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Tony Levin: Double Espresso

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Narada Records
Released: 2002
Time:
 56:04 / 55:39
Category: Progressive Rock
Producer(s): Tony Levin
Rating:
Media type: CD double
Web address: www.papabear.com
Appears with: King Crimson, Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd
Purchase date: 2014
Price in €: 1,00





 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


Disk 1

[1] Pieces Of The Sun (Tony Levin / Jerry Marotta) - 7:15
[2] Geronimo (Larry Fast / Jesse Gress / Tony Levin / Jerry Marotta) - 3:27
[3] Silhouette (Tony Levin) - 4:35
[4] Dog One (Peter Gabriel) - 5:36
[5] Tequila (Chuck Rio) - 5:15
[6] Black Dog (John Paul Jones / Jimmy Page / Robert Plant) - 5:35 *
[7] Ooze (Tony Levin) - 4:33
[8] Apollo (Tony Levin) - 8:44
[9] L'Abito della Sposa (Ivano Fossati / Tony Levin) - 4:06
[10] Sleepless (Adrian Belew / Bill Bruford / Robert Fripp / Tony Levin) - 6:59 **


Disk 2

[1] Pillar of Fire (Tony Levin) - 6:59
[2] Ever The Sun Will Rise (Tony Levin) - 7:48
[3] Phobos (Larry Fast) - 7:01
[4] The Fifth Man (Tony Levin) - 5:56
[5] Back in N.Y.C. (Ant Banks / Tony Banks / Phil Collins / Peter Gabriel / Steve Hackett / Mike Rutherford) - 6:13 ***
[6] Utopia (Tony Levin) - 7:39
[7] Elephant Talk (Adrian Belew / Bill Bruford / Robert Fripp / Tony Levin) - 5:51 **
[8] Peter Gunn (Henry Mancini) - 3:48 ****
[9] Belle (Tony Levin) - 4:24

   * - Led Zeppelin cover
  ** - King Crimson Cover
 *** - Genesis cover
**** - Henry Mancini cover

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Tony Levin - Bass, Cello, Chapman Stick, Acoustic Guitar on [1-08], Lead Vocals on [1-09,2-07], Vocals on [1-04,1-05,1-10], Producer
Larry Fast - Synthsizers, Bass Drum on [1-07]
Jesse Gress - Guitars, Vocals on [1-04,1-05]
Jerry Marotta - Drums, Sax, Vocals, Percussion on [1-05], Acoustic Guitar on [1-08], Funk Finger Guitar on [1-07], Lead Vocals on [1-10,2-05]

The California Guitar Trio
Bert Lams, - Acoustic Guitars on [2-08]
Hideyo Moriya - Acoustic Guitars on [2-08]
Paul Richards - Acoustic Guitars on [2-08]

Doug Stringer - Drums on [1-05]
Pete Levin - Keyboards on [2-09]

Robert Frazza - Recordimng, Assembly & Pre-Remixing Engineering
Terry Brown - Mixing Engineer
David Torn - Mastering Engineer

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


2002 CD Narada 72435-42523-2-7
2002 CD Virgin 72435-42523-2-7
2002 CD Papa Bear Records PBCD6

Recorded Live At Bearsville Theater, Woodstock, Ny, Except [2-08] Recorded At Blueberry Hill, St. Louis. Mastered at Cell Labs, Bearsville, NY.



