Just received mine - typically excellent packaging and now for a listen good and proper - will post thoughts later

I've only dipped into it briefly since my copy arrived yesterday. The sound quality seems technically excellent on what I've heard. My main comment is on how short many of the songs are. As someone who, for various reasons, hasn't been able to catch the current tour I'm amazed at how brief some are. I thought it was a misprint on the sleeve till I listened. Avonmore 2 mins 49, Driving Me Wild 2 mins 21, Slave To Love 3 mins 19 and even More Than This only 2 and a half mins. It's as if they get through a couple of choruses and verses and then wrap the song up. Gone it seems are the days of extended solos by band members - the great man could rest his larynx during those if that's what the thinking behind it is. So 26 tracks but all a bit of a rush it seems on first hearing. I know some of the comments from this week's Palladium gig refer to songs being shortened - presumably this is what everyone means! Does Bryan have a bus to catch?

Sadly my listening has been interrupted by Prince

Forensic Ferryistas,

W2 has given this a good listen to with the welcome assistance of a couple of large Taliskers and can safely describe it as a great addition to the canon.

The sound quality is excellent and the live versions of 'Bete Noir', 'Take A Chance With Me', 'Stronger Thru' The Years', 'Beauty Queen' and 'Can't Let Go' are sublime and alone make it worth the purchase price.

The quality of the musicianship throughout is peerless. This band has a really solid rhythm section and W2 adores the playing of Jorja Chalmers and Lucy Wilkins who both add phenomenal texture.

The vocals are good. As you would expect with a live performance they vary a little from song to song and although our hero's voice is surprisingly strong on some numbers, it does crack a little on others. But strong or not, it retains that unique Ferry timber and Fonzi Thornton does a good job smoothing it out.

One thing, it would, IWNSHO, have had more of a concert feel if it hadn't been so cleaned up - the audience are relegated to between track cheers, the band are not introduced and at no stage does our hero say "Hello anywhere". Although the album was recorded at six separate venues, Windswept does think it could have been more knitted together for a concert feel and in that regard it falls short of 'Live In Lyon' - that unrecognised live release.

The packaging is made up from Mathew Becker's photographs and is good albeit, it would have been nice to have sleeve notes.

All in all, W2 hopes this direct to market project works and that it encourages him to do others - starting with a DVD/CD spectacular featuring AEWBF !

Windswept would offer to do the sleeve notes foc for that one!

Salutations,
W2

W2 you should write the sleeve notes for a BF album!

Based upon your review I will be buying the Live 2015 CD! And I agree that the "shortening" of songs is not a great trend. But this apparently gives the concerts the illusion of being longer than they in fact are... Or at least's my theory...

I've heard the whole thing now. Love it. Musicianship, setlist, sound. Great album.

It was an absolutely wonderful surprise to see this CD. Excellent sound quality. Can't be easy to get it so good from live events. Beauty Queen and Stronger thru the years are little gems. Whole songs or not they are amazing to have. Would love more rarer songs included on tours like these.

I've loved the whole sound on the Avonmore tour. Fantastic lineup of musicians I must say. And Fonzi and Bobby excellent choice for backing vocals.

I'd like to thank everyone involved in this CD and hope there will be more on other tours. And a DVD would be special if possible.

In looking at a screen shot of the back of BF's 2015 Live CD I noticed that the writing credit for the song Avonmore is listed as simply "Ferry" with no mention of Ollie Thompson as a co-writer.

On the original Avonmore CD OT is listed as co-writer of Avonmore so I'm wondering why his name got dropped on the Live CD. Hardly earthshaking, but it seems a bit odd...

OT and BF worked together for many years and finally (it appears) they co-wrote a song. But now perhaps maybe they didn't? Hmmm...

What I'd like to know is which concert each song was taken from. It doesn't seem to say on the sleeve.

He'll Have To Go & Can't Let Go will be form either Blackpool or Glasgow.

J.O'B.