From beat.media on Yes 50 Live:

The newest official release from Yes is a live album from Rhino Records titled Yes: 50 Live. Its general release is August 2, 2019, just a day short of the 51st anniversary of the first Yes gig. However, the live album has been available at live shows during The Royal Affair Tour that Yes, Asia, Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy, and John Lodge of The Moody Blues have just completed. As far as the cover art goes, Roger Dean has done it again, capturing the fantastical and epic feel that Yes music can evoke.

According to YesWorld, some of the audio comes from two live shows that Yes performed at The Fillmore in Philadelphia on July 20 and 21 last year. But one would not know that simply from looking at the back of the CD case or the booklet. And neither specify what other dates and venues the other songs may be from. The booklet does include words from drummer Alan White, guitarist Steve Howe, bassist Billy Sherwood, vocalist Jon Davison, keyboardist Geoff Downes, and drummer Jay Schellen (who is listed as a special guest) concerning the 50th anniversary. The only listed guests who are not quoted are keyboardists Tony Kaye and Patrick Moraz. It would have been nice for two more pages to have been included for them, but they are shown in photos. It also would have been nice for the booklet to specify the tracks on which each of the drummers and keyboardists perform. Some Yes fans would be in the know, but more casual fans might not know right away.

Disc one opens strong with “Close to the Edge,” which sounds as incredible as it did on the tour. So much so that the lack of a “Firebird Suite” or even a “Young Person’s Guide to Orchestra” might go unnoticed by some fans. Immediately, one can hear how superb Billy Sherwood’s mixing of the album is. It is almost like actually being at a show.

According to Forgotten Yesterdays, “Nine Voices” was performed by Yes on some of The Ladder tour in 1999, one show in 2002, three shows in 2004, and then six shows in 2015 before it became a regular part of the Yes50 setlist. Now, fans finally have an official release with a live recording of “Nine Voices.” We then get another rocking performance of “Sweet Dreams.” And then the inclusion of a live version of “Madrigal” on an official release is another first. This iteration is an acoustic duet between Davison and Howe, showcasing their chemistry and how a song can be reinvented. If this recording is from either of the Philadelphia shows, it’d have to be the second one since it was not performed on the first one. But again, there are no concrete details included, so who can say without comparing and contrasting various recordings?

“We Can Fly From Here Pt. 1” is definitely not from either of the Philadelphia shows, where Trevor Horn guested on vocals. It is clearly Jon Davison singing on this version. While he does do a phenomenal job, it would have been nice having the version with Trevor Horn on here. Then again, perhaps the reasoning might have been that fans can get their Trevor Horn fix with Fly From Here: Return Trip, and that it’d be nice to have a Jon Davison-sung version on an official release. Is it not possible to just have it all?

“Soon,” however, is definitely from the Philadelphia shows, where Patrick Moraz guested on keyboards. This version begins with notes of “The Gates of Delirium” that preceed the “Soon” section. “Soon” typically clocks in at four to five minutes, but this one is eight minutes long. “Awaken” feels like a natural follow-up and makes for an epic finish to the first disc. There is a bit of a pause before Davison’s last time singing “Here we can be” on this song. A bit odd, but the performance overall still works. Certainly one of the better “workings of man.”

Disc two begins with another Going for the One track: “Parallels,” and it is very lively and full of energy. After this, “Excerpt from The Ancient” starts from the lyrics “So the flowering creativity of life…” and includes the rest of the song from there, going into the “Leaves of Green” section. Including those verses prior to “Leaves of Green” is a refreshing way of pulling from that epic. One can dream of a day when Yes may perform all of “The Ancient” in concert again.

Original Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye is featured on “Yours Is No Disgrace,” as well as the final two tracks on this. He has such a prominent presence on this track, and Howe has a very energetic guitar solo. Depending on the listener, the next track, “Excerpt from Georgia’s Song and Mood for a Day,” could either act as a bit of a breather between tracks or sound like it should have preceded “Excerpt from The Ancient” so as to not slow down the momentum of the encore songs. The track titled “Georgia’s Theme” on Howe’s 1993 solo album The Grand Scheme of Things clocks in at 2:44, but here it’s only lasts a little more than half a minute, making it not so memorable when compared to the familiar “Mood for a Day.” One might even have preferred for all of “Georgia’s Theme” to have been played since the complete track is good in its own right.

