Recent Additions : Ryan Adams ; Live at Carnegie Hall

I managed to pick up a copy of Live at Carnegie Hall shortly after it was released.  It took a while to wing its way from the US to Fiji via NZ.

It is certainly worth the wait.

I have only seen Ryan once, on his first visit to NZ with the Cardinals.  Jan and I flew up to Auckland, got caught in traffic and just managed to check into our hotel and then to the concert on time.  It was a solid show but Ryan was having one of his grumpy nights so it did not reach the heights necessary to be a great show..

I think he has been back to NZ three times since and each time the reviews seem to get better and better.

Ryan is certainly one of the best songwriters to have emerged in what is now approaching a 20 year career.  After struggling with a hearing and balance disorder he is now back touring regularly and recorded his two shows at Carnegie Hall in November 2014.  You have the choice of buying a ten song selection or the full shows on a six lp set.  I chose the latter and do not regret it at all.

Releasing and buying two complete concerts is fairly typical of Ryan and his fans.  Ryan who has been accused of not exercising enough quality control in his releases.  He released three albums including a double in one 12 month period.  However all his albums (with maybe the exception of the The Finger's We Are Fuck You album) have at least one or two songs worth hearing.

So this is just Ryan in a chatty mood, guitar, piano - magnificent acoustics and some immaculate recording with a first rate vinyl pressing. Magical.

In terms of songs as he says halfway through side two - he was talking to his manager and asked where he thought he should play a whole lot of songs he had not played for more than ten years and Carnegie Hall was the obvious choice - yeah right!  But that is what you get sets covering his whole career but with generous dashings of his solo debut - Heartbreaker.

I think if you are in the States you can see most of the shows on Youtube but you guys will have to make do with Oh My Sweet Caroline, Rescue Blues, and the new one How Much Light .  I am particularly pleased that he chose to play Halloween one of my favourites from his Love is Hell Double EP.

Great album and now I am looking forward to getting his Taylor Swift tribute 1989 on vinyl.