Search - John Hiatt :: Live at the Hiatt (Spkg)

Limited edition reissue of classic live album that was only

Wayne Klein | My Little Blue Window, USA | 09/08/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Recorded in London at the Forum, this terrific album captures Hiatt in great form. Although it doesn't cover as many key songs from his career as "Comes Alive at Bodokan?" (issued the next year and from the same tour although not the same show), it does feature a couple of songs that have never appeared on another live album by Hiatt (to date). "I Don't Even Try" makes a rare appearence and other songs unique to this album include "Child of The Wild Blue Yonder". Featuring the Dirty Dogs Band, the recording sounds crisp and sharp. It's a bit louder than the original recording but, well, in this age of the "loudness wars" where dynamic range is sacrificed to duplicate the blunt sound of an mp3 that's to be expected some what but this isn't as bad as many of them out there.



Aside from that flaw, this is a terrific performance with Hiatt in rare form and is from a single show (unlike "Budokah" which is from a variety of shows across the United States). The packaging is a bit clumsy compared to the original. This edition has a "replica" of the ticket holding it closed. If you're a Hiatt fan, this is an essential album.



This is a strong live album with only one flaw -it wasn't expanded to include additional songs from the same show."