So...last year, something called Cleopatra Records released, or rereleased/repackaged a number of live offerings.
I'm going to highlight a couple that I actually bought.
https://open.spotify.com/album/3vjRpY5cqVx27EpetHfr53?si=yWOvwfdBTvmJqaMk_6bb0ATracklist:1. Lettin' Go
2. Youngblood
3. No Place To Run
4. Cherry
5. Only You Can Rock Me
6. Love To Love
7. Mystery Train
8. Doctor Doctor
9. Too Hot To Handle
10. Light Out
11. Rock Bottom
12. Shoot Shoot
This was previously available as:
and
What made this release compelling is that the two previous versions were missing Doctor Doctor, Rock Bottom, and Shoot Shoot.
What I like about the Chapman live material is that there's a real aggressiveness and just balls out rocking vibe to it. He kind of stumbles his way through some of the Schenker subtleties but it gives the band a really cool vibe. An example is the intro to Doctor Doctor which is...rough.
But this version of Rock Bottom is amazing. It's not Schenker, obviously, but Chapman is pretty clean throughout the instrumental break.
The other surprise is the 12 minute Shoot Shoot that ends the show. They do a great extended instrumental section that includes band intros. I eyeroll these types of things sometimes, but I had never heard this before, and it was...kind of awesome.
Soundwise, it's an old FM pull, so it's not a polished recording. Even though the guitars are slightly low in the mix, you can really hear every instrument clearly, especially the bass, and Pete Way is killing it the whole time. As with the previous versions, I feel like they used the studio vocal for Youngblood, but the band is quite live.
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https://open.spotify.com/album/5bbgCyF110KePtYCpMjKyu?si=-BvWHYGYQp-yZzBWyFh0mQTracklist:1. Heaven's Gate
2. The Chase
3. This Time
4. Meanstreets
5. Name Of Love
6. The Only Ones
7. Wreckless
8. Night Run
9. Only You Can Rock Me
10. Doctor Doctor
11. Too Hot To handle
12. Lights Out
This was previously available as:
..and is also the soundtrack for the Misdemeanor Tour live VHS.
The previously available version on the Heavens Gate Live had only 10 songs, so this new version adds both Too Hot To Handle and Lights Out. The setlist for the night includes Shoot Shoot as well, but for some reason, it's still missing.
What I like about this live album is that they bang out 8 songs right off the top from the Misdemeanor album. Calling it a UFO album was still suspect, but it remains an awesome album. Also, I love these live versions of the classic songs.
I was kind of hesitant to go through all of these releases as I'm naturally cynical about the endless rehashing of material. I think I'll investigate these further, and if something catches my eye/ear, I'll report back here.