Search - Shooting Star :: Shooting Star Live

OOPS!

fischman17 | North Dakota | 02/07/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I blew it when I picked this one. I failed to notice the release date. This recording was made after Gary West left the group. It's actually painful to listen to Keith Mitchell butcher some of Shooting Star's best material. The authenticity of Shooting Star has been replaced with one-size-fits-all, generic hair band miscellania. Was I listening to Bon Jovi? Extreme? Who Cares? If I didn't recognize the songs, I might
never known this was Shooting Star. What's worse, their greatest epic, "Last Chance," is deprived of the full force of it's impact. There is an instrumental bridge unrivaled anywhere in rock. In this bridge is a drum solo tradeoff between the standard drum kit and a concert timpani. I saw Shooting Star blow away McNichols Arena in Denver with this song in '86. However, on this disc, the timpani is not present, leaving the drim kit to trade off with himself to no real effect. What a letdown, especially after 45 minutes of the generic vocals and poor sound quality. The two stars are simply because this is Shooting Star (well, kind of) and there are some great songs, even if they are poorly delivered. In short, a real disappointment for a lover of rock that is a cut above. The magic that lived from "Shooting Star" to "Hang on For Your Life," "III Wishes," "Burning," and finally through "Silent Scream" is gone. Too bad--when I saw "Shooting Star Live" on Amazon[.com], I thought I'd hit the mother lode. What a shame that this is the only live recording of what was once AORs pinnacle achievement."

Shooting Star Live

david w handyside | Seattle area USA | 10/12/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After 5 albums Shooting Star was pretty much given up for dead. But, their fans refused to let them die. In addition to their more familiar releases. They put out a limited edition "Best Of" and another hard to find CD called "It's Not Over" through a local midwest label. (They hail from Kansas City) This live recording is another limited and difficult to find release. But in my opinion, this is the best produced live record I've ever heard. It represents a perfect mix of instruments and vocals...no drown-outs to be heard anywhere. There is lots of extended guitar interplay and over the top energy. They do about every memorable song from each of the familiar 5 records. The concert (recorded in St. Louis) also lets you know that Shooting Star has many frenzied fans. This concert album would make a fan out of any AOR lover. If you like power rock (ala "Styx", "Trillion", "REO", "Fools Face", etc.) this is the best of the best."