Search - Willie Nile :: Archive Alive

A Cheaper Alternative To Paying Collector's Prices

Eric R. Last | San Bruno, CA United States | 06/28/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This 1997 release presents a concert from the early 80s featuring Nile with the same band with which he recorded his first two albums - Clay Barnes, Peter Hofmann, Jay Dee Daugherty & Fred Smith. Those first two albums ("Willie Nile" from 1980 and "Golden Down" from 1981) are long out of print and extremely hard to come by - I see someone is currently offering a used copy of the first album through Amazon for about five times the original retail price! Since both studio albums had an almost live sound anyway, "Live In Central Park" will do a pretty decent job of satisfying the cravings of Willie Nile fans who cannot find, or cannot afford, the rare studio CDs. The live CD is also out of print, but it's far easier to locate, and it probably won't cost you an arm and a leg when you do find it. It will especially appeal to fans of the debut album, as it includes 9 of the debut's 12 songs. If you're more into "Golden Down", you won't find this as satisfactory, as it contains only 3 songs from that album. If you are one of the few people that actually do own both of the first two albums on CD, I'd say the live album is nice addition to the collection, but not really essential."

Excellent live set from an underrated musician

J. Talsma | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 08/10/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I came to like Willie Nile when I bought his first two albums on vinyl, a quarter of a century ago but since lost him from sight. In Europe he is unknown and that is a pity while he is a "real" musician, in every good sense of that word/combination. Especially the debutalbum is strong, full of easylistening melodies and a good backing on several guitars. He has a nice voice but what's more a knack for songwriting. Anyway, mostly culled from the first album this is a rare concertregistation of midsummerevening in New York's Central Park, after a tour with The Who, with the same musicians as on both albums. At times it is a little bit grittier but Willie is entertaining the lot, come sunshine/hot wheater, come rain, what on that night was going on and he delivered with a strong backing. Most songs are directly recogniseable, he throws in another self penned but not recorded song and a cover, everything beautifully played. Although I did not attend this concert I wish I would have been able just to do that but nevermind, this album (by an independent record-label) is a proof of what kind of singer/songerwriter and guitarplayer/performer he was. Recently he came back with a new album "Streets of New York", much in the same vein and to my surprise has Arista now a double CD released, which contains the integral first three albums, on the third one with a host of wellknown guestmusicians. Everybit highly enjoyable. Nile deserves far more than he's got the last decades and hopefully he'll be embraced by a bigger public. One can start listening to this remarkable live output. Recommended."