Live with Jan Hammer Group

1. Freeway Jam
2. Earth (Still Our Only Home)
3. She's a Woman
4. Full Moon Boogie
5. Darkness/Earth in Search of a Sun
6. Scatterbrain
7. Blue Wind

Recensione

For some reason, this was recorded with Jan Hammer's plodding rhythm section rather than Jeff's excellent band. As a result, although Beck does some flashy soloing, the live versions aren't nearly as enjoyable as their studio cousins (three tracks are from Blow By Blow, one is from Wired). Another problem is that Hammer couldn't reproduce a lot of his effects live, and his squiggly sound gets kind of monotonous. Finally, Hammer's three new tunes are pretty weak (the moderately funky "Earth (Still Our Only Home)" is the best), with the low point being bellowed vocals on "Full Moon Boogie" by drummer Tony Smith. (DBW) - "Full Moon Boogie" is lighthearted funk fun, and Hammer generally seems okay to me; just as many warp-speed beeps and burps as ever. And Jeff's carefree jamming is frequently entertaining, despite the band's sloppiness. It's a letdown, but at least it gives you some documentation of Jeff's live sound during his best period.