Search - Dave Frishberg :: Live at Vine Street

This live setting presents Frishberg at his best.

12/25/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"On "Live At Vine Street," Dave Frishberg exemplifies his skills as an entertainer. Nine of his clever, witty songs are interwoven around a piano medley which allows Frishberg to display his formidable talents as a pianist. Frishberg's dry wit is evident in most of the song's, but he also proves that he can be serious and poignant on "Long Daddy Green" and "Eloise." The best of the predominant lighter tracks are "You Would Rather Have The Blues" and "Blizzard Of Lies." Also delightful is "The Dear Departed Past," Frishberg's ode to nostalgia."

Quirkily great

N. Dorward | Toronto, ON Canada | 09/01/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This disc catches Dave Frishberg in his prime, with a solo set from a 1984 Hollywood gig. There are some truly amazing displays of virtuoso wordsmithery on here: Frishberg is especially adept at the genre of the catalogue lyric, & he works miracles in the lyrics of tunes like "The Dear Departed Past" (the past is among other things "when basketballs had laces, and halfbacks played safety on defence...when there were parking places; hot dog for a dime, White Castle seven cents"). His nasal, Woody Allenish delivery--barely sung, mostly spoken--is precisely right for these songs, suffused in self-deprecation & self-consciously absurd nostalgia. He also plays unimpeachable mainstream piano, & there's a deft medley of Johnny Hodges-associated tunes in the middle of the set (on which Frishberg doesn't sing).This is the Frishberg disc to get along with the immortal _Classics_. (In recent years, Frishberg's voice has become more weathered & his pace of composition has slowed down considerably--later discs lean heavily on earlier compositions, but usually the earlier versions are better.) Recommended."

Dave Frishberg makes life a little better

Ray Sharp | Anaheim, CA United States | 10/18/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't know how it happened, but I hadn't added any Frishberg titles since I switched over from vinyl. Apparently, the music gods took pity on my ignorance and while hopelessly trying to reorganize my office, I found a tape of a live radio show featuring Dave jamming with Jack Shelton. I tossed the tape in the deck, and within minutes was on Amazon searching desperately for Frishberg, preferably LIVE Frishberg.
Live at Vine Street is the result of my quest and the answer to all my problems because no matter how bad I feel at the end of the day, LIVE in the stereo makes the problems go away.
"Zanzibar," "El Cajon" and "The Sports Page" will make you laugh and cry, and "You Would Rather Have the Blues" is an example of how great lyrics can be if written by a real writer. Frishberg fans will recognize all of these titles, but will also enjoy cuts like "Eloise" and "Long Daddy Green" which are poignant, insightful and witty, in addition to beautiful.
The Frishberg voice is high and nasal, yet like Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Louis Armstrong, his phrasing and command of the melody makes the combination work. He is accompanied only by his own piano playing, which is exceptional. The combination of instrument and voice give the listener a close relationship with the song which would only be diminished by additional studio production. It's almost like living next door to the master and enjoying his music over the back fence.
Frishberg is an eloquent spokesman for everyone who understands the beauty of sports, relationships, love, melodies and laughs. In other words everything that makes life worth living.
My urgent request to Mr. Frishberg is MORE LIVE, and my urgent request to Amazon.com is MORE FRISHBERG."