As is tradition, “Roundabout” is included. Interestingly, Davison at first sings “I’ll spend the day every way” instead of “I’ll spend the day your way,” though he returns to the traditional words. Even though “Roundabout” is overplayed, there is no denying that it makes crowds roar, as is evident in this recording. And then, of course, the album closes with the ever-powerful “Starship Trooper.” In Philadelphia, 10 Yes members and alumni were onstage toward the end, including all the aforementioned musicians and Symphonic Tour Tom Brislin. Even though YesWorld’s press release about this live album mentions that aspect of the event, it’s possible that this may be from a different concert, seeing as how neither Horn nor Brislin are mentioned anywhere on the product itself as being present. Again, specifics would have been nice.

Disc one contains about 65 minutes of music, and disc two contains about 59 minutes of music. Even though the live album feels full, one cannot help but wonder why the remaining available space on each disc was not utilized. Looking at the set list of just the Philadelphia shows, it appears that Yes performed “Heart of the Sunrise,” “Perpetual Change,” and “Does It Really Happen?” And yet all of these songs are absent from this release. One might wonder what the reasoning was behind that.

Despite what Yes: 50 Live may lack, it is still an incredible listen. The album is high-quality documentation of the band celebrating the 50th anniversary. It is definitely a must-have for collectors of Yes music.

From spillmagazine.com on Live At Woodstock:

As the fiftieth anniversary of the era-defining Woodstock Festival approaches, a handful of artists remain attached to pop culture’s memory of the event – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, The Who, Joe Cocker, Santana, and of course Jimi Hendrix. Creedence Clearwater Revival, despite their innovative yet short-lived arc, is not one of them. Part of this is due to their late set time and their refusal to be a part of 1970’s Woodstock documentary and soundtrack. All that, however, is about to change with the release of Live At Woodstock, a live album which documents their full 1969 performance, being released for the first time ever.

Opening with “Born On The Bayou”, Creedence Clearwater Revival get off to a strong start on Live At Woodstock. Within the open seconds following an emcee’s introduction which probably could not be any less enthusiastic, the band establishes themselves with a level of professionalism through a tight performance that pulls the listener in immediately. John Fogerty’s vocals cut through the fuzzy and dissonant riffs with a rasp that is equally as nostalgic as it is powerful. Naturally, their eleven-song set would include classics such as “Green River”, “Bad Moon Rising”, “Proud Mary”, and “Suzie Q”, each performed with a sense of engagement, excitement, and conviction.

Among their set, which flows naturally without a hitch, comes a particular highlight that stands out from the rest of the album. Their cover of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ 1956 hit, “I’ll Put A Spell On You”, is a definite showstopper. With its haunting melody, rhythms, and chord progression, Fogerty makes the track his own with a flawless performance that is topped by his brother Tom Fogerty’s jaw-dropping guitar solo – one which was bound to be among the greatest performed that weekend. The solo is simply thrilling and oozing with an edge of style, taste, and raw energy. Truly, “I’ll Put A Spell On You” is one track I simply cannot praise enough and this live rendition will surpass any and all expectations.

It comes as no surprise that Live At Woodstock is a stellar live album. Not only is Creedence Clearwater Revival among some of the greatest bands to emerge from the first wave of classic rock, but they are certainly among the top tier of artists to have taken the stage at Woodstock. Furthermore, the album stands as a time capsule of the time; unopened and unheard until now. It’s exciting to hear Creedence Clearwater Revival at such a pivotal moment in not only their career, but in cultural history; however, even without the fanfare and nostalgia for Woodstock, Live At Woodstock still stands as a very strong live record, effectively capturing a band synonymous with sound tracking the growing counterculture among Nixon’s America at perhaps their peak. Why it took half a century – just two weeks shy from the actual anniversary weekend – we’ll likely never fully understand, but Live At Woodstock is an essential addition to any classic rock fan’s library.