Although bassist Tony Levin has played on countless albums since the early '70s, he did not get around to issuing his first album until the late '90s. Perhaps to make up for lost time, Levin has cranked out solo releases on a consistent basis since his 1996 solo debut, World Diary. 2002 saw the release of his fourth solo outing in six years, the double-live disc Double Espresso. Credited to "the Tony Levin Band," the album sees Levin joined by synth player Larry Fast, and a pair of guitarists/vocalists, Jesse Gress and Jerry Marotta. Included are renditions of Levin solo tunes, tracks that Levin has played on by other artists, and also non-related covers performed just for the heck of it. Standouts include a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog" (in which Levin replaces Robert Plant's sex-crazed vocals with his bass, of course), as well as readings of King Crimson's bass showcase "Elephant Talk," Genesis' "Back in NYC," and a few moody Levin solo tracks, including "Silhouette" and "Utopia." If you couldn't have already guessed from any of the exceptional live DVDs by King Crimson or Peter Gabriel that he's appeared on, Double Espresso proves once and for all that Levin has no problem replicating his bass mastery on-stage as a band leader.

Greg Prato - All Music Guide



The band has tried to capture all the magic of it's live shows on this recording. 112 minutes of intense playing - a mix of original compositions, songs that band members have played with Peter Gabriel and King Crimson and some of the surprise twists (Tequila, Black Dog, Peter Gunn, L'Abito della Sposa) from various shows, that make the live performances of this band so special. The show is mostly instrumental, but Jerry Marotta sings lead vocals on Back in New York City and an unusual version of King Crimson's Sleepless. Tony has vocals on an Italian ballad, L'Abito della Sposa and, of course, Crimson's Elephant Talk. Phobos, from a former Synergy recording of Larry Fast, is presented here with full band joining "Mr. Synergy". And Tequila is, well... unique! When the California Guitar Trio opened the show in St. Louis, they joined in for a surprise encore - a distinctive version of Peter Gunn that was pretty special, so, though not multi-track, that recording is included too. The performances were recorded (mostly at Bearsville Theater, Woodstock, NY) by Robert Frazza, who engineered the last two Tony Levin cd's. To insure the high quality rock live sound, for mixing Canada's Terry Brown was brought in. His credits include Rush and Bozzio Levin Stevens. Mastering is by David Torn, radical guitar player whose Splattercell mastering is in great demand.

PapaBear.com



Live music does not get any better than this, and Tony Levins work is some of the very best you will find anywhere in the world. I know I probably have said all this before but I will continue to say it, Levin is the best bass player in the world, and for many reasons. The key word here is genre(s) and style(s) when you talk about such an honored and esteemed artist as Levin. He plays several different types of electric basses with skill and many different styles of rock music with equal exactitude, primarily progressive and jazz-rock fusion. So here we are about to embark (lets hope you do!) on an incredible musical journey with the Tony Levin Band. They bring you an up-close look at a live performance on Double Espresso, an extensive 2 CD set featuring some of their most abundant and expressive work.

From King Crimson and Peter Gabriel to his solo work, Levin and his outstanding band blow through some amazing depictions of songs from the past and the most recent studio outing Pieces of the Sun. Levin is simply amazing; he makes the music so animated with his bass playing, like no other musician I have ever heard before. I missed the live show in Cambridge, Massachusetts a few months ago. Having this recording (autographed by the band thanks to Phyllis Fast, Larrys wife) in my possession is an appeasement for not being able to attend but it is also frustrating hearing just how good one of their shows is! This is one of those bands that play everything live just as good, if not better, than in the studio, now that is saying a mouthful about how much talent we are talking about here. Speaking in general, this is a MUST have for any music lover. Just wait until you hear their version of Black Dog, oh my does it kick ass. Just get this album, you will be so glad you did, I promise.

Authors Note: I just completed a review covering Marcus Millers live album and said much of the same regarding his adeptness with the bass. I did say that I could not think of any active bass player that was better right now, but I should have said at this very moment. Millers proficiency and style just blew me away and I did not even think for a moment about Tony, and for that, I feel disappointed. I am not a flake; I am just a music fan that gets into the music so intensely I get lost in the magical moments just as everyone else does, so please allow me this absence of mind. In any event, Miller deserved the kudos I gave him and I was totally immersed in an entirely different style of music than what Levin and his fine band offer.

Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck
4 stars out of 4
Copyright © 1998-2002 All-Reviews.com
 

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