the new album LIVE FROM THE PLANET hits the Vega house

This is damn sexy! A 3 fold LP with green Vinyl !! it was fun to sort of share and tell with my 9yr old about the old days of going to a record shop and looking through the racks of LPs and finding your favorite artist's latest release as well as the tangible joy of tearing off that cellophane to open a double LP.
I'm excited.
THANK YOU BRIAN!

It looks damn good!!!!!

Japanese release is due this Wednesday!! No bonus tracks included

So what do you think of the album?

Its more of a historic document for me.. I'm really tired of the old tunes at this point (although its was really fun to receive such a great fan package, its beyond cool in its entirety down to the green LPs..very sexy layout and well thought out) and am looking forward to what Mr Setzer is going to create next, especially after his weekend in LA with the philharmonic. I have a sneaking feeling that probably
put some major fuel in his spirit to pursue a Henry Mancini style album.. I see his best work coming out of this experience,
and I dont give a crap about the critics that continue to torture him with their desire for him to rehash the
Strat Cats.. Its stupid, the stray cats are a youthful stepping stone in his artist life and I still have a personal
sore spot with the way his Wolfgang album was received. It was brilliant and a new direction.. I think the next
album we see is MAESTRO SETZER ala 60s jet set meets james bond.

That next project idea sounds great! I'm with you on the Stray Cats point. I wish there had been a live dvd from this tour. I just got the cd this week, so I haven't spent a lot of time with it yet. I dig Folsom Prison and of course I love Seven Nights to Rock as I'm a fan of that song to begin with.

Twenty Flight Rick wrote:

That next project idea sounds great! I'm with you on the Stray Cats point. I wish there had been a live dvd from this tour. I just got the cd this week, so I haven't spent a lot of time with it yet. I dig Folsom Prison and of course I love Seven Nights to Rock as I'm a fan of that song to begin with.

Totally, thats what fans want ...freakin DVD's I still watch the Live in Japan DVD religiously and my son has grown up with it and learned from Mark Winchester on the upright because of it.. I was inspired by it to come up with my whole Nocturne Brain preamp creation (albeit with the faithful twenty here on HDVDL affirming all of it)

Hey,
I have yet to receive the vinyl but the CD looks exactly the same but smaller and yes, I agree with Tavo, the layout is very well thoughy and designed.

However, I cannot agree with him in the other points.

Truth is that the latest BSO albums, particuarlly Wolfgang's Big Night Out, weren't well received. It had a new direction, kind of experimental stuff, which is fine, and it was something pretty uniquie and innovatire, and perfectly executed/played.

However, to me, the BSO days are over. I think it's been enough of Xmas Tours, non-sense live albums and nothing really new at all.
Yes, there've been some new albums but I think they don't really provide anything new at all... they look, to me, more an excuse to go on tour rather than anything else. It's alaways the same set list over and over again, and though seeing it live it's completely different from listening to a recording... I don't see the BSO has really evolved in the last few years. With this, I am not saying that I don't like it, but on the contrary!!

I believe that Brian works out much better with the Trio/Quartet line up, where, I consider he really enjoys it, can improvise much more and more chances to vary the set.

As for the Stray Cats:
I wonder this - when they toured Europe in 2004, they released Rumble in Brixton... and on their farewell tour, why not?? It really surprises me a lot!!
It's just 6 years till the band's 40th anniversary.... another tour??? HOPE SO!!! The Rolling Stones, Kiss... and many more bands have said "this is our last / farewell tour" but they keep on doing them... I still have faith in them reuniting for one or two more tours.

I think thats because the euro crowd was the first to embrace the straycats and they had legendary tours there. I get that but if you have not been to the BSO you cannot possible understand the power and might of the orchestra led by Brian. He's not a kid anymore and that trio stuff is okay but its meant for young angry brutes who can pour their testosterone into the crowd and build on that youthful energy. At the Christmas shows here most of us take our bathroom breaks and beer runs when the trio set happens between the orchestra sets. different crowd and mind set. IMO

ps. of course Wolgang was experimental album as it pushed in a new direction of Brian's, the artist's paint brush cries out
for new colors and canvas

The Christmas tours are fun and I imagine as long as they continue to be popular, he'll keep doing them. The trio set is also fun in the middle of the BSO shows. I just wish he'd play more in my part of the world.

Hmm... sure Europe embraced the Cats but I'm 27, I wasn't even born when the Cats had already first split up, so it's not a question of my memories or so.

