When 801 Live was released in 1976 it immediately became one of the most admired and listened to albums in the Progressive Music community. First off, as a live album it was technically the most accomplished and best recorded of any that had come before it - in short, it broke ground. Secondly, it was that perfect combination of musicians who blended seamlessly with each other. Phil Manzanera, Brian Eno, Bill MacCormick, Francis Monkman, Simon Philips and Lloyd Watson - all musicians who had worked together in various bands over the years, getting together to perform a series of three live concerts and call it a day. However, this was a perfect union, made all that much better because it was in a live setting with no overdubs or "fixing it in the mix". It was as it happened on September 3rd 1976 at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.
Tonight I'm playing two tracks together off the first side - East of Asteroid and Rongwrong.
An amazing side-trip for Phil Manzanera and Brian Eno who were with Roxy Music at the time. It was, for all intents and purposes a one-off, but has been resurrected at various times over the years and there have been subsequent albums as a result. All worth checking out.
Just like this one.
