[.ca] 1986-1990 Live In Austin

Chronique amazon.fr:
Guitariste des Small Faces puis bassiste des Faces, Ronnie Lane a fait partie de ces excellents musiciens qui ont apporté tout leur talent et toute leur énergie à la cause du rock anglais. Il n'a pas été pour autant un second couteau. Cet album, qui réunit vingt-sept morceaux enregistrés pour une radio texane durant les années 80, en porte le témoignage. Parfaitement à l'aise à Austin, qui était alors le fief d'un certain Stevie Ray Vaughan, Lane revisitait son répertoire, à commencer par une version flamboyante de "Ooh La La" (époque Faces). Sorti chez Sideburn Records, Live In Austin, constitue même un grand moment de rock'n'roll. Il présente Lane, cet ami de Pete Townshend, sous ses meilleurs jours. Et fait d'autant plus regretter la disparition, en 1997, du guitariste, vaincu par la sclérose en plaques. --Philippe Margotin

This is a very fine recording:
Of all of the radio show and outtake cd's released after Ronnie Lanes death,this one is by far the best.Lanes singing is a bit more deliberate then in his pre-illness days,,but that only adds charm to the songs in my opinion.This also makes some of the lyrics to a couple of his old songs much easier to understand.The sound quality of the cd is much better than I expected,and the backing players are very "Slim Chance" sounding.As has been mentioned the liner notes and photos are outstanding. All in all a great cd,a treasure really.I cant imagine any fan of Ronnies being disappointed with this release.

Ronnie's Last Stand:
Ronnie Lane's last recordings while living in Texas -- nearly all radio appearances -- include some of the greatest renditions of some of his best-loved songs. Despite struggling with MS, we find Ronnie in fine humor, chatting away hilariously with the radio hosts, his band, and none other than Ian MacLagan, who phones in to reminisce about some of the tracks. The bulk of the album, a good 60 minutes of it, consists of the songs themselves, sung by Ronnie and played by various bands. To begin, Ronnie's voice is only slightly affected by MS on a couple of tracks where, if one really strains and pays close attention, he begins to warble a word here and there ("Nowhere To Run" comes to mind). Besides that, no problem whatsoever. Ronnie is not only in tune and highly expressive throughout, but he is also a little huskier and warmer in his singing, qualities that mix well with his band arrangements. Although Ronnie's bands change (no more than thrice, if that) throughout the album, the empathy, sensitivity, and capability of each musician is indisputable. Mostly armed with fiddle, accordion, bass, and acoustic guitar plus drums, the bands do a briliant job in couching Lane's songs in earthy yet tasteful backdrops that highlight the emotional dimension of the music. Among the true gems here, we have "Kustchy Rye," "Roll On Babe," "Rio Grande," and absolutely knock-out versions of the brilliant "The Poacher" and a country-ish "Ooh La La" with Lane signing to acoustic guitar and fiddle. Of all albums released by Ronnie Lane, "Live In Austin" is his most intimate, intense, and authentic in reflecting a one-of-a-kind personality in all its charm.

Don't start a Ronnie love affair here:
One of the most beautiful albums I've ever heard. Its next to impossible not to get teary eyed playing it. Emotions are just pouring all over the place. But if its so great why a 3? If it has to be judged on sound its a 1, but judging on the character Ronnie and that he would leave us soon you can't help but love it and give it a 5, so get it when you have all of Ronnie's other stuff. Even with the bad sound its a real treat.

Better Than the Critics Would Have You Believe:
I have to agree with the previous reviewers. This may not have been the best music of Ronnie Lane's career, but his enthusiasm for the material more than makes up for the increasing difficulties Lane experienced in his battle with MS. With Lane's last proper studio album being 1980's "See Me" and his untimely death in 1997, this is likely to be the last collection of previously unreleased material to be issued. The liner notes are thoughtful and insightful. The 22-page booklet also includes many wonderful photos from Lane's final six years in Texas along with extensive track by track annotation. And then there is 73 minutes of music and interviews. I had read numerous reviews when this album was first released and all of them dwelt on Lane's declining physical health and the impact it had on these live recordings. Frankly, I don't hear what they were talking about. Granted, Lane was no longer able to play the guitar and he often had to sit down to perform (see the photo on p. 9), but his vocals are still warm and charming and his backing band--an ever changing lineup--was if nothing else always competent. If you enjoyed Lane's work with The Faces or his solo work from the Seventies, you'll find much to enjoy here. This release is very much a labor of love by producer Kent Benjamin and is a welcome addition to the catalog of one of the music world's most endearing artists. RECOMMENDED

A labour of love:
Musically this is not one of the great Ronnie Lane albums, the sound quality is not too bad, but to be honest by the 1980s Ronnie's voice had coarsened a bit and he had lost the fragility and vulnerability that characterized his singing with the Faces and with Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance. However, if you are already a fan this is definitely worth buying -- the record company have done a fantastic job in selecting songs and interview clips and the CD is beautifully packaged with an informative booklet. It is a real labour of love. Ronnie comes across as an extremely nice guy and utterly without self-pity. It is very hard to listen to this without shedding a tear.

• I'm An April Fool
• KUT Intro
• Ooh La La
• Kuschty Rye
• Spiritual Babe
• Roll On Babe
• Under The April Sky
• Rio Grande
• Barcelona
• Mine And Eric's Story
• The Poacher
• April Fool
• You Never Can Tell
• Weather Report
• Annie
• She's So Rude
• You're So Rude
• Majic Mijits
• Chicken
• Winning With Women
• It Was Fate
• Buddy Can You Spare A Dime
• Nowhere To Run
• Just For A Moment
• A Boot Up The Bum
• Ooh La La