Tesla: Alive In Europe 2009!

Live albums, for so long the bench mark or book ends to the eras of a bands career, have in recent times become so throwaway that some bands feel the need to "treat" their fans with a live CD and DVD in between every studio album. Only having two studio albums and a covers project between Alive In Europe 2009 and Tesla's last live effort may suggest that the US hard rockers fall into this category, however to their credit nine years have passed since and while that albums was intended more as an announcement of the band's reformation, this new offering covers what has happened since that come back with enough detail to mean that any self respecting Tesla-ite will be well served by having both in their collection. Seven of the fifteen songs on Alive... are not be found on that earlier effort and of those seven only one, Bust A Nut's "Shine Away" , isn't from the two albums put out since they got back together.

Tesla always played a brand of honest, hard hitting American rock that was built to lend itself to being performed live and it has to be said that this CD is a testament to just effective the five piece are on stage. Old favourites like "Modern Cowboy" and "Little Suzi" still sound every bit as vital and fresh as the first time you heard them as do the band themselves. After the rather public split with Tommy Skeoch, the band recruited Dave Rude to compliment Frank Hannon on guitar and the pair have obviously locked together as a frighteningly effective partnership as all the guitars on this album are tight and focused, without ever losing that feel good vibe so necessary to make Tesla's groove click. Troy Luccketta and Brain Wheat as always ground the band with their unfussy rhythm work and Jeff Keith still has the power to deliver his characterful drawl at full pelt. The passing of years really seems to have had no adverse on Keith's voice and it is easy to forget just how important his glowing, warm voice is to the band.

Of the newer material aired, "Forever More" and the fantastic "So What?" from 2008's Forever More studio album stand out, however all six tracks really fit in well with the more expected classics and the title track from Into The Now is also an extremely welcome addition to the set. The band don't put a foot wrong anywhere on this album and it is one of the few live albums released these days that genuinely makes you wish you'd been there.

If you have followed Tesla's every move throughout their career, then this album is a must buy, however if you have lost touch with the band over the last decade ten Alive In Europe 2009 not only will be hugely enjoyable, but it will inspire you to buy those albums you are missing and before you know it you will be singing along as enthusiastically as the Spanish crowd this show was recorded in front of.

Alive In Europe 2009 is a rarity these days, a live album that you really should invest in.

Track Listing
01. Forever More
02. I Wanna Live
03. Modern Day Cowboy
04. Heaven's Trail
05. What A Shame
06. Shine Away
07. Love Song
08. What You Give
09. The Way It Is
10. Breakin' Fee
11. Hang Tough
12. So What!
13. Signs
14. Little Suzie
15. Into The Now

Added: March 15th 2010
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Band's Web Site
Hits: 2470
Language: english

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