BRIAN ENO, NICO, JOHN CALE, KEVIN AYERS/JUNE 1, 1974 ILPS 9291 (-74) UK

Album containing cuts from a concert performed at Rainbow Theater in London. Front cover pic taken in the foyer just before lift-off. Apart from the poster names you get Kevin Ayers old Soft Machine mate Robert Wyatt, Patto guitarist Ollie Halsall and Mike Oldfield among others. Very promising, but to my ears not all in. Side one delivers as expected with Eno doing two numbers, Nico one and John Cale one. All four tracks very good live in that you get well done remakes with captured momentary presence. Cale's "Heartbreak Hotel" and Nico's "The End" even more emotional and thus darker than the studio takes. Eno is Eno and the alternate versions of "Driving Me Backwards" and "Baby's On Fire" works excellent with lots of connection. Interesting to hear the latter with Ollie Halsall on guitar instead of Robert Fripp - maybe not better, but different. Side two is entirely Kevin Ayers and doesn't hit me at all. More mellow than exciting and even if there are a couple of good guitars from Halsall I can't be bothered. Too late now, but I would have liked to hear more "Soft Machine" lunacy with Robert Wyatt, or maybe the entire "Dr. Dream" suite including Nico. That would have helped making it a true classic and a legacy. As it is now - a nice but slightly dated greeting from a time when rock was fine art and psych a natural ingredience. US first with same label, number and cover. Frequently issued and reissued on vinyl and CD through the years. Premiere UK had label as shown here and thick glossy cover. (ÄNÖ*) (NÖC*) ((LYBÖ*) (CÄLX*)(FÖF*)  (ÖYÄL*)