It is. The material was mostly in-concert renditions of various highlights of Eno’s and Manzanera’s solo careers to date, and it is a shame that they never did it again. All of them had various other commitments and it was agreed upon ahead of time that those three gigs were all they would ever do, so it was more of a project than a lineup. Despite that fact, this group of players ended up sounding much more like a band than a mere concept. Because of it, they played with a ferocity that belied the mere precision of the studio tracks they were reinterpreting. (Although these live renditions are very precise as well--this was an amazingly tight band, especially given the circumstances.) They had a pair of wild 60s covers as well; “You Really Got Me” and “Tomorrow Never Knows.” (Hah! There’s one Beatle tune that was never deemed worthy of desecration in such films as All This And World War Two and Sgt. Pepper’s BeeGee Frampton Bland, and a song even Michael Jackson would unable to $ell. Anybody with the good taste to cover TNK is more than all right in my book. Even Phil-freakin’-Collins, for the three or four minutes his lame version occupies as filler in my cassette collection, anyhow...)

If you’re a Roxy/Eno cultist, the attraction to all this (the band, not the material) is obvious enough. Eno very rarely plays live (ludicrously self-conscious about it), in fact this album (along with the A.C.N.E. concert, a bootleg 801 audience tape, some early BBC sessions, and some space-trucking with Robert Fripp) is about all the post-Roxy live Eno there is. And that’s a shame. Likewise, Manzanera’s studio renditions pale in comparison to what can be heard here.

What if you’re not familiar with Roxy Music? Don’t worry about it, you can always buy some Roxy discs later on but you won’t need them to enjoy anything happening here. This album will fascinate anyone with a taste for 70s-vintage psychedelia (and if you have none, it’s only because you’ve neglected to acquire it, lo these twenty years); when I first heard it the closest I’d ever come to hearing any Roxy was the Cars’ first album! (hyuk, hyuk! A friend once told me that the very first time he heard the Cars, that’s exactly what he thought they were--new, bad Roxy!) I got it as a bargain-bin cassette (on the basis of a favorable review in Rolling Stone, for once they didn’t steer me wrong), then on vinyl, then on CD, and if they put out a laserdisc I’ll buy that too and the player later! That’s how awesome a performance we’re discussing. It shreds Marie Osmond: Live and Unleashed.

By the time they concluded the three (3) performances that comprised the band’s entire live career, everyone involved was sorry to see it end. Most of them had been reduced to sideman status in Roxy Music by this point, but Manzanera and Eno had solo careers of their own and didn’t want to be tied to any particular group of players, not even 801. Still, things had gone so well (and the Roxy people needed a break from Bryan Ferry) that there was no reason not to work together. So they commenced a studio project instead. (Why do musicians always refer to these things as “projects,” I wonder? I guess they use that word to stress how hard they’re working, but it always comes out sounding like they’re back in grade school, improvising something for the science fair.)

Listen Now functions best as a complement to the live album; a much darker, paranoid/futuristic disc, and not unworthy. Rolling