Search - Michael Hedges :: Live on Double Planet (24bt)

William W. (wdavidw) from TYLER, TX
Reviewed on 11/12/2013...

Michael Hedges was a great guitarist (he's since passed on). If I were to recommend one of his albums to a new listener, I say either pick up Live on Double Planet for a live experience, but it also has song from several of his albums or Breakfast in the Field, which is also good. If you are into acoustic guitar, song writing, or just good music give Hedges a try. He's also played back up guitar on some of David Crosby's albums and others.

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Accurate for the Era

Mad Dog | TimbuckThree, Tennessee | 09/02/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was fortunate to see many of Michael's shows around the time this was recorded and also got to sit down a few times and talk with him about what he was trying to accomplish with the live recordings. His previous studio album (Watching My Life Go By) had been the first to include vocals, which had not overly impressed the bosses at Windham Hill. So they sent him on the road to do some live recordings, hopeing it would be a learning experience that would eventually yield better studio vocal performances.For those of you that didn't listen to Michael at the time, many fans seriously disliked Watching My Life Go By, much in the way ardent Dylan fans revolted when he went electric at Newport. Hedges fans just wanted to hear Michael play his Savage Myth Guitar and keep the vocal parts trimmed down to the introductions. But Michael had a vision for his future and a big part of it included singing to compliment his Heavy Mental approach.I guess I wasn't the typical Hedges fan - I enjoyed his singing, mostly because of the spirit of joy that he experienced while singing. Some of the songs on this set are not my favorites, but they were staples for his concerts in this era. To me, this disc is like sitting through the first half of one of Michael's shows, complete with the crowd energy he was capable of generating with ease.Also included here are two cover tunes (Love Bizarre and Come together). His live shows often included three or so cover tunes such as the above or possibly Pinball Wizard, Emminence Front, Let's Get It Up, She Drives Me Crazy or Sofa, among others. I always got a kick out of hearing him cover tunes - I mean, think about how many solo acoustic acts have successfully covered AC/DC, Prince, the Who and Frank Zappa? But this just goes to show how versitile and gifted Michael was. I'm so happy to have had (and to have taken) the opportunity to see so many of his shows early in his career. His later tours were also excellent, but these were before the loss of innocence, while he was very hungry for success. That hunger also meant that the negative feedback he got about his vocals was difficult for him to take. But rather than receeding into a shell and reverting back to all-acoustic material, he continued to sing. I believe that this was the right decision. Singing while playing live gave excellent counterpoint to his instrumental works and, in his own words: "Gave me a few minutes to relax, then to focus more intensely on the instrumentals"."

Don't be put off by the "New Age" label...

The Sanity Inspector | USA | 01/22/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"...this man is no bong artist. And this disc is anything but aural wallpaper. Michael Hedges was easily the most exciting and entertaining performer in the Windham Hill stable. I saw him a couple of times, once on Halloween. He came out in a wig, pumps and miniskirt.For those who are new to his music, he is an acoustic guitarist. But, that's something of a misnomer, as his "acoustic" instrument is miked-up, flanged, and reverbed enough to swallow the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. His axe probably has more electronics in it than Jimi's Strat did. His songs featured him using both hands to play double lead lines, or fast and furious strumming, or swooping portamentoes, or smacking the guitar's body with his ring. Usually a combination of these. He wrung more tenderness, power, good cheer, and even majesty out of this instrument than anyone else I ever heard, thanks to the electronics AND his talent.His originals here, other than the novelty "Funky Avocado", are rather stately ballads or tone poems. Of the latter, "Breakfast in the Fields" is a standout. At one of his concerts, he took a couple of minutes to explain how this tune came to him from his studies of Bartok. It's too bad "Rickover's Dream" is not included here, though.A highlight of his act was his "super"-acoustic cover versions, and this disc doesn't stint with those. There's an impressive "All Along the Watchtower," a sexy "A Love Bizarre", and a hilarious sing-along version of "Come Together."His early death was tragedy, of course. Buy this disc, and you'll see why someone you don't hear on the radio can still be considered a legend."