Well, Isaak's 1st live cd is a good one! I'm especially glad for the "new" material ("I Go Crazy" & "Blue Darlin'" covers) as well as a few of the old chestnuts that haven't gotten much attention in a while, especially two of my personal faves, "This Love Will Last" (I wish he'd dig into the 2nd album a little deeper in future tours) and "Waiting"....CD does a nice job of giving an abbreviated approximation of what an Isaak concert is like.

Maybe we're not talking about it because it's been requested for so long but now it's finally here it falls short?

Just a thought from one of Isaak's biggest and oldest fans. Yeah ...

O.K., I'll bite, I didn't realize there was a collective sense of disaster regarding this release. I assumed one reason there was little talk was it's been slow getting into the hands of people outside of Aussie....not sure what you expected, it certainly sounds like typical Isaak live performances, it obviously doesn't have every song he's ever recorded live...he clearly didn't go back into the studio and try to fix some of the rough patches (which many "live" recordings actually involve)...but you get some of his funny intros, some of the acoustic numbers, some covers, the big hits...

I would assume those who felt it falls short could still raise themselves out of indifferent ennui and engage in a little lively debate! I myself think it's fine as what it is...a friggin live album released in a market where he's currently feeling some heat, not meant to be a groundbreaking statement, I don't think, anyway...

Stuff, why do you think it falls short? Ive given it a couple listens and I really like it! You can really tell it was recorded through the sound board, thats probably why they didn't do much instudio work, which I prefer. Why release a live album if all you're going to do is fix it up? I want to hear it in it's raw form....it's like reliving it again!

http://www.amazon.com/Live-Australia-Chris...0046&sr=1-1

This is a good place to start. What's with all the fade outs?

So which live concert is it, exactly? Is there anybody out there who will be playing it over and over because they were there? I don't think so.

Of course it sounds professional and of course it's recorded off the soundboard and of course the sound quality is excellent, we wouldn't expect anything less.

But it's so impersonal. And it's only one CD. Come on, even Isaak's concerts are longer than this.

So where and what nights were the songs recorded? I read somewhere that it was done during the Palms at Crown shows. He did a lot of them.

I didn't expect a "Live" CD was ever going to come of these shows. Why did it take two years? Why don't we know which show or shows were recorded? Why didn't they give us the option of "buying" at the venue, paying the money and downloading the entire show a few days later?

Have they ever heard of webcasts, done on a regular basis?

Sorry, but this is no more than a calculated attempt to recruit more concert goers. It's not a memorable record of ANY memorable CI concert. It's a melange. I know that sounds horribly pretentious but it's the first word that came to mind.

Oh, and the cover art is tacky, which wouldn't matter if I loved the CD, but I don't.

Ahh well, I wasn't expecting to be saved by the cd or anything, I think it's got 17 or 18 fine Isaak performances on it, and it certainly allows the listener to focus more on the sidemen than the studio cuts do...even the keyboardist (whatever his name is!) gets to rip on a lot of the tracks.

And yeah, I think it's kind of an "ehhh" cover, but if you downloaded it, there'd be no cover at all!

Scotty Plunkett, piano/keyboard player extraordinaire.

Hmmm, well, I guess some people just can't be pleased. I'm just grateful to have something different to listen too and I like his live shows, every one of them has something different. I just wish it would have been available in the US instead of having to spend a mint getting it here from Australia.

I haven't heard it yet, but you sound very disappointed. My ear is not sophisticated enough to discern a live acoustic track from a studio version so I am better off to download the two new songs and rely on the recording of the earlier work. Economize for a change!

Angie,
how much did you pay? The Australian currency is still relatively weak compared to the dollar, an Aussie seller via Amazon was offering it for 16 bucks when I ordered it, so it came to under 20 including shipping...that seller doesn't appear to be offering now, but on ebay there's a lot of sellers offering it for not too bad pricing (I realize this doesn't help you, but other on-the-fence or broke U.S. buyers should definitely head towards ebay or Amazon marketplace)...

O.K., Scotty Plunkett...always have trouble since the keyboardist is the part they recast on the Isaak show!

Yes, I really wish that Scotty had been in the show instead of Jed what's-his-head.....sorry, got to go look his name up.....

I remember without looking it up -- Jed Rees. He was one of the reasons I didn't watch the show as much as I thought I would. His character drove me crazy (and not in a good way) but all the men I know thought he was the cat's whiskers, as David Bowie would say. However.........I do respect Jed's piano playing. He was classically trained in Canada and there's nothing wrong with that!

I imagine they wanted to have one professional actor among the bandmates, as the acting was suspect amongst the rest (I like Roly and Hershel, but only Kenny did really show an ability to actually act through a dramatic scene)...now the fact that they made the keyboardist so stupid certainly made it a bit annoying and repetitive throughout the series' run, but generally I liked him more than I didn't...

I guess keyboards is the easiest instrument to "fake" in a scene too, when you think about it....


But anyway, on "Live in Australia" you do get a chance to see how integral Scotty is to the band...

I can tell you that Jed Rees wasn't faking the keyboards on the show. He really *can* play. He is an accomplished pianist.

I look forward to hearing Scotty on the Live in Aus. CD. He adds so much to the songs with his awesome talent and is one funny, friendly guy as well.

I don't think Scotty comes out much after the shows at the meet and greet.
Can't say I've ever seen him other than on stage. Does he mingle after
shows over there?

I've spoken to him after a couple of shows. He is very friendly. Must be something about the water here in these parts that makes us so friendly. (I say that because he grew up just a hop, skip and a jump from where I live)

Scotty came out one night in San Fran. He told the story of how he came to have red hair - Chris paid him $650 to do it, so he did. He's very friendly, I liked him right away. He also made a good effort to find a working sharpie, so he could sign my shirt. :-)

Scotty is very, very nice to talk to. We always have a good conversation about his keyboard playing and he has been really encouraging to me with my piano/keyboard playing. He had a good laugh to hear that I had to play the mandolin part on the piano for "Losing My Religion" because the guitar player in our band couldn't.

When we saw him last in Highmount, NY (in the tent in the Catskills), we told him we had driven 7 hours to get there and he thanked us very much. We said something like "you travel further than that all the time" and he said, "Yes, but we're not driving!" He let me up on stage for a photo with him and his keyboards. It was awesome. I really enjoy talking to Scott. He's so talented!!!

Yup...Scotty hung out at the meet and greet this past July in San Diego! He was so buzzed...but that made him so much fun to hang out with!
He even offered me a sip of his margarita...silly guy

I think it came to $33 after shipping and handling, etc.

I came home and the Live in Australia CD was sitting in my mailbox. I just finished listening to it straight through and I think it is fabulous. I wouldn't say that if I didn't mean it. I thoroughly enjoyed the CD. The sound quality is amazing. When Chris talks, it sounds like he's in my dining room. His voice has never sounded better and all the band are awesome. There are a couple of treats thrown in, such as "Blue Darlin", "This Love Will Last", "Waiting" and some song about having a few too many drinks, which I have never heard Chris sing before. Chris ends with "Blue Spanish Sky" (LOVED IT) so all in all, I give this live CD a two thumbs up. Oh yeah, and Scotty sounds great so iamglobal, I see what you mean.