Again, seeing the BSO live whether it's Xmas or not must be a blast, but their days are done. To me, The Dirty Boogie was their climax, they kept up for 2-3 more years a bit that enthusiasm, but nothing really new at all these days.

It would be graet seeing BS doing a kind of Rockin' By Myself tour, on his town, recovering some of his old songs (eg: The Knife, Rebelene, etc) and forget a bit of This Cat's..., Rock This Town and Summertime Blues. Isn't he tired of playing the same songs every single night???

Slim Jon Phantom wrote:

Isn't he tired of playing the same songs every single night???

kinda reminds me of Joe Walsh commenting on his writing of Hotel California. He said if he'd known
how big the song would have become, he would have picked something else to sing.

He's gotta play Rock This Town or I ain't going. I would go see a solo tour.

Wouldn't that be perfect???

I always dream about being a millionaire and being able to hire Brian Setzer for one or two nights, at
an intimate venue, he himself, no band... and he playing something unique:

Haunted River, The Knife, Cross Of Love, Rebelene, Rockability, Temper Sure Is Risin, My Heart Is A Liar, etc etc etc
and put an album with that.

Awwwhhh.... SURFDOG, hope you convice Brian to do a tour like that!

Slim Jon Phantom wrote:

Wouldn't that be perfect???

I always dream about being a millionaire and being able to hire Brian Setzer for one or two nights, at
an intimate venue, he himself, no band... and he playing something unique:

Haunted River, The Knife, Cross Of Love, Rebelene, Rockability, Temper Sure Is Risin, My Heart Is A Liar, etc etc etc
and put an album with that.

Awwwhhh.... SURFDOG, hope you convice Brian to do a tour like that!

I do like my heart is a liar but thats the only song I like on that album... I want more Bobby Darin and Sinatra Standards

So... Tavo, you don't happen to be a Stray Cats man... ;-)

I'd take the Cats over any of the Setzer solo stuff (with the exception of Live Nude Guitars).

Slim Jon Phantom wrote:

So... Tavo, you don't happen to be a Stray Cats man... ;-)

I'd take the Cats over any of the Setzer solo stuff (with the exception of Live Nude Guitars).

I was a stray cats man from 1981 until Brian Setzer created the BSO, He evolved and so did I I still
really want to see more video footage of the early cats euro tours because its sentimental for sure, but
thats were it kinda frays. Gimme Maestro Brian Setzer and his 59 piece orchestra in S-T-E-R-E-O !!

The HBO thing... yeah, nice but they only ruined the songs they've played in with the exception of
I Won't Stand In Your Way, that was sublime I must admit it... but the rest.... holly molly!! Totally ruined!!

tvthewiredturtle wrote:

ps. of course Wolgang was experimental album as it pushed in a new direction of Brian's, the artist's paint brush cries out
for new colors and canvas

Yes, it`s not a"daily" car Album but i just listen to it during the monday morning traffic jam.
It´s a gorgous album.
I love the different Setzer directions and i`m even more BSO Man instead of a Stray Cats fan.
Btw. my ultimate autumn soundtrack now is "SfLA" plus the song "September Skies"

I'm pretty much with Tavo on this. Watching any early Stray Cats is fantastic, so hungry and unpolished, but it has been done to death. Sure it was exciting to see them re-group just before the BSO, but that was 20 years ago. And with all due respect, the Straty Cats are NOT Kiss or the Stones....they were never that big. And if you were alive when "Knife Feels Like Justice" came out, it seemed Brian was not being true to himself and just tried to remain popular with a main stream album. I don't regulary listen to WBNO but I would love it if he played "Honey Man" at every show in perpetitude...WOW!!! (Maybe it's a guitar player thing, Tavo?) "Live From The Planet" is the first album I have not run out and bought since "Rant n' Rave" from Mr. Setzer. Why? Heard it before, for the most part...multiple double basses? Meh...might amuse those that have never seen a "rockabilly" show but I see it as a distraction to the music. Just my opinion.

