A very interesting release that puts Nelson historically on the musical map.
If you were recently at Firefest then you will have seen the band Nelson play a highly polished gig, that was memorable for me because of the musicianship, professionalism and sheer hard work the band put into their set. All the same things can be heard on this new (?) live album from the band, although it was recorded during their first tour in 1991, and just around the time they were selling bucket loads of albums, which was some twenty years ago now. Unfortunately though, and I'll not pull punches here, this CD doesn't sound as good as, shall we say, it should, and I could almost say that it has a bootleg feel to it. The sound though can and maybe should be forgiven because even though the band toured for more than three years in support of 'After The Rain', they never got round to filming any of the shows and this is apparently the only live recording of Nelson in their heyday.
So on the strength of that information, I will tell you that even the average sound doesn't detract from the strength of a band at the height of it's powers, and songs like - yes you guessed it, - 'After The Rain', 'More Than Ever', 'Love And Affection', 'Will You Love Me' etc, all make for an interesting if flawed listening experience. Summing up I have to say that I don't feel that this is an essential purchase (unless like many of us you are a freak who has to have everything by the bands you love to complete your music collections) but it is a very interesting release and puts Nelson historically on the musical map. Oh and wait until you hear the crowd, 99% female and screaming fit to burst (Matthew and Gunner, you lucky sods).
Ian Johnson
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