To clarify:
Music Fanatic | Bettendorf, IA United States | 06/16/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This IS NOT the "Riot Live" that has Rhett Forester. That was only an ep and had five songs from Restless Breed (Hard Lovin' Man, Loanshark, Loved By You, Showdown, and Restless Breed) that were all superbly done with FAR more energy and intensity than the studio versions. (It also had a truly awful version of Swords and Tequila, but I always just skipped it). That ep, one of my favorite live recordings of all time, is available on import versions of Restless Breed (listed as "with six bonus tracks") that are hard to find but still available on the net. If you can't find that version, there is also a release of Restless Breed that has all the songs from the ep except Loved By You. It's a better deal than not getting any of the live songs as bonus tracks on Restless Breed, but the live version of Loved By You is especially cool so it's still a big loss. I strongly encourage any serious Riot fan to hunt down the version of Restless Breed with all six bonus tracks.
As for THIS cd, it is taken from two concerts in 1980 with Guy Speranza on vocals. The songs are a mixture of the best tracks from Rock City and Narita, which makes for a fantastic track list. And since Narita is out of print, this is essentially the only way to get several of those tracks on cd. There are really only 12 songs, since track one is just the intro and they included two performances of Road Racin' (one version is almost three minutes longer than the other). There are five songs from Rock City, five from Narita, a song that never appeared on a studio album (Back On the Non-Stop), and a cover of Foghat's "Honey Hush" (incorrectly named on this cd as Train Kept A Rollin'). Every song is rock at its finest.
The lead guitar work is excellent. The performances are very good -- a little unpolished, much like their studio albums up to then, but very good. The production is not perfect, somewhere between the sound of a high quality bootleg and a major label live release. It sounds good, but it's not going to rock your sound system. Nonetheless, this cd is full of great songs, and if you are a fan of early Riot, it is essential."
Riot Rocks!
KCB | Santa Clara, CA United States | 03/15/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"An under appreciated band, I think. I do also have the earlier released (but later in time) EP on vinyl. This CD makes for an interesting comparison that EP. The EP versions are more powerful I think. But this CD surprised me too in the differences from the studio tracks. Also, the last 4 tracks (I think) are from a different show than the first tracks on this CD. Those differences are interesting too. Sound quality is pretty good overall. If you have any interest in Riot at all, I think this would be a good and necessary addition to your collection.
"
WOW! You can still get it!
Blake Bishop-Keith's Marine | Apollo Beach, Fl USA | 07/17/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I just left some feedback for Judas Priest " Unleashed in the East", and said that " The only live album that comes close is Riot Live if you still have it, or can find it" Amazon is awesome. If you love meatl or rock or southern rock or jazz or just a fan of true pure live recordings, it doesn't get any better than this. The harmonica and guitar have never sounded as good together as they do on "loved by you". If you've never jamed to Riot, don't buy this one, it will completely spoil you and all other recordings will pale."
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1