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| Lana Lane & Erik Norlander - European Tour 2003 Souvenir CD |
 Released: 2003 Label: Transmission Records / Think Tank Cat. No.: TM 038 / Total Time: 54:40 | |
Reviewed by: Marcel Haster, November 2002 In 2001, after their European tour, Erik Norlander and Lana Lane released their first souvenir CD, a disc with some studio recordings, some unreleased live recordings and bonus tracks from Japanese releases. They have decided to carry this on and so they have released again a souvenir CD, after their European tour. It is a mix of Rocket Scientists songs, Lana Lane songs and some Erik Norlander solo material. And to keep in tradition, also Don Schiff (N/S Stick) has a solo song on it! The first 5 songs are a compilation from their show in Kawasaki, Japan, featuring Arjen Lucassen on guitar, and it’s a medley of "Dark Water Part III" (Rocket Scientists), "Fanfare Of The Dragon Isle" (Norlander solo), "Garden Of The Moon," "In The Hall Of The Ocean Queen" and "Escher's Staircase" (all by Lana Lane). Another live song is the cover "Autumn Leaves," where Lane’s voice gives you goosebumps! "Phantom's Theme" is a track only released in Japan, for promotional purposes, again a cover, but what a beautiful one! The following two tracks, "Metamorphosis" and "Beware Of The Vampires," are from Erik Norlander’s new solo album, Music Machine. Another absolute gem on the album is Led Zeppelin’s "No Quarter," which featured as the bonus track on the Japanese version of Star One’s Space Metal, but now is available for all! Great song with Arjen Lucassen on acoustic guitar. "Project Shangri-La" is the title track of the last studio album of Lana Lane (not counting the Covers Collection album). Another bonus track from a Japanese version [of Project Shangri-La] is the song "I Believe In You," written by John Wetton. Although Lana can sing the heavy parts without effort, her strength lies in the ballads, as she sings them like no other can. Don Schiff is a modest guy, who during the shows is always a bit in the background, but is one of the best N/S Stick players and has finally collected his own songs on a solo album. From his solo spot in the live shows, this is the studio version of his song: "The Eighth Wonder." You’ll love it! The album closes with the last studio track, from Rocket Scientists, "Dark Water Part I / Earthbound," recorded at Progfest 2000. [Technically, it was an adjunct show to the main festival, not part of the festival itself... it might have been, if memory serves, the "pre-show" - PW ed.] It is not a spectacular album, but one filled with great songs, many of which are not featured on the regular albums. It should be in the collection of every fan of Norlander and Lane, but can also serve as a perfect introduction to their music. So just get this one, you won’t be disappointed. PPO Rating: 8/10 [This review originally appeared at the ProgPower Online review site -ed.] More about European Tour 2003 Souvenir CD: Track Listing: Dark Water Part III / Fanfare For The Dragon Isle / Garden Of The Moon / In The Hall Of The Ocean Queen / Escher's Staircase / Autumn Leaves / Phantom's Theme / Metamorphosis / Beware The Vampires / No Quarter / Project Shangri-La / I Believe In You / The Eighth Wonder / Dark Water Part I/Earthbound Musicians: Contact: Websites: Discography
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