In concert is the right way to experience
Mike Tramp where his explosive gigs leaves you no doubt that he breathes Rock 'n' Roll. "Rock 'n' Roll Alive" is recorded in his native town Copenhagen, Denmark.
If you read my live
review of
Mike Tramp's concert at Skanderborg festival you can translate most of it to this review, since this show was recorded 2 days after the reviewed concert. A few songs were added to this performance. Two of my favorites from "Recovering the Wasted Years", the moody ballad
Mr. Death and Mike's autobiography
Follow Your Dreams. On
Mr. Death Oliver Steffensen plays a tasty intro solo instead of the harmonica.
A certain live favorite in
Mike Tramp's set is the included track from his Freak of Nature period, which starts off with the intro and first verse of
92 and then blasts into a full version of
What Am I.
The band rounds off with
Rocking in the Free World in a 11 minute version, which includes a great medley of
The Boys are Back in Town,
It's a Long Way To the Top (If you Wanna Rock 'n' Roll) and
We will Rock You. A great way to pay tribute to Mike's inspirations in
Thin Lizzy and his old Touring mates in AC/DC.
Having seen Mike 4 times within the last year and a half on Tours in support of both "Recovering the Wasted Years" and "More to Life Than This" I can determine that Mike's vocals are really powerful live. One thing I always admired is Mike's being honest and reliable. Therefore I was not surprised when I learned that this album was done without any overdubs.
The album has a raw feel to it, since it's the real deal. However, I do miss the actual live experience of being at the concert. When sitting in a chair listening to this album - especially the rocking
White Lion tunes comes out better when you are at the actual concert jumping in front of the stage. I'm not gonna go into any Vito Bratta discussion here, because Oliver is a great guitarist and he plays some pretty cool licks on
Livin' on the Edge. When not being at the show you tend to be a lot more attentive to comparing
White Lion tunes against the originals. Therefore I think that newer songs like the aforementioned plus
Lay Down My Life for You, the beautiful ballad
Nothing at All and the usual concert opener
Falling Down work perfect live.
As usual Mike's sounds incredible and Oliver, Kasper plus Claus sound tight after being on the
ZZ Top Tour. This is a one-night recording and an honest representative of Mike in concert. The title
Rock 'N' Roll Alive is just right for this record.
Support one of the last true Rock 'n' Rollers by purchasing a great live album.
Written by
Michael Friday, December 12, 2003
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