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Various - Shawn Lane Remembered Vol. 1 & 2

Various - Shawn Lane Remembered Vol. 1
Released: 2004
Label: Lion Music
Cat. No.:
Total Time: 66:36 / 63:04

Reviewed by: Marcel Haster, August 2004
Besides signing all kinds of great bands, Lion Music is also famous for its various tribute projects. Sometimes these projects are so big, they don't fit one album, such as is the case with the tribute to Shawn Lane, who sadly passed away in 2003. His career spans some 25 years and if you are interested to know how many releases he has, check out this website: http://www.tarsun.net/old/Discography.htm .

The reason why this tribute is spread over two CDs is the mere fact that so many wanted to join in this tribute. So, if you are looking for guitarists ... check out this list. To name a few: Alex Masi, Stephan Forte, George Bellas, Marcel Coenen (Sun Caged), Joop Wolters (Arabesque), Lars Eric Mattsson (Vision), Mistheria and many more. In other words: lots of guitar power.

Shawn Lane was a famous fusion guitarist, so don't expect too much shredding here, although there are some nice, crunchy bits here and there. Several of the songs featured on the albums, were composed by Lane, but some wrote songs themselves, in honor of Shawn Lane. Such as "...And the Wind Cries Shawn," found on Vol. 1 and composed by Alex Masi. This is one of my favorite songs on the album. Besides the fusion songs, there are some more "rock" songs, like "T-Zone Rhythm," by Patrik Carlson, which could have been a Satriani song. Or the neo-classical sound of George Bellas in "Always Remembered."

Vol. 2 turns out to be my favorite disc, as there are some more heavy, progressive songs on it, such as played by Double Heart Project or Patrik Carlsson (unfortunately both on the promo disc and the press release, song titles are missing ... ), who comes out much better here. Or the heavy, up-tempo song played by again Patrik Carlsson (wow, this guy gets better with each song :-)). But that is a few of the songs, most of it are, just as on Vol. 1, fusion songs.

As said, the tribute to Shawn Lane consist of two separate CD's. The musicians on both albums are outstanding and there are some really great songs featured on the discs. Most of it is fusion/jazz rock, but there are some cool heavy parts, as well as some soft, acoustic parts. And a lot of songs are composed especially for this project. So, get to know the legacy of Shawn Lane and check out these two great albums.

The score below is an average of the two discs, but to be exact, I gave Vol. 2 a four star score and Vol. 1 three stars.

PPO Rating: 6/10

[This review originally appeared at the ProgPower Online review site -ed.]

More about Shawn Lane Remembered Vol. 1 & 2:

Track Listing: Volume 1: "And The Wind Cries Shawn" (Alex Masi) (3:59) / "T-Zone Rhythm" (Patrik Carlsson) (4:42) / "Shamans" (Stephan Forte) (4:30) / "Mr. Musique" (Craig Erickson) (7:44) / "Mike Crow's Mailbox Of Doom" (Dave Martone) (6:10) / "Gray Pianos Flying" (Charly Sahona) (3:10) / "Always Remembered" (George Bellas) (3:35) / "No Tempo De Laranja Doce" (Goncalo Pereira) (4:01) / "Epilogue For Liza" (Rusty Cooley) (2:44) / "Delusion" (Marcel Coenen) (5:26) / "Moonlane Sonata (Intro): The Hurt The Joy" (Tony Smotherman) (5:43) / "Colors Of Tomorrow" (Francesco Fareri) (4:52) / "Changing Lanes" (Joop Wolters ) (3:12) / "Five Lanes" (Lars Eric Mattson) (3:26) / "The Life Of A Miracle" (Mistheria) (3:15)

Volume 2: "Towards The Light" (Roger Staffelbach) (5:26) / "Hardcase" (Double Heart Project) (5:52) / "Beyond Compare" (Torben Enevoldsen) (4:09) / "One Day In Heaven" (Mistheria) (3:43) / "Song For Shawn" (Jon Paget's Audioize Proj) (4:11) / "Hot Spots" (Luis Moreno) (5:36) / "Weightless" (Patrik Carlsson) (5:09) / "From The Inside" (Richard Daude) (6:21) / "Transfiguring Perceptions" (Rob Sbar Noesis) (5:00) / "In The Fast Lane" (Marcos De Ros) (2:59) / "Wicked" (Tom Kopyto) (4:43) / "Rejoice" (Alex Masi) (6:20)

