Track Listing

1. Feelin' Alright
2. Pearly Queen
3. Show Me Some Affection
4. All Along the Watchtower [Live]
5. Take It to the Limit
6. Give Me a Reason Why
7. Sad and Deep as You
8. Every Woman
9. World in Changes
10. Goin' Down Slow
11. Look at You, Look at Me
12. Only You Know and I Know
13. Bring It on Home to Me
14. Gimme Some Lovin'

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35125 in Music
• Released on: 1992-03-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Import, Live
• Dimensions: .24 pounds

Customer Reviews

just a tad late
I'm probably as big a Dave Mason fan as they come, although I must confess that I've only caught him in concert on one occasion, and by happenstance that occasion was in the same year as this double-live disc was recorded, 1976. I don't recall a whole lot about the show since I was sitting near the crest of the Pine Knob Music Theatre lawn, the muddiest lawn I ever had the displeasure to sit on, trying my best to stay dry in a driving, cold rainstorm. Dave was accompanied by Jim Krueger on second lead guitar, a fixture in Dave Mason excursions since 1974, bassist Gerald Johnson, a 1970's fixture in the Steve Miller Band, keyboardist Mike Finnigan, well-known for his work with Crosby, Stills, and Nash, and journeyman drummer Rick Jaeger. It's a solid line-up that delivers smooth, top-notch performances, which ironically is part of the problem.

'Certified Live' includes a setlist that, for the most part, has become the Dave Mason standard. Regulars on the list include 'Feelin'Alright', 'Pearly Queen', 'Show Me Some Affection', 'All Along the Watchtower' (a Jimi Hendrix tune, of course, but one Mason has all but adopted as his own), a cover of the Eagles 'Take It To the Limit', 'Every Woman', 'World In Changes', 'Look At You, Look At Me', a cover of Sam Cooke's 'Bring It On Home To Me', and 'Only You Know and I Know'. Peruse Dave's other live CD's or video releases, and you'll find a healthy number of these same tracks are included. Don't get me wrong, they're all fine songs, but why hasn't Dave offered a live version of 'Waiting On You', one of the most appealing tracks from his quintessential 1969 album 'Alone Together'? How about 'Split Coconut', or 'To Be Free', the lead track from his 'Headkeeper' disc? I'd just like to hear something unusual! To his credit, Dave does offer a rendition of Jimmy Oden's 'Goin' Down Slow', a worthy blues track, and 'Give Me a Reason Why', a catchy acoustic number from the 'Split Coconut' disc, but for a disc that was originally a two-disc vinyl album, that's not a whole lot of originality.

Add to this the fact that 1976 was not a sterling year for music, with the psychedelic era fading (even for bands that continued successful such as Pink Floyd) and disco and New Wave music knocking on the door, the dominant trends were leaving Mason's style of music in the bargain bin at Peaches. Unfortunately, artists such as Dave Mason tried adapting their music to the popular trends, and so his trademark wah-pedal guitar is often relegated to window dressing, or omitted all together. As noted earlier, Dave is supported by a fine band, but it's all just too crisp and smooth. A lot of this music needs to be settled in an emotional context rather than technical precision, but it's the latter that comes to the fore. If you're really seeking the best live renditions of Dave's music, check out 'Pearly Queen', 'World In Changes', and 'Feelin' Alright' from the 'Headkeeper' disc (recently remastered), 'Sad and Deep As You' (Chris Wood's flute accompaniment is just incredible on this track) and 'Gimme Some Lovin' from 'Welcome To the Canteen', and 'Only You Know and I Know' and 'All Along the Watchtower' from 1999's '40,000 Headmen Tour'.

'Certified Live' is a difficult disc to find on CD, and you're likely to shell out close to $20 for a decent copy. The Japanese import version I used for this review did come complete with a lyrics sheet (in Japanese and English), and a glossy color booklet with several nice photographs of Dave and the band. Too bad it wasn't recorded a few years earlier when Dave and his music were still on top.

One of my favorite Live albums of all time.
Back in the early 70's I really couldn't say I was a Dave Mason fan. I mean, I had heard of him of course, liked his song "Only You Know and I know" and even knew he was a founding membor of Traffic. But he wasn't someone I ran out to buy the newest release from him. Then one day, on FM radio (back when FM radio was "freeform" radio) I heard "Look at You, Look at Me" and just fell in love with it. It was right about then that Mason released this album, so I went out and got it. It was this album that made me a life long fan.

Mixed with both original works and covers, Mason does not disappoint. The set starts off with solid rock-&-roll, featuring "Feelin Alright", "Pearly Queen", "Show Me Some Affection", and the monster of the album, "All Along The Watchtower." In fact, "Watchtower" actually broke into top forty radio for a while. He then changes gears as we hear great versions of "Take It To The Limit" and "Give Me A Reason Why." Two of the next three, "Sad and Deep as You" and "World in Changes" are still staples in his current live set and are done well here. Other highlights: "Look at You, Look at Me" (STILL one of my favorites), "Bring It On Home To Me" (Great Harmonies), and the finale "Gimmie Some Lovin."

Unfortunately, I have yet to get this on CD. I still have the vinyl and it STILL gets played. And I also own two other Live Mason CDs: The Live: 40,000 Headmen Tour, featuring both Mason and the late Jim Capaldi, and Live at Sunrise. Both are good sets, with the 40,000 Headmen Tour being the best. So, I can get my Dave Mason Fix. But if you get the chance to grab this, at a decent price, I would highly recommend it.

Great CD
I have nothing but great things to say about this CD. I have wanted to buy the CD version for quite a while but had hoped for a domestic release of it. Finally, I decided that the extra cost for an import was worth it.
Classic 70's R&R, classic Mason. It is everything that Frampton Comes Alive is not: Real.