Dear Mr Fantasy a tribute to Jim Capaldi
Jeffrey C. Maggio | 09/04/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you enjoyed the group Traffic this is a must CD to purchase Jim Capaldi was a genius."
Difficulty of a tribute
Wyss Thierry | Corseaux, Switzerland | 03/09/2008
(2 out of 5 stars)
"Only for old nostalgics or collectors like me. The problem wih tribute is that it is often unequal. George Harrison is one of the rare successful tribute. Here choose the DVD rather than the CD. But I would advise to buy the Last Jam DVD with bonus CD with Jim Capaldi still alive"
FANTASTIC
EL | 07/03/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This 2-CD set is a fantastic auditory experience, thanks in part to the wonderfully rich acoustics of the Roadhouse. Jim Capaldi's peers and admirers provide a musical tribute that feels almost more like a journey. From Paul Weller's lilting and melodic opener, "Paper Sun," to Dennis Locorriere's magical and bassy "Elixir of Life," to brother Phil's "Gifts of Unknown Things," and many, many more tracks, this wonderfully captured concert is a real turn-on. You'll want to replay it over and over again.
An amazing congregation of artists touchingly perform here an exquisite set of classic (and lesser known) songs. Although Joe Walsh sounds somewhat aged, his emotions are heartfelt; Steve Winwood, on the other hand, sounds the same as ever, particularly on "Light up or Leave Me Alone." Yusuf Islam's performance, although beautiful vocally, is perhaps the least polished (in all fairness he had only recently dipped his toe back into pop performing), yet his appearance is nonetheless unparalleled. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this CD (and concert) is the simultaneous appearance of my two favourite artists: Yusuf Islam and Pete Townshend. I've closely followed the careers of both for years and to my knowledge this is the ONLY instance (venue, recording, published work, or otherwise), where the two have EVER appeared together, despite often being linked to mutual colleagues. So that makes the concert particularly special to me. Pete Townshend's "No Face, No Name, No Number" is tear-jerkingly beautiful and perhaps the most acoustic and barest performance of the evening. Yusuf's pick, "Man with No Country," (which he embellishes with bars of "Wild World") seems as much a reflection of his own life. Instrumentally this entire concert is delectable: the bass is rousing, the keyboards are cool, the horns are groovy; everyone's voices are great to hear, too.
The CD booklet contains tributary remarks by the performers, each memorializing Jim Capaldi in his own way; these are comments you won't read anywhere else. But they all agree that Jim was a gentle, rare, and gifted musical soul. This concert did him justice in much the same way that the Concert for George (Harrison) honored him. This CD is a worthy substitute for a concert many of us did not have the good fortune to attend.
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