Martin Barre
Live in NY DVD
Review by Gary Hill
Martin Barre is probably best known as the long-time guitarist for Jethro Tull. The thing is, he's been building a solo career in recent years, and has put out some great music in that pursuit. His brand of prog is heavily rooted in blues rock. This live set features a DVD and double CD set of the show.
The mix of music here features some of Barre's solo numbers along with a healthy helping of Tull music and things like The Beatles and Cream. The thing is, all the songs are made into something different from their source. The Tull stuff at times gets more hard rocking. There are real differences in the arrangements. When they cover Cream in the form of "Crossroads," it gets started on mandolin and takes on some real Celtic elements. At other points this show almost turns heavy metal.
The venue is an intimate one. The video and audio quality are good. The stage is well lit. The only complaint I have (and it's a minor one) is that I'm not entirely sold on the singer's take on some of the Tull tunes. Still, this is a strong performance and a great record of it.
This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) in Music Street Journal: 2020 Volume 1. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2020.
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