As wikipedia says "801 Live is the live album by 801". Well, who would have guessed? You shouldn't let the literal and unimaginative title fool you though, there's lots going on here despite the fact that it seems to be a spontaneous and low-key affair. First things first, just who is 801? One could rightfully call them "Phil Manzanera and friends", as the Roxy Music guitarist is obviously in charge here. But Brian Eno merits equal billing since he wrote many of the tracks and sings lead on them. The other players are also listed on the album cover, but none of them is a household name so calling 801 a "supergroup" as some do is a bit of a stretch. The band played a total of 3 gigs, the last of which was recorded for this album. The LP rightfully got great reviews and was considered at the time to be the best-sounding live album ever, due to recording technology used. Indeed it combines the clear sound of a studio recording with the exhilaration of a live one. The album opens with ambient guitar instrumental "Lagrima" segueing into an unbelievable cover of The Beatles' "TNK (Tomorrow Never Knows)" with spacey keyboards, nimble bass and dreamy vocals. Dare I say better than the original? Too close to call really, but in any case one of the best Beatles covers ever. "East of Asteroid" is an instrumental jazz rock mix of two Manzanera tunes called "Mummy Was An Asteroid..." and "East Of Echo". Amazing playing, especially the guitar and drums - difficult to believe that drummer Simon Phillips was only 18 at the time! "Rongwrong" is a semi-pastoral ballad that reminds me of early Pink Floyd. Eno's "Sombre Reptiles" sounds livelier than on Another Green World, while on "Baby's On Fire" he reminds us that the man we think of as a production guru and master of ambient music could rock out with the best of them. Great guitar solo, too! "Diamond Head" is an atmospheric Floydian instrumental with beautiful solos by Manzanera, followed by "Miss Shapiro", another song that sounds livelier and better than the studio version on the Diamond Head LP. Afterwards the band lets loose with a rocking cover of The Kinks' "You Really Got Me" and closes with a galloping version of Eno's "Third Uncle" from Taking Tiger Mountain... Now this is a song I first heard by Bauhaus and always associate with them, which makes me realize how far ahead 801 were from the rest: just as the music world was starting to split between "classic rock" and "punk", they were playing a mix of prog, glam and post-punk unlike anything else out there. Even in 2021, they don't sound a bit outdated! So, this is what you get with 801 Live: interesting compositions, classic songs turned inside-out, amazing musicianship, and Eno at his rockiest and most fun. Normally I hesitate to award 5* to an album that isn't a stone cold classic but I can't find the slightest fault here - so I guess it must be a stone cold classic after all!
***** for TNK (Tomorrow Never Knows), Baby's on Fire, Third Uncle
**** for East of Asteroid, Rongwrong, Sombre Reptiles, Diamond Head, Miss Shapiro, You Really Got Me
*** for Lagrima
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