	Various - Shawn Lane Remembered Vol. 1 & 2
	Released: 2004 Label: Lion Music Cat. No.: Total Time: 66:36 / 63:04
	Reviewed by: Marcel Haster, August 2004 Besides signing all kinds of great bands, Lion Music is also famous for its various tribute projects. Sometimes these projects are so big, they don't fit one album, such as is the case with the tribute to Shawn Lane, who sadly passed away in 2003. His career spans some 25 years and if you are interested to know how many releases he has, check out this website: http://www.tarsun.net/old/Discography.htm . The reason why this tribute is spread over two CDs is the mere fact that so many wanted to join in this tribute. So, if you are looking for guitarists ... check out this list. To name a few: Alex Masi, Stephan Forte, George Bellas, Marcel Coenen (Sun Caged), Joop Wolters (Arabesque), Lars Eric Mattsson (Vision), Mistheria and many more. In other words: lots of guitar power. Shawn Lane was a famous fusion guitarist, so don't expect too much shredding here, although there are some nice, crunchy bits here and there. Several of the songs featured on the albums, were composed by Lane, but some wrote songs themselves, in honor of Shawn Lane. Such as "...And the Wind Cries Shawn," found on Vol. 1 and composed by Alex Masi. This is one of my favorite songs on the album. Besides the fusion songs, there are some more "rock" songs, like "T-Zone Rhythm," by Patrik Carlson, which could have been a Satriani song. Or the neo-classical sound of George Bellas in "Always Remembered." Vol. 2 turns out to be my favorite disc, as there are some more heavy, progressive songs on it, such as played by Double Heart Project or Patrik Carlsson (unfortunately both on the promo disc and the press release, song titles are missing ... ), who comes out much better here. Or the heavy, up-tempo song played by again Patrik Carlsson (wow, this guy gets better with each song :-)). But that is a few of the songs, most of it are, just as on Vol. 1, fusion songs. As said, the tribute to Shawn Lane consist of two separate CD's. The musicians on both albums are outstanding and there are some really great songs featured on the discs. Most of it is fusion/jazz rock, but there are some cool heavy parts, as well as some soft, acoustic parts. And a lot of songs are composed especially for this project. So, get to know the legacy of Shawn Lane and check out these two great albums. The score below is an average of the two discs, but to be exact, I gave Vol. 2 a four star score and Vol. 1 three stars. PPO Rating: 6/10 [This review originally appeared at the ProgPower Online review site -ed.] More about Shawn Lane Remembered Vol. 1 & 2: Track Listing: Volume 1: "And The Wind Cries Shawn" (Alex Masi) (3:59) / "T-Zone Rhythm" (Patrik Carlsson) (4:42) / "Shamans" (Stephan Forte) (4:30) / "Mr. Musique" (Craig Erickson) (7:44) / "Mike Crow's Mailbox Of Doom" (Dave Martone) (6:10) / "Gray Pianos Flying" (Charly Sahona) (3:10) / "Always Remembered" (George Bellas) (3:35) / "No Tempo De Laranja Doce" (Goncalo Pereira) (4:01) / "Epilogue For Liza" (Rusty Cooley) (2:44) / "Delusion" (Marcel Coenen) (5:26) / "Moonlane Sonata (Intro): The Hurt The Joy" (Tony Smotherman) (5:43) / "Colors Of Tomorrow" (Francesco Fareri) (4:52) / "Changing Lanes" (Joop Wolters ) (3:12) / "Five Lanes" (Lars Eric Mattson) (3:26) / "The Life Of A Miracle" (Mistheria) (3:15) Volume 2: "Towards The Light" (Roger Staffelbach) (5:26) / "Hardcase" (Double Heart Project) (5:52) / "Beyond Compare" (Torben Enevoldsen) (4:09) / "One Day In Heaven" (Mistheria) (3:43) / "Song For Shawn" (Jon Paget's Audioize Proj) (4:11) / "Hot Spots" (Luis Moreno) (5:36) / "Weightless" (Patrik Carlsson) (5:09) / "From The Inside" (Richard Daude) (6:21) / "Transfiguring Perceptions" (Rob Sbar Noesis) (5:00) / "In The Fast Lane" (Marcos De Ros) (2:59) / "Wicked" (Tom Kopyto) (4:43) / "Rejoice" (Alex Masi) (6:20)