Phoenix Rising Music

This is a live album, and quite honestly, though I like Lake Trout's work, I don't like this album as a whole. Their live performances today are better than this, and they seem to have come a long way since then, judging from this release. Its seeming lack of direction is too loose and free-flowing for my taste, and the majority of it sounds like an almost exact (though drawn out) mold for what's to come on their following release, Another One Lost, their best album to date. Still, I recommend it for the songs "#2," "I'll Be" (also featured on Volume for the Rest of It) and "Throw Me the Whip." #2 in particular is intense and utterly hypnotic, the best song on the album. In fact, I would sum up the mood of the entire album as reflecting an intense, introspective dive into the unknown. If you like music that takes you to the edge of trippy and weird (in a good way), then you'll appreciate Lake Trout. That said, they really should put out a live album from among their most recent performances and include songs such as "Peel," "Bully," and the untitled songs that are featured on the encoded MP3 version of AOL, some of which are taken from a live performance at XM Satellite Radio in D.C.

These guys are quim. Not jazz. STS9 way more talented.

Lake Trout started as a swoony jazzy thing that reminded me of Sting's _Dream of the Blue Turtles_. Then, a few years ahead of their time, the delved into a drum-n-bass thing that's in evidence in heaps on this release, Alone at Last. It isn't conventional drum n bass, in that it's all live (the drummer is SICK!), but also in that it rocks and rolls harder and farther than most. Excellent stuff!

The band is of course off in another direction. More recently, they're more directly rock, losing the jazzy and electronic edges for something a bit more heavy and fast. Alone at Last is a great taste of them before that transition.

I'm not sure I can add much more than has already been said, but the flow to this album is superb, and DJ Who adds a perfect dimension to the unique Lake Trout sound. While at times the compositions themselves seem a bit weak, the album as a whole is fantastic to listen to, and I had it in my car CD player for three or four days straight, which is pretty amazing considering I have a twenty-minute commute each way to work. I definitely recommend this album for anyone curious as to what the hype is about...Lake Trout mixes the rhythms of drum'n'bass quite well with some of the sounds of more standard indy-rock, while even blending in a little bit of the jazzy aspect to their songs. It's dark, but not brooding, and there is a lot of motion to the album. Definitely a recommended CD to pick up.

Lake Trout is an amazing band. They got the jam/jazz/post rock/minimalist/ambient/electronica vibe going on strong. Blows mediocre comparisons like STS9 out of the water...no pun intended ;)

Excellent cd. The first track-Lady soul is excellent.
To be continued is outstanding. Listened to it over and over.
Fine Mess is excellent also. I really enjoy this cd. Thank you temptations. The singers are simply talented and the songs
are beautiful with true meaning, 100 percent better than this
stuff they call music today. Original songs, no remakes or warmed
over junk. Worth purchasing!!!

I give this cd a 4 star. Though the men have excellent vocals, I don't know; I wasn't really moved by any of the songs. They seemed overproduced and too slick and poppish. My spirit wasn't moved. There is nothing like communing with the spirit(s). I know I am comparing in my head their 1975 A Song for You, which I absolutely loved. The music and the songs stay in my head long after I have taken them out of my cd player. All of the tracks moved me in some way. That cd seemed more earthy.

I really liked this cd, but love, no. However, I would highly recommend it. As I said, the vocals are excellent.

If Lady Soul was the only song on here this would still be a great album. But, when To Be Continued was added. OH boy. That has to be one of the most underrated songs around.

I have been a Tempts fan for over 40 years. I made a commitment back in the vinyl days to own every LP that the TEMPTATIONS ever made, good or bad. Purchasing this CD is part of my effort to have digital versions of the classics I own. That all being said this effort is one of my favorites of the Tempts in the 80's. It is a great showcase of Ollie Woodson's talent. If you still collect CD's then this is a must for your CD player or a download to your Ipod. Enjoy the title tune and Lady Soul. you won't be disappointed. The Temptations are forever.

