Live albums serve varying purposes. They can preserve a tour, revisit a band at its long-ago peak when belatedly released or capture a veteran crew as it is today, and thus try to entice old fans and new. All of these characteristics can be found in new live releases from four long-famous groups: Pink Floyd, Jefferson Starship, the Police and the Allman Brothers Band.
PINK FLOYD; "Pulse: Live" (Columbia). * * *
It doesn't seem that long ago that Pink Floyd - a band famous for waiting at least four years to make an album - released the live "Delicate Sound of Thunder."
Still, after the success of "Division Bell," the English progressive-rockers decided to document last year's record-breaking tour. But the release of the resulting "Pulse" in many ways pits the new album against the band's previous live set.
That can be a gamble - especially if cuts are duplicated, as they are in this case. But remember, "Delicate Sound" was released a full eight years ago. And in fact, some of the classic Floyd tracks are virtually unchanged from one live album to the next - proving, perhaps, the timelessness of those works.
"Shine on You Crazy Diamond," "Hey You" and "Another Brick in the Wall (Part Two)" are just a couple of the older cuts on disc one that still sound fresh. Intermingled are newer songs from last year's "Division Bell." The bluesy "What Do You Want From Me," "Keep Talking," "A Great Day for Freedom," "Sorrow" and "High Hopes" feature the updated but unmistakable Pink Floyd sound, while one of the band's earliest cuts, "Astronomy Domine," from the band's 1967 debut, "Piper at the Gates of Dawn," displays just how before its time Pink Floyd really was.
Disc two is the set capper. Pink Floyd indulges itself and its fans in a full-blown performance of the blockbuster, record-breaking album "Dark Side of the Moon" - played in its entirety. Everything from "Speak to Me" to "Eclipse" is featured in this dramatic, live concert setting. "Money," "Time" and the introspective "Us and Them" are the popular highlights, but don't forget the soaring "The Great Gig in the Sky" and the surreal "Breathe."
Closing the album are the staples "Wish You Were Here," "Comfortably Numb" and "Run Like Hell."
As an added bonus, turn out the lights and keep an eye on the blinking red light on the elaborate CD package's spine - Floydian drift will follow.
Though many of these songs can be heard on "Delicate Sound," the prospect of having a full, live version of "Dark Side" should make any Floyd fan salivate, and the versions of more recent songs are also worth having.
As sometimes happens with bands that polish up their live shows, "Pulse" often seems overproduced. With the album sequenced to give the impression of a complete show, the audience sounds like it's been dubbed in. The band is tight . . . but maybe letting a small mistake or a flat vocal note come through, as can be expected, would have made the performance seem more real, though the liner notes do say this is an analogue recording.
Shine on.
JEFFERSON STARSHIP; "Deep Space/Virgin Sky" (Intersound). * * 1/2
Mid-'70s classic rockers are finding the new label Intersound is a comfortable place to land. First Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain signed on. Kansas stepped aboard soon after, and now Jefferson Starship, once (and occasionally still) known as Jefferson Airplane, has signed on.
The new Starship album is live - though you might not realize it until the cheers come toward the end of the first song, "Shadowlands." The tracks were recorded at the House of Blues.
Mixed with some relatively new cuts, such as the reggae-infiltrated "I'm on Fire," are past Airplane-Starship staples "Crown of Creation," "Wooden Ships" and, of course, "Count on Me."
Live albums usually have a problem with unbalanced mixes, untuned vocals and a bit of sloppiness, and "Deep Space" is no exception. Though the live feel might add to the experience, gone are the studio-album tight psychedelic mixes and slick production. Instead, what you hear is raw, emotional rock 'n' roll. The edgy sound sometimes gets a little nervy.
Keyboardist Tim Gorman trickles out an apparent impromptu intro to "Count on Me" as original Airplane vocalist Marty Balin belts out the band's Top 10 hit. Though Balin's voice is a little worn, the song's original feel is intact. Keeping with the easy-going sentiment, "Miracles," the ballad that reached No. 3 on Billboard's pop charts, is also featured.
Come to think of it, "Deep Space" could easily have been labeled as a new Jefferson Airplane album. Sure, the newer songs might be considered Jefferson Starship songs - including "Papa John," a tribute to late band member Papa John Creach - but many of the selections were Airplane, as opposed to Starship, material.
