Lives

The Live Anthology (4 CD)
$24.98
If you've got a Tom Petty fan in your family or circle of friends, you absolutely can't go wrong with this 48-song, 4 CD collection of live material that is beautifully recorded.

Don't expect a Grateful Dead-style complete show, and don't expect a chronological "live greatest hits" collection. This rises above those tired genres, as Petty skips around from year to year, something new, something old, and believe it or not, it works!

All the "classic hits" are here. If you don't own all of Petty's albums/CDs, then you're going to encounter some new material that will make you think twice about giving this to your friend or family member. The songs are uniformly well, they are sequenced intelligently, flow ell, and just make this a "must have" collection.

Come of think of it, if you are buying the CD, then you might want to get one for yourself and one for your friend/family member. If you're downloading it and will burn to CD-R, then make sure you have at least eight CD-Rs on hand. (Downloads are 256 kbs mp3. I usually burn to CD then rip to 128 kbs mp3 so it takes up less space on my 16 gig iPod Nano. The loss from 256 to 128 kbs isn't noticeable on an iPod.)

Others have dissected the set list and tracking of the songs, so I won't be redundant. I will be redundant in saying, "GET THIS AND GET IT NOW!"

You'll be damn glad you did!

Live at Royal Albert Hall [CD/DVD]
$19.98
I eagerly bought this CD/DVD of The Killers playing live at the Royal Albert Hall and I was sorely disappointed. The music and performance are good, but the sound is terrible. The CD sounds like it was a bootleg recording, all the instruments sound extremely dull. Only Brandon Flower's singing makes it through the speakers sounding somewhat clearly but everything else is washed out. I don't know what they did to produce such a poor album soundwise but it's a shame and not worth the money I paid for this.

The DVD sounds slightly better than the CD, but again I don't think audiophiles will be too impressed by the qiality here either.

An Evening With Il Divo-Live In Barcelona (CD/DVD)
$18.98
DVD Disc 2 1. Overture (Live In Barcelona - PCM Stereo) 2. Somewhere (Live In Barcelona - PCM Stereo) 3. Unbreak My Heart (Regresa A Mi) (Live In Barcelona - PCM Stereo) 4. La Promesa (Live In Barcelona - PCM Stereo) 5. Angelina (Live In Barcelona - PCM Stereo) 6. Isabel (Live In Barcelona - PCM Stereo) 7. Bridge Over Troubled Water (Live In Barcelona - PCM Stereo) 8. She (Live In Barcelona - PCM Stereo) 9. Passera (Live In Barcelona - PCM Stereo) 10. Unchained Melody (Senza Catene) (Live In Barcelona - PCM Stereo) 11. Mama; Mama\ Instrumental Interlude (Live In Barcelona - PCM Stereo) 12. Nights In White Satin (Notte Di Luce(Live In Barcelona - PCM Stereo) 13. The Winner Takes It All (Va Todo Al Ganador) (Live In Barcelona - PCM Stereo) 14. Without You (Desde El Dia Que Te Fuiste) (Live In Barcelona - PCM Stereo) 15. Pour Que Tu M'Aimes Encore (Live In Barcelona - PCM Stereo) 16. Everytime I Look At You (Live In Barcelona - PCM Stereo) 17. Hallelujah (Aleluya) (Live In Barcelona - PCM Stereo)18. Adagio (Live In Barcelona - PCM Stereo) 19. La Vida Sin Amor (Live In Barcelona - PCM Stereo) 20. Caruso (Live In Barcelona - PCM Stereo) 21. The Power Of Love (La Fuerza Mayor) (Live In Barcelona - PCM Stereo) 22. My Way (A Mi Manera(Live In Barcelona - PCM Stereo) 23. Amazing Grace (Live In Barcelona - PCM Stereo) 24. The Impossible Dream(Live In Barcelona - PCM Stereo)25. Hallelujah (Aleluya) (Underneath Credits - PCM Stereo)26. On Tour (Documentary) 27. Overture (Live In Barcelona - Dolby Digital 5.1) 28. Somewhere (Live In Barcelona - Dolby Digital 5.1) 29. Unbreak My Heart (Regresa A Mi) (Live In Barcelona - Dolby Digital 5.1) 30. La Promesa (Live In Barcelona - Dolby Digital 5.1) 31. Angelina (Live In Barcelona - Dolby Digital 5.1) 32. Isabel (Live In Barcelona - Dolby Digital 5.1) 33. Bridge Over Troubled Water (Live In Barcelona - Dolby Digital 5.1) 34. She (Live In Barcelona - Dolby Digital 5.1) 35. Passera (Live In Barcelona - Dolby Digital 5.1) 36. Unchained Melody (Senza Catene) (Live In Barcelona - Dolby Digital 5.1) 37. Mama; Mama\ Instrumental Interlude (Live In Barcelona - Dolby Digital 5.1) 38. Nights In White Satin (Notte Di Luce(Live In Barcelona - Dolby Digital 5.1) 39. The Winner Takes It All (Va Todo Al Ganador) (Live In Barcelona - Dolby Digital 5.1) 40. Without You (Desde El Dia Que Te Fuiste) (Live In Barcelona - Dolby Digital 5.1) 41. Pour Que Tu M'Aimes Encore (Live In Barcelona - Dolby Digital 5.1) 42. Everytime I Look At You (Live In Barcelona - Dolby Digital 5.1) 43. Hallelujah (Aleluya) (Live In Barcelona - Dolby Digital 5.1) 44. Adagio (Live In Barcelona - Dolby Digital 5.1) 45. La Vida Sin Amor (Live In Barcelona - Dolby Digital 5.1) 46. Caruso (Live In Barcelona - Dolby Digital 5.1) 47. The Power Of Love (La Fuerza Mayor) (Live In Barcelona - Dolby Digital 5.1) 48. My Way (A Mi Manera(Live In Barcelona - Dolby Digital 5.1) 49. Amazing Grace (Live In Barcelona - Dolby Digital 5.1)50. The Impossible Dream(Live In Barcelona - Dolby Digital 5.1) 51. Hallelujah (Aleluya) (Underneath Credits - Dolby Digital 5.1)

Live Like We're Dying
$1.29
At first I was bummed to hear this was a cover, but I feel like Kris injects new life into this Script song. The original vocals by The Script sound like Adam Levine (from Maroon 5) and Kris's voice sounds distinct on this take. I also like that he didn't go the traditional route and release a power ballad or something safe. Instead, he went with a wordy, upbeat song that he usually doesn't do and it shows that Kris likes to take risks as an artist. The song is perfect for those moments when you're driving with the windows open and the wind blowing in your hair - it's just a feelgood, anthemic song that you can't go wrong with. People who are not fans of Idol will appreciate it, and Kris Allen fans will adore it, because the song still showcases Kris's laid-back vibe and impeccable phrasing, while also posing a bit of a challenge for Kris since it is a cover as well as an up-tempo, wordy song. Congrats Kris! Great single!