One day, I'm going to learn to start checking Amazon first for things. Because I pretty much gave up on finding a CD for this because I never could find one in the local stores. I still have the cassette from college and LOVE IT. And I have to agree with the reviewer who said that the cut "Someone" is worth the price of the CD alone because they tore that one up!!! It's one of those powerful songs you don't forget.

But it's not the only one. There are also some other good ones that I never heard on the radio. It just goes to show that some of the best songs never see the radio or the so-called "pop charts".

I placed an order the other day and at the time I couldn't think of anything else to add to bring me up to $25 for free shipping. I wish I'd thought of this because this would have brought me about where I needed to be plus this great CD would be in the mail on the way to me. Oh well. . .live and learn!

But yes. . .this is definitely a great, underrated Temptations album. Otherwise, I wouldn't still be holding on to the cassette since the 80's - LOL!

Yes, R. California (California name given to him by Hendrix to distinguish between the two Randys in his pre-Experience band) lives on. I'm not much of a reviewer, but I've always been a Spirit fan. A lot of their early music was overlooked, but not even close to their later music. This is a sad shame because there is a massive amount of music released after California's death...and more yet to be released. If you are just rediscovering Spirit, check this cd out. It has a great variety of styles (as was Spirit's way from the very beginning) and it is an enjoyable listen. Did I like it all? No, but I did like the majority of it. I'll leave it to that. I'm no music critic and what little I don't like on a cd, someone else will love. Buy this! You'll enjoy most of it if not all...and the stuff you don't enjoy you'll appreciate!

Known for an outrageous performance art that truly made for a concert experience, lost in the shuffle of that fun is the crafty musicianship of the band.

The demos and "live" studio tracks trace back to the time before the band had to work within the corporate realm of the record industry and could go into overdrive musically with an edgy sound that matches the paradoxical lyrics.

These were the days - and sessions - when things were simply tubular.

The real highlight of this disc is the batch of live demos from their pre-A&M days. Songs like "Baby, Your Face Is Mutated" and "Never Amount To Nothing/Hermuta" showcase the superb musicianship and wicked humor of this oft-overlooked cult band. These songs best capture the spirit of The Tubes as a live act. The early versions of "Brighter Day" and "White Punks On Dope" aren't as polished as the versions that would find their way onto the first two Tubes records, but what's great about The Tubes isn't always what's "polished".

All of the material on this CD was recorded before the "fame and fortune". We have some demos and some un-released tunes. The un-released material is a display of sheer musical talent. All of these songs appear to be high energy jam sessions that have been polished to a nice tight presentation. Most impressive is the fact that the un-released songs are all done live ( in a small to medium sized club)yet still sound studio "tweaked" as far as band tightness is concerned. The signature changes, lighting quick fills, and off time drumming of Praire is a clinic in dynamic drumming.Fee and the boys sound like they are having way too much fun , I just wish I was one of the few people in the crowd during the taping of these sessions.
If you a moderate to hard core Tubes fan you will love this CD as it`s an timeless documentation of the creation of one of rocks most technical groups. Listen and pick the songs apart for yourself... you`ll agree.

It is amazing that it took so long for this collection of great tunes to come out. This is the album that those of us have wanted to hear for over 20 years. It captures the band before the commercial producers at A&M and Capitol put their spin on what they felt the band "should" sound like. The music is raw and real, it is the closest to the live shows yet released. I hope there will be future volumes of material from this vastly under appreciated band.

Just picked this up the other day. If you're a big Tubes fan you'll want to buy this, but be warned, these are very early recordings from the band's beginnings and is not their best stuff. Early versions of WPOD, Mondo Bondage and Brighter Day are interesting to listen to but the real reason to buy this CD would be to hear the songs that have never before been available. A lot of the subject matter in the lyrics can be found in later Tubes songs (ex. Whiz Quiz/What Do You Want From Life). Musically, these equate with early Tubes albums but lyrically, these songs are strictly the novelty type.

Strongly recommended to those who like stratovarius, helloween and hammerfall!