Brent wrote:

I'm pretty much with Tavo on this. Watching any early Stray Cats is fantastic, so hungry and unpolished, but it has been done to death. Sure it was exciting to see them re-group just before the BSO, but that was 20 years ago. And with all due respect, the Straty Cats are NOT Kiss or the Stones....they were never that big. And if you were alive when "Knife Feels Like Justice" came out, it seemed Brian was not being true to himself and just tried to remain popular with a main stream album. I don't regulary listen to WBNO but I would love it if he played "Honey Man" at every show in perpetitude...WOW!!! (Maybe it's a guitar player thing, Tavo?) "Live From The Planet" is the first album I have not run out and bought since "Rant n' Rave" from Mr. Setzer. Why? Heard it before, for the most part...multiple double basses? Meh...might amuse those that have never seen a "rockabilly" show but I see it as a distraction to the music. Just my opinion.

heck ya, honey man played live with the orchestra is an experience! I'm gonna go out on a limb and just say that if you
have never sat up in front of Brian Setzer and that raging orchestra of his, you have absolutely no ground to speak
about where his musical direction has moved since the Knife feels like justice. The BSO is a freight train your whole body
experiences!

I will NEVER forget the first few moments I saw the BSO the first time. They started with "Dirty Boogie" and as the horns played the intro and then the low double note/double chord BUM BUM!! I could feel it in my chest. And as the rest of the band comes in to the meat of the song one bar later, I remember thinking "HOLY SHIT!" I have never experienced ANYTHING as expolsive and mind blowing (from an audio stand point) as the first 20 seconds of that song. It wasn't due to volume...it was the sound. As Tavo says, it's just like a train. Unforgetable.

Brent wrote:

I will NEVER forget the first few moments I saw the BSO the first time. They started with "Dirty Boogie" and as the horns played the intro and then the low double note/double chord BUM BUM!! I could feel it in my chest. And as the rest of the band comes in to the meat of the song one bar later, I remember thinking "HOLY SHIT!" I have never experienced ANYTHING as expolsive and mind blowing (from an audio stand point) as the first 20 seconds of that song. It wasn't due to volume...it was the sound. As Tavo says, it's just like a train. Unforgetable.

my experience exactly.. changed my mind big time about orchestral music.

I haven't listened to Live From The Planet yet. I did open a couple tracks in an audio editor, as well as a couple tracks from "Red Hot and Live," for the sake of comparison. RHL is compressed all to hell, it's had all the dynamic range beaten out of it. LFTP is better, with about 3dB of dynamic range and no clipping. So yay! A little progress. I do wish there were even more dynamics. (For more on this topic, check out this outstanding blog post, not by me. That second waveform is roughly what RHL looks like. LFTP looks like something between the first and second waveforms.)

I am really surprised that for a live record, the insides of the 3 record set are all graphics, no photos from the tour. What a waste!

Andi wrote:

I haven't listened to Live From The Planet yet. I did open a couple tracks in an audio editor, as well as a couple tracks from "Red Hot and Live," for the sake of comparison. RHL is compressed all to hell, it's had all the dynamic range beaten out of it. LFTP is better, with about 3dB of dynamic range and no clipping.

Boy, is everybody gonna hate me now...

I've been a fan "forever" (well, since '83 when I first saw the Cats on TV), I've bought ALL the albums (multiple copies and editions, and I got the green triple vinyl a week ago), seen him live every opportunity I've had, and I've even liked the albums that others apparently disliked (ie. NBFD and TKFLJ etc), but I gotta say I'm disappointed this time...

I'm sure this album would've been cool(er) as a DVD, 'cos this tour with two drummers and two bass players (well, three if you count Brian's performance during "Fishnet Stockings") was no doubt a visually exciting one. But - the playing is sloppy at times. I'm not necessarily talking about Brian's playing, but the band/bands aren't as tight as a guitarist of Setzer's caliber deserves and needs!

You can compare compression and sound all you like (not saying I disagree with you, Andi, 'cos you definitely have a point), but Red Hot & Live - musically - is head and shoulders and then some above Live From The Planet. Just take "Red Hot", which is on both albums, and compare them - well, let's just say that Mr Phantom isn't a very good time keeper. And IMO Spazz fits so much better in the Orchestra than in a rockabilly setting. Somebody on another forum said it sounded like a bar jam, and I tend to agree. Which makes me sad, 'cos I really want to be as enthusiastic about this album as I've been about his previous stuff. But I KNOW he can (or at least could) do it so much better....

There. I said it...

I'll second your opinion, Anders!

Red Hot Live sounds much better and Ronnie fits in a lot better in that sense. I love this album too, but there's a lack of strenght... maybe it's the mixing or whatever.

Nonetheless, it's more like a souvenir for the people who attended the shows I think... but a live DVD with the 68 CBS, Trio or Nashvillains would be perfect.