Main menu
Fretplay home Submit tabs

Blues Traveler
Blues Traveler tabs Blues Traveler discography

Channels
Guitar channel Bass channel Guitar videos Reviews

Message Forum
Guitar forum Bass forum Bands and artists Promote your band Recent discussions All categories

Fretplay.com

Blues Traveler guitar tabs

CD reviews

Live: What You and I Have Been Through

Blues Traveler - Live: What You and I Have Been Through Audio CD

A fair review of the Blues Traveler "Live: What You and I Have Been Through" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Blues Traveler reviews here, or go back to the Blues Traveler tabs.

Band: Blues Traveler
Title: Live: What You and I Have Been Through
Rating:

Release Date: 2002-10-22
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Star Spangled Banner 2: Slow Change 3: Reach Me 4: Sadly A Fiction 5: Carolina Blues 6: Pattern 7: Back In The Day 8: Rage 9: Lost Me There 10: All Hands 11: The Path

what you and I have through
Being a fan of Blues Traveler, of course I had to have this cd and am glad to have this cd in my collection. I found this to be a great example of Blues Traveler live, it is raw, jammy, and at times experimental.
Anthony hanley.

Nice for fans, but rather superfluous
The title seems to refer to a number of recent traumas for the group -- 9/11 (hence, "The Star-Spangled Banner"); the death of original bassist Bob Sheehan; John Popper's health issues; and the loss of their record contract after the failure of the "Bridge" album. The second of Blues Traveler's live albums, this seems to be sort of a desperate stopgap release.

Still, if nothing else, this CD proves that the group has survived with their musicianship intact. Unlike "Live from the Fall", none of the group's sprawling jams are documented. However, a bunch of the songs, such as "Rage", "All Hands" and "The Path" are extended, allowing lots are opportunity for solos. Popper's harmonica is more prominent on the songs from "Bridge" then it was on the studio versions. Funk influences show up here, an element the band hadn't explored all that much before. Guest Carl Young adds some cool sax riffs to "Rage"

You do have to credit the band for not pandering to its audience with the song selection (At the end of "All Hands", the track fades just as the band strikes up "Runaround"!). The five songs from "Bridge" are looser and less slick than the originals, so that is a plus. Besides our National Anthem (an impassioned, mournful harmonica solo), there are two other songs that have never appeared before on a BT CD -- "Pattern", which Popper also did live with his side project, Frogwings; and "The Path", a track from an unfinished album which the band only released through its website. The contains the weakest points of the album -- stupid attempts at rap by someone calling himself "RadioActive", and the track fades out before it's done.

Still, you do get the feeling that the band just put out the CD to keep themselves in view. It's a solid release, but not necessarily representative of their best live or studio work. Other albums would be a better starting point for new fans, but try this out if you like what you've heard on "Straight on Till Morning", "Bridge" or "Live from the Fall".

.

Raw
If that is what you are in to, then plunk down the change. My first reaction to Live: What You and I Have Been Through was - is my hearing failing? The album sounds like what I would imagine a bootleg recording to sound like. If you are expecting a full range of sound and a well mixed recording capturing nuances that make up for not being there, then buy another album. If this were the first exposure I had to Blues Traveler it would have been the last. Don't let this be the first BT work you buy.

Blues Traveler Breaks Out a Few Interesting Grooves Here
And all-American seems to be what BT wants to symbolize, not only in carrying on the American Blues tradition, but also in starting this album with the national anthem. Live is good for Blues Traveler - gives it the open-air feel of a bluegrass outfit jamming at the All-American tradition of fairs and festivals. John Popper gives an impressive echoey rendition that leaves listeners no choice but to see him, perhaps as he sees himself, as the Jimi Hendrix of harmonica. No doubt, he puts harmonica where it's never been, evident in the album's last track recorded with Radioactive, "The Path. " Punctuated with instantly gratifying scratches, punchy drums, and straight up funky rhythms on bass and guitar that make your gut do flips. One wishes the whole album were like this.

In reality, Blues Traveler wavers in and out of musical brilliance. The improvisations, though technically deft, run uncomfortably Phishy in length and direction, which just gets boring after a while. And then there's the tempo problem - what's the hurry, man? Cramming as many notes and lyrics into as little time as possible brings out the 90's signature whine-on-speed in Popper's voice. Though every note is clearly and harmoniously reached and arguably upbeat, it still sounds too rushed.

When BT does manage to slow down a little, they play oh-my-god amazing. The Kinchla brothers on bass and guitar have a great precision and a grounding, funky style, and not enough praise can be given to Ben Wilson on keys, adding a depth and jazz dimension to the group's sound. And in the spirit of collaboration, Blues Traveler does not skimp in showcasing their talent throughout several intros, solos, and duets. See track 7, "Back in the Day" and track 9, "Lost Me There" for B3 magic, and track 8, "Rage," for yummy smooth soulful groovy everything.

Musically, Blues Traveler is evidently moving in the right direction - they just need continue developing into the New Blues Traveler to avoid sounding like they're imitating themselves, not an easy thing to do with a frontman as distinct as John Popper.

escape from over-produced pop packaging.
One reviewer above says that he/she has been a die-hard blues traveler fan for 7-9 years (and disapproves of the loss of their real sound), and another says this is a "newer, looser sound". While a number of the reviews slam this release as being cacophonous, it is a good sampling of what a real blues traveler live show is all about: complex and soulful jamming. Having first heard a live blues traveler show 14 years ago in a midwestern college town, before they were "discovered" and violated by the music industry execs, I would say that this is neither new nor a departure from their fundamental sound. If you like a great blues-funk jam, this is a great album. On the other hand, if a polished and packaged pop single is what you want, listen to your top 40 radio. The band, particularly Popper, has demonstrated an ability to put out nicely polished music, and lots of it, but at heart these guys just like to have a funky jam.

You can see a complete list of all Blues Traveler discography, or go back to the Blues Traveler tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.