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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Live at Last!, 12 Jul 2004
For old ISB fans this is a wonderful reminder of their often magical and uplifting live performances. (I experienced only one, on Halloween in 1971, and was completely blown away, especially when instead of giving an encore they stood in a row and beamed a tangible radiance of love to the audience.)On this set from the Philelphia Folk Festival in August 1969 we have the ISB during the height of their powers and inspiration, in all probablity playing a similar set to the one they played at Woodstock. The album most represented here is 'I Looked Up', with a couple of tracks from 'Be Glad', and it is great to be able to experience that feeling of seemingly effortless timelessness and clarity they were able to generate as they drew us into this moment: "The grass at your feet is different from any before it, it is now, it is now.." Indeed, the songs here appear almost in slow motion in comparison with some of their studio performances. Take 'The Letter': on 'I Looked Up' it is a slick up-tempo number with electric guitar and Dave Mattacks on drums; here it is fresh and lilting in its sincerity and acoustic simplicity. There are some problems with sound quality, especially on 'Air' which is marred by feedback, but most of the tracks are clear and convey the extraordinary creativity and confidence of both Mike and Robin during that period. Indeed, it is easy to sense the depth of their artistic collaboration which was such an important factor in the success and genius of the early ISB. This is not to belittle the important support from Rose and Licorice on this album, whose harmonies at times are strikingly beautiful. 'This Moment' and 'Black Jack Davy' are outstanding takes of these now famous numbers, and 'When You Find Out Who You Are', which is 2-3 minutes shorter than on 'I Looked Up', really does encapsulate the sense of Tat Tvam Asi that is so significant a legacy of the late 60s and early 70s, and which helped empower me to continue on the search for That which, in truth, I am. I trust there are other live performances out there, particularly from around 1968, which will make it to CD. In the meantime full marks to the Philadelphia Folksong Society for keeping their tapes intact.
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