Artist: RPWL
Label: Inside Out Records
Release: 2005
Rating: 4/5
Ambitious RPWL, or “the German Pink Floyd for the new century,” are now coming out with their first “live” CD after only their third studio album. The band, which at first lived on stages playing Pink Floyd covers, finally made a more noticeable break from following Pink Floyd with their third studio album “World Through My Eyes” (2005). A shame they didn’t wait for another studio album or so, one that would be stylistically totally incomparable with the Floyds, but here’s the “live” album now in all its immaculate creation, just as it is. And interesting. The album is very, very nice. If you don’t know the band, kick off with this “live” album.
Reasons? The tightness is top-notch, the sound is excellent and RPWL are simply RPWL. One excellent “gig” in one piece with a constant transcendental vibe, instruments in an ideal sonic position and communication, vocals warm, softly velvety and front and center, in places surrounded by vocal harmonies that are tuned to them at a really high level. That RPWL are a respected band is also proven by guest musician and singer Ray Wilson (ex-Stiltskin, ex-Genesis), who sang two songs on stage together with the band, namely the Genesis original Not About Us and the gorgeous love lament Roses. RPWL don’t hide their sense of humor and throw in a surprise by working verses of the Genesis original I Know What I Like (in Your Wardrobe) into the song Day On My Pillow.
The discs can be told apart: the first one has the “shorter” tracks, it hits harder, and at the same time the band manages to build a high level of mood on it, and RPWL are actually totally absorbed in doing it. CD 1 carries most of the songs from the current studio album “World Through My Eyes”. Unlike the first disc, though, the second is much more steeped in spaciness, psychedelia and tasteful, pretty ornaments of the band’s experimenting. The tracks on it are chosen accordingly. E.g. the song World Through My Eyes is deliberately stretched out and carries a more than 5-minute highly atmospheric instrumental intro of experimental sailing! Cymbaline is a song that directly shows RPWL’s obsession with Pink Floyd, and its presence, because of the resemblance to Pink Floyd, thanklessly gets in the way! But it serves as an ideal warm-up, or “warm up”, for listening to the perfectly performed Pink Floyd cover Welcome to the Machine that comes after it.
“Start the Fire” is of course a very good “live” album, it contains everything such an album has to contain. A high level of atmosphere, recognizable for the band, which the guys convincingly build up, then a high degree of tightness, excellent singing and just the right selection of songs, which makes for a great way into the band’s world if you happen not to have any of their albums yet. As said, the material and its sound are superbly presented and as such only confirm that there’s no joking around with RPWL.
Lineup
Yogi Lang – vocals, keyboards
Karlheinz Wallner – guitar
Stephan Ebner – bass guitar
Manfred Müller – drums
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Ray Wilson – vocals on CD 1. (tracks 5 and 6)
Markus Jehle – keyboards
Production
Udi Koomran
Track list
CD 1.:
1. Sleep (10:09)
2. Start The Fire (4:51)
3. Who Do You Think We Are (4:29)
4. Day On My Pillow (6:19)
5. Roses (6:50)
6. Not About Us (5:00)
7. The Gentle Art Of Swimming (8:47)
8. Wasted Land (5:42)
9. Crazy Lane (4:19)
10. Trying To Kiss The Sun (5:00)
CD 2.:
1. World Through My Eyes (11:29)
2. Opel (5:51)
3. Cymbaline (14:56)
4. Welcome To The Machine (7:17)
5. I Don’t Know (4:19)
6. Hole In The Sky (10:32)
7. New Stars Are Born (Studio – Full Version) (12:40)
Total running time: 128:30
