brought in a young guitarist for this. The keyboardist, like Geddy, was both the keys and bass man, so they shifted things around for this tour. I'm not sure how inspired they were here, it doesn't feel like they were. Maybe that is why they decided to retire the band, and they were serious. Yes they would come back, but they wouldn't release another studio album for over 20 years after their last studio record.

I'm maybe being hard on this one but I don't think so. The fact the band didn't even release this hour and a half, double album at the time speaks volumes. Yes in 2007 they would finally unveil it but clearly they weren't happy with it. You can imagine the hard core fans waiting for this, or even the fact that the band could make a few bucks from this release but no. I mean it pales big time when compared to the "Karlstadt Live" or "Hofors" both from 1975, and both would peel the paint off your walls. I can't believe how jammy this is. The first disc especially, while the second disc has some variety but it's inconsistent to my ears.

I'd probably pick the song "Rot" the closer from disc one as my favourite. Yes they jam but there's some energy here at times. Thankfully this wasn't really the final concert, as it would have been a disappointing way to end it all. These guys have released over 40 live records as the archival stuff continues to be released.

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