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TALISMAN - World's Best Kept Secret [DVD] |
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Posted: 7/10/05Reviewed by: Lynn Phillips Category: Hard Rock Released: 3/15/05 Label URL: www.frontiers.it Artist URL: www.jeffscottsoto.com | |
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All right, I have to admit when I screw up, I screw up big. I happen to be a big fan of melodic hard rock. You know, the kind of music with choruses, memorable hooks, flashy guitar solos, etc. Yet somehow the 90s passed me by and I never even knew about the existence of the band Talisman. (I guess I was too busy bitching about the depressing, droning grunge scene to unearth the kind of music I really liked.) As luck would have it, I’m finally getting a chance to catch up on Talisman’s terrific past thanks to this excellent new double dvd.
Just in case you missed the boat on this band too, Talisman is a melodic rock band fronted by amazing vocalist Jeff Scott Soto. His powerful, soulful voice may be the highlight of the band, but the musicians are all top notch too. This band is so good that it’s hard to find any cracks in their armor and that’s very evident on this collection of live performances and promotional videos.
The first disc features the bands relatively recent live performance in Stockholm Sweden and let me assure you that the band is amazingly tight and “in a groove” throughout this show. The songs and sound quality on the dvd are simply amazing and I was completely enthralled by their live show from start to finish. The set list is terrific featuring many of the band’s more popular songs such as "Break Your Chains," "Mysterious," "I’ll Be Waiting" and "Standing on Fire." Jeff’s voice is impeccable throughout the show and the duel axe work from Howie Simon and original guitarist Fredrik Akesson is phenomenal. Worthy of a special mention are backing vocal harmonies during the choruses. This layered vocal approach is what sets this band apart from its contemporaries. Hearing it makes me realize how this style has been completely lacking in the music of the last 20 years.
As much as I love the live performance, the true appeal of this dvd set is the collection of promotional videos, candid interviews and rare live clips on disc two. Unbeknownst to me, Talisman had released professional videos for "I’ll Be Waiting," "Mysterious," "Color My XTC" and more recent hits "Skin on Skin" and "In Make Believe." All are interesting to watch and interspersed with live clips and informal horseplay amongst the band, giving the viewer a glimpse into their fun-loving personalities. I seriously doubt too many people had the good fortune of seeing some of these videos so this addition alone makes the entire package a steal for fans of this genre of music. Considering the rarity of these clips, the audio and video quality is outstanding for the most part. Some of the live concert shots are obvious bootleg material so your perspective on these may vary. I just think it’s damn cool to finally see footage of this remarkable, yet unheralded band.
The Bloody Truth: I’m not going to hold back on this one…this is without a doubt one of the most impressive dvds I’ve ever had the pleasure of viewing. This is a must own for fans of melodic hard rock with great vocals and catchy songs. Beg steal or borrow this double dvd set and finally give Talisman some much deserved support and recognition.
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