Thursday, November 19, 2015

CD REVIEW: LIVE AT THE PHOENIX by Harem Scarem




LIVE AT THE PHOENIX 
by Harem Scarem
(Frontier Records)

One of the best rock bands ever to come out of Canada in my opinion is Harem Scarem. Harry Hess (vocals, guitar), Pete Lesperance (guitar, vocals), Stan Miczek (bass) and Darren Smith (drums, vocals). Since the band's debut release in 1991, and thirteen studio albums along with a number of live  recordings these Toronto natives, have become true rock legends. The band's latest release, 'Live At The Phoenix' recorded at Phoenix Concert Hall in the band’s hometown of Toronto, Ontario on July 11th, 2015. This double CD plays like the best-of album Harem Scarem. This live performance is a GIANT upgrade compared to the band's previous live recordings. The first thing that unavoidably hits the listener is the album's faultless production; Not only are the instruments captured in great clarity but also the production offers huge drum sound (which is relatively hard to capture live). Disc one offers up ten tracks featuring fan favorites, "Garden Of Eden" "Saviors Never Cry", "Distant Memory" "Mandy"and  "Killing Me". Disc two serves up ten tracks as well featuring, "Sentimental Blvd", "Stranger Than Love", "Saints And Sinners", "Change Comes Around" and closing out the show with the classic rocker, "No Justice". When you listen to this album all your troubles will disappear as you get caught up in the magic that only Harem Scarem can produce when they are playing live. Peter Lesperance on lead guitar gives the performance of epic proportions. Harry Hess gives a brilliant performance on vocals. The rest of band were definitely on their game that evening. You can really tell the guys enjoy performing live. A live recording is all about the atmosphere and 'Live At The Phoenix' is absolutely drenched with atmosphere. This, is classic Harem Scarem. - Highly Recommended
Tony @ The Dedicated Rocker Society


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