From spillmagazine.com on Amoeba Gig:

Amoeba Gig is perhaps the most welcome of the four ‘live’ albums in this batch of re-releases from Paul McCartney. Although portions of this concert have been released in the past, this is the first time the entire show has been made available and it has been worth the wait. McCartney performed a ‘surprise’ show at Amoeba records in Los Angeles on June 27, 2007 to promote his then current album, Memory Almost Full. A few tracks were released here and there over he years, but only now do we get the whole show.

It is interesting to note that McCartney has been with his current band (who backs him up on this album) longer than any other band, without member changes. His band then, and now, consists of Rusty Anderson (lead guitar), Abe Laboriel, Jr (drums), Brian Ray (rhythm guitar, bass guitar) and David Arch (keyboards) who filled in on this one show for Paul ‘Wix’ Wickens.

McCartney opens with the classic rocker “Drive My Car” and  goes from there. He dips into The Beatles catalogue for the majority of the show (“Get Back” and “I’ve Got A Feeling” come off remarkably well) and performs some solo material from Memory Almost Full (“Dance Tonight” and “Only Mama Knows are two highlights). He also performs some solo hits. “Coming Up”, from the soundcheck is absolutely wonderful.

The recording is excellent, and it sounds less mixed than any other McCartney live recordings. Unlike his other live albums, this is a recording of one concert. His other live albums are songs recorded throughout the tour, put together as one package. Here, we hear what that lucky crowd (which included Ringo Starr) at Amoeba heard that day. It has the feel of a very well-recorded bootleg, and it is wonderful to have the entire concert. This is a no frills live album, and of the four being re-released perhaps the most essential. It also proves that, like a fine wine, McCartney just keeps getting better with age.

From spectrumculture.com on Woodstock – Back to the Garden – 50th Anniversary Experience:

Much has been written and mythologized about Woodstock that it often seems beside the point that any music was actually performed. It’s not so much a concert as it is a watershed moment in modern history and popular culture, one defined more by the idea of the event than the actual performances themselves. Now, 50 years on, we’re afforded the chance to fully reevaluate the performances that anchored the landmark Woodstock Music and Arts Festival. Hearing what was taking place on stage is even better than having been there – from a musical appreciation standpoint, that is – given the notoriously shoddy sound that was made all the more so by the countless weather delays, festival oversights, drugged-out performers and myriad other issues associated with an outdoor event. The 10-disc Woodstock – Back to the Garden – 50th Anniversary Experience offers, while not a complete picture, a nonetheless exhaustively curated look back at the music performed during that long weekend back in August of 1969.

The main draw of Back to the Garden will be the fact that, for the first time, recordings from every artist who performed at the festival will be represented across the collection’s 162 tracks and 10 discs. By no means the complete picture of the festival, most of the lesser acts receive rather short shrift in terms of actual representation, while all of the bigger names naturally receive a larger bulk of time – albeit still somewhat abridged. Where several of the larger name groups’ performances were contractually forbidden from being filmed for the Woodstock concert film (The Band, CCR and the Grateful Dead to name a few), Back to the Garden allows fans of the film a chance to hear what they missed out on seeing. While not a complete audio document of their performances, The Band, CCR, the Dead, Blood, Sweat & Tears, and the Incredible String Band are all well represented here, their performances obviously lacking the visual component, but losing none of the overall impact.

As with any major music festival, it is the headliners who are remembered for having performed, the also-rans of the day being relegated to little more than footnote status. Because of this, when we think of Woodstock we tend to think of the bigger names who made appearances: Jimi Hendrix; The Who; Janis Joplin; Jefferson Airplane; Crosby, Stills, Nash (& Young); etc. Virtually forgotten are groups like Sweetwater, who held the second slot on day one after Richie Havens’ legendary festival-opening performance, or Quill, who opened the iconic second night. Finally being given their due, these third and fourth tier acts can be enjoyed alongside their far more well-known and revered peers, making Back to the Garden not only the finest aural document of the event, but also the most enjoyable in terms of sheer variety and supplementation of the overly-familiar.