For those who don't know the band's history or spaced it off for reasons confidential, here it is:
In the mid 1960s a folk-rock band called Jefferson Airplane was formed. After subtle changes in style and personnel during the mid-'70s, the name changed to Jefferson Starship. The '80s brought even more changes and the band simply dropped the "Jefferson." Keep in mind that Starship, though it was derived from both Jeffersons, was not really considered the same band. The only common member of all three was singer Grace Slick, who didn't hop on the Airplane until it had taken off. (Although plagued by legal problems lately, she also makes an appearance on this new album.)
Confused? Well don't be. Just remember the history before you wonder where the No. 1 single "Sara" and the hit "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" from Starship went. They are not on the new album and will probably never be a part of the Jefferson Starship/Airplane song list.
Still, fans will be happy to hear "Somebody to Love" and the psychedelic trip "White Rabbit" are firmly intact as the album's encore. Overall, the album's a nice, loose trip through nostalgia.
THE POLICE; "Live" (A&M Records). * * 1/2
Live albums usually signify a crossroads in a band's career. For the Police, this latest post-breakup compilation displays the band's progression from underground new wave sensation to the fully marketable '80s rock band.
The two-disc set actually comprises two separate performances, the first recorded in 1979 and the second in 1983. Comparing the concerts clearly shows an improvement in tightness, sound and tuning. Both performances, however, do their best to relay the infectious energy Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland unleashed during the band's heyday.
Disc one is from an Orpheum Concert originally broadcast from Boston by WBCN; disc two was recorded at the Omni in Atlanta during the "Synchronicity" tour.
Both shows included "Roxanne," the reggae-inspired "So Lonely," "Can't Stand Losing You" and "Message in a Bottle." The first versions of each of these songs are jumpy and somewhat sloppy; the second set offers more polished arrangements.
For hard-core Police fans, the first disc is a rare treat, featuring the bouncy, new-wave approach of "Truth Hits Everybody," the syncopated skip of "Walking on the Moon" and the driving relentlessness of "Fall Out" as well as "Bring on the Night," "Peanuts," "Landlord," "Born in the '50s" and "Be My Girl/Sally."
Disc two, on the other hand, spotlights some of the band's more commercial hits. "Synchronicity I" and "II" open the disc and are followed by "Walking in Your Footsteps" and "De Do Do Do De Da Da Da." The ethereal "Wrapped Around Your Finger," "Spirits in the Material World" and "Don't Stand So Close to Me" can also be heard.
A trip through depression can be experienced with "King of Pain," while "Every Breath You Take" stalks with obsession. Surprisingly, "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" is missing in action.
These discs are true, live cuts. The slick studio production is missing on songs like "Tea in the Sahara" and "The Bed's Too Big Without You."
For those who love vintage Police, this one's for you. For those who don't, pass this one by.
ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND; "2nd Set: An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band" (Epic). * * *
If Southern blues-rock is your bag, you can get it by the sackload with the new release from the Allman Brothers Band.
Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts and the boys are back for a live compilation of old and new hits recorded during the North Carolina, New Jersey and Los Angeles shows of last year's national tour. As the title indicates, this is the companion and sequel to the first "An Evening with . . . ," released in 1992.
The album opens with the crawling slide of "Sailin' 'Cross the Devil's Sea," from last year's "Where It All Begins," and ends with the 16-minute, crowd-pleasing, light-hearted instrumental "Jessica."
Another slick instrumental is an acoustic jazz-like version of "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed."
The varied arrangements are best summed up when Betts says, "We're doing a lot of things here for y'all tonight that we've never even dreamed of playin' this way. But I know it's gonna be fun."
Other tracks include a never-before-released remake of a Willie Dixon-penned Muddy Waters tune, "The Same Thing"; the bouncing hit "You Don't Love Me"; "Soulshine" and "No One to Run With."
Last January the Allman Brothers Band was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame; this album makes it easy to hear why.
RATINGS: four stars (* * * * ), excellent; three stars (* * * ), good; two stars (* * ), fair; one star (* ), poor, with 1/2 representing a higher, intermediate grade.