YTSEJAM Digest 6014 Today's Topics: 1) by "Don Stick" 2) Graham! by Cyberwolf 3) IO sampler by Paul Weiss 4) Good Prices for CDs/DVDs by "Alexandro Talamini" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 06 Nov 2001 12:44:29 +0000 From: "Don Stick" To: ytsejam@torchsong.com Message-ID: Well, I've been here for a while, and I'm normally quiet, but when threatened with the extinction of the jam and an invitation to review Symphony X - Live in Europe, I couldn't resist. The first thing a lot of people are gonna want to know is "can these guys cut it live". The short answer is yes. Everyone involved plays with a remarkable degree of technical accuracy. Even the slight slips that inevitably occur in repeated fast runs in a live situation are glossed over or played around in a way that only the very best musicians can. The band sound is fairly cohesive, with Jason Rullo's drums sounding more powerful than ever, without that horrible splashy reverb setting that plagued his sound on V. The more natural room sound brings out the crack of his snare beautifully, and this combined with a whopping bass drum and crisply recorded cymbals combine to emphasize the more subtle side of his playing, something his recorded sound hasn't permitted since The Damnation Game. The rhythm guitar sound, in losing the hi-fi crispness that has become Michael Romeo's trademark in a studio setting, succumbs a little to bottom end wallow, and could be a lot tighter. When he switches to lead playing, however, this sound actually helps his playing to sing, cutting through despite the lack of any volume boost. The keyboards, too, could be a little crisper, with some of the flourishes and runs, particularly on the string sounds, getting a tad lost. Even the bass is a little boomy at times. Russell Allen's vocals, however, are faultlessly recorded, if a little quiet at times. Right, enough of all that. The first section of the disc contains just over half of their last album: V. For me, this is their best material, and comes across wonderfully live, particularly because of the wider dynamic range of the material. The band is also not afraid to experiment a little with changing bits around. Particularly noticable, and extremely effective, are occasional stops and extra guitar runs. Although Romeo's live playing borders on the excessive, it only occasionally detracts from the mood of the song. Perhaps a slightly tighter approach to rhythm guitar playing wouldn't go amiss. However, I'm splitting hairs, as a live band will inevitably improvise a little, and who can blame one or two members for overplaying? On the whole, this part of the disc is incredibly impressive, with enough power, feel, and personality to make it worth repeated listening, something a lot of live CDs somehow miss out on. Towards the end of the first disc the band loses steam somewhat, with a lacklustre version of Candlelight Fantasia that sees Russel Allen struggle with both the highest and lowest notes. He quickly recovers to rip into The Eyes of Medusa. However, the band let him down here by playing the track far too quickly and finding themselves unable to stay tight at the increased tempo. This is a problem that plagues them throughout the two CDs. They normally get away with it technically due to their incredible competence, but occasionally some of the songs lose out on feel, with more texturally intricate sections sometimes coming across as a blur of notes rather than building into a cohesive sound. Again this is not a fault with the accuracy of the playing, more a misunderstanding of the relationship between tempo and feel. The second disc begins with an inspired choice of songs from Twilight in Olympus, an album that showed much promise but suffered from a muddy rhythm guitar sound and drumming that was devoid of any character whatsoever, unfortunately contriving to make the songwriting appear less inspired than it actually was. In these versions, the greatly improved drumming works wonders for the material. To his credit, Jason Rullo stays mostly faithful to the original drum parts, simply injecting a little of his charisma into the playing that livens up the songs no end. The real star of the show is Russell Allen, whos practically faultless singing combined with the occasional timely Pantera Grunt really gets the crowd going. The man injects such charm and personality into the band that I couldn't fail to notice it despite never having seen them live (I have the misfortune to live in England). The final clutch of songs from Divine Wings of Tragedy is some of the best material on the album, despite suffering heavily from the same amphetamine affliction that plagued The Eyes of Medusa on the first CD. The epic (and beautifully executed) title track is an incredibly powerful way to end the show. That's the thing about this album, it IS a show. The excitement of the live setting is something so many bands fail to carry onto CD, but these guys pull it off. The album is consistently fascinating and moving, without ever becoming tiring or wearing. I have a feeling this is one of those rare live albums that I will continue to play for its own merits rather than just file it alongside Dream Theater's stinking Once in a Livetime and ignore it. If you are not already into the band, this would serve as an excellent introduction. Otherwise, go and buy Divine Wings of Tragedy, and experience the Symphony X Images and Words/Cowboys from Hell/Classical music throughout the ages melting pot that is this magnum opus. Go on. Now. _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Nov 2001 08:56:14 -0500 From: Cyberwolf To: ytsejam@torchsong.com Subject: Graham! Message-ID: What fanzine, dude? You neglected to mention the name/link/webpage! ANyhow, sounds interesting, is it printed on glossy florescent orange paper with an embossed metallic ochre Title? Scott Mosher (Musician/Graphic Artist/Activist, Dr. Pepper Aficianado, Neurosurgeon, Allroundniceguy) http://www.theambientmind.com/virtuality/ http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/mosher ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2001 09:59:59 -0500 (EST) From: Paul Weiss To: The Dance of Ytinrete Subject: IO sampler Message-ID: Anything on the Sampler not yet widely available (i.e. live Symphony X, etc.)? paul ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Nov 2001 19:35:40 -0200 From: "Alexandro Talamini" To: ytsejam@torchsong.com, thmleng@yahoogroups.com Subject: Good Prices for CDs/DVDs Message-ID: Hey Folks, A friend of mine who lives in Richmond, VA, is coming to Brazil for Christmas and New Year's day. I'm thinking og ordering some CDs and DVDs to be shipped to him. Then he brings the stuff along with him. QUESTION: Where to find GREAT prices on the web?? Alex Curitiba, Brazil _________________________________________________________________ Chegou o novo MSN Explorer. Instale ja. I gratuito! http://explorer.msn.com.br ------------------------------ End of YTSEJAM Digest 6014 ************************** === Contributions to ytsejam: ytsejam@torchsong.com === === Send requests to: ytsejam-request@torchsong.com === === Brought by the ghost of ytsejam@arastar.coms past === === Reach the owner of this list at: ytsejam-owner@torchsong.com ===