A good Live Mr. Big
scott gordon | escondido, ca United States | 07/01/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is recorded during their "Actual Size" tour. This cd is a very good cd, but I would have to say that listening to Richie Kotzen play the songs originally done by Paul Gilbert just doesn't have the same effect. Listening to "Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy" should only be done with Paul Gilbert at the helm of the guitars. Richie may be a good guitarist but he cannot mimic the likes of Paul Gilbert and vice versa. With some groups you may be not be able to tell the difference but then there are those that you have to just say what a shame. Don't get me wrong I have purchased all the Mr. Big albums featuring Richie on guitars and enjoy them very much, it's just hard to enjoy the old stuff by a new guitarist. This is a well worth while cd to have as it is a Limited Edition."
Paul Gilbert Ain't All That!
Oscar Jordan | Los Angeles, CA | 08/23/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Paul Gilbert ain't all that!I may be one of the few people who prefer Richie Kotzen over Paul Gilbert in Mr. Big. Don't get me wrong, Paul came up with some cool ridiculous guitar hijinx and even cooler songs ("Green Tinted 60's Mind"), but by the time Hey Man came around it's obvious he was all dried up and couldn't handle the more rockin', blue eyed soul, earthier direction of the band. Paul just wasn't built to be a normal guitar player. He doesn't easily come up with classic blues based guitar concepts ala Hendrix and The Stones. He's the worst blues guitar player on the planet rivialing only Steve Vai in the blues challenged department.Richie Kotzen is the best of both worlds. He's got bluesy soul, knows how to milk a note, then dazzels you with a barrage of legato mayhem. Right now Get Over It is my favorite studio album of there's. Eric Martin is the second coming and the tunes are 10 times better than most of the material on previous albums. No more gimmicks with the whole world waiting breathlessly to hear what kind of complicated guitar solo Gilbert would come up with. The new Mr. Big is about THE SONG and the seamless blend musicianship, groove, soul, and songcraft.This live disc is totally out of the box and I'm glad I got it instead of Japandamonium. Kotzen breathes new life into the old material, handles all of Gilbert's guitar workouts NOTE FOR NOTE, yet adds his own soulful thang that was sorely lacking from Gilbert's white bread, metronomic, three note per string guitar exercise patterns on crack.Kotzen's vocals and songwriting also add to the band's sound moving away from Gilbert's faux Van Halen hard rock boogies to a fresher soul pop vibe and even funk. Overall, Kotzen brought more SOUL to the band and the other guys ran with it. Actually, it was always there. They just needed a guitarist with some vibe. Kotzen's guitar sound is also refreshing, going for a more vintage straight ahead cleaner Strat/Tele vibe rather than Gilbert's humbuckery processed tone and the phony F holes. The production is narly and imperfect which is what I like. It's a live show and it should sound like one. Kotzen wails on guitar and vocals (But he's no Eric Martin!) and has the baddest legato licks this side of Holdsworth. Billy Sheehan is the master of over the top bass while knowing where to put it all FOR THE SONG. Drummer Pat Torpey is ungodly! I'll say it again, Eric Martin is the second coming. He's the finest comtemporary rock vocalist of our time.Buy this disc. Put it in your car and rock out. You won't be sorry. Vibe for days."
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1