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The
Gathering’s last album with Century Media. They have their own label
Psychonaut Records now, but they still had a few obligations. This
semi-acoustic evening was recorded at the LUX Theatre in Nijmegen in
The Netherlands at the 21st and 22nd of August 2003.
“The
quality of songs can best be measured by listening to them in an
acoustic version”, is what my music teacher always said. I was a bit
worried about this The Gathering semi-acoustic live album. Knowing
that most of their songs are soundscapes, as they say themselves,
how would they survive without all the effects? But all worries are
soon forgotten when you hear a few tracks from this acoustic album.
Anneke can build a soundscape on her own with her unbelievable
voice. She’s growing from album to album. Her vocal reach is
incredible. She switches from low to high and back without any
trouble, never out of pitch, with a crystalline sound.
The
proof that she doesn’t need much accompaniment is given in “Locked
Away”, with only an acoustic guitar and in the only new track on
this CD, “Sleepy Buildings” where she’s only supported by a piano.
They
also play 3 tracks from their first two albums, “The Mirror Waters”
and “Stonegarden” from “Always” and “Like Fountains” from “Almost A
Dance”, in a whole new 2003 version. These songs are from their
heavier period, the pre-Anneke era, but they superbly changed the
tracks to a version that makes them sound very Gathering too, even
making “The Mirror Waters” one of my favourite tracks. Although the
choice for best track isn’t easy. Just listen to the long version of
“Travel” or the very emotional track “Amity”, with its very
recognizable piano intro and its simple but very effective
percussion, growing to the end with an increasing amount of
keyboards.
The
only problem I have with this live album, is the rather timed
reaction by the audience. I think it’s because it’s a seated gig.
They really wait until after the last sound of every track before
the applause starts, or maybe the album was mixed that way? Also the
comments by Anneke never exceed “Thank You” or “Dank Je”. Of course,
we always prefer a live album without any audience noises during the
songs, but this sounds a bit too clean. But this changes nothing
about the music. The album is a perfect overview of their career. If
you prefer their normal live sound, you can always buy their
“Superheat” live CD, but a real music lover buys them both, doesn’t
he?
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