Of course, this also means that, unfortunately, there’s the usual spate of insufferable hippie-dippy bullshit (Bert Sommer is particularly forgettable with tunes like “Jennifer” and a cringe-worthy read of Simon & Garfunkel’s “America,” while Melanie threatens to float away on an annoyingly twee breeze), but also just as many pleasant surprises. Chiefly among the latter, Sweetwater’s particularly incendiary set which, heard within its original context, sounds light years ahead of its time, bordering more on a post-punk approach than the starry-eyed hippie idealism surrounding them. And then there are the moments that seem so incongruous with the idea of Woodstock that they need to be heard to be believed. For example, during his rather lackluster performance, Tim Hardin finds a moment to bitch about the exponentially expanding sea of humanity not listening to his coffee-house musings.

Most entertaining are the announcements from the stage given by either John Morris or Chip Monck. The former rather unintentionally adds an air of authority to the myriad person-to-person communiques delivered over the festival system in the pre-cell phone era. These recordings add more to the overall ambience of the festival and time period than many of the more forgettable performances (while Ravi Shankar is no doubt a genius on his instrument, the nearly 18-minute “Raga Manj Kmahaj” overstays its welcome by a good 14 minutes or so, particularly following Hardin’s interminably dull performance). Morris’ explanation of the festival becoming a “free festival” is particularly moving, his clear-eyed plea to all in attendance to honor and respect one another wholly transcending the peace-and-love platitudes to become something far more profound.

One of the most culturally significant performances, that of Jimi Hendrix’s incendiary interpretation of the “Star Spangled Banner,” has all but lost its original impact thanks to years of pop cultural misappropriation. Having been so thoroughly co-opted by popular culture, its original radical reading is forever lost, the context no longer there for modern listeners to appreciate the transcendent nature of the moment. At the time, however, it was a radical gesture coming at the end of a period of unprecedented change and violence both political and social. Hendrix essentially set to recast his nation’s national anthem within a more sonically appropriate context, exploring the horror, frustration and feelings of utter futility that the end of the 1960s had brought about. Hearing it within its proper context does little to correct the years of having the edges worn smooth, but it does help illustrate just how far ahead of his peers he truly was, particularly coming, as he does, immediately after Sha Na Na’s anachronistic 1950s pastiche.

Half a century on, Woodstock still looms large in the popular music landscape in terms of what it represented to an entire generation of listeners and what it managed to accomplish (and lose in terms of being a complete and total financial disaster). Hearing each and every performer all together for the first time is a thrill, the facts finally being fully extricated from the fiction: the Dead didn’t sound nearly as bad as has long been claimed due to the weather and extreme drug intake; Pete Townshend having a go at Abbie Hoffman (“Fuck off! Get off my fucking stage!”) is just as good as you’d imagine; and Grace Slick sounds as totally out of her mind as has long been rumored. In a year sure to be full of Woodstock think pieces and dewy-eyed nostalgia, it’s best to simply go back to the source (back to the garden, if you will) and hear it for yourself as it was, warts and all, and appreciate it within the context of itself. You can wax philosophical about it all you want, but at the end of the day it was simply a music festival with a pretty great lineup.

From amazon.com on Live From The Beacon Theatre:

The Doobie Brothers returns to the Beacon Theatre for the first time in 25 years to perform two of their landmark albums, Toulouse Street and The Captain And Me.In November 2018, The Doobie Brothers returned to the Beacon Theatre for the first time in 25 years to perform two of their landmark albums, Toulouse Street and The Captain And Me. This 2CD+DVD edition captures the full performance from both albums in their entirety, plus three encore tracks. The complete video from the show is included on the DVD and all of the corresponding audio tracks appear on the 2CDs.

This historic performance at the Beacon offered an opportunity for Doobie fans to hear deep cuts and songs never-before performed live by the band, such as “Mamaloi,” “O’Connelly Corners,” “Ukiah,” and “The Captain And Me.” The show begins with the 10 songs from the group’s second studio album, Toulouse Street. Originally released in 1972, it’s been certified platinum. Several of the band’s most popular songs first appeared on the album, including “Jesus Is Just Alright” and “Listen To The Music,” the latter presented here with a brand new arrangement featuring horns.

Next, The Doobie Brothers played its third studio release, The Captain And Me. Originally released in 1973, it reached #7 on the Album Chart and has been certified double platinum. Hits include “Long Train Runnin’,” “China Grove” and “South City Midnight Lady.” The show ended with a three-song encore that included their #1 hit “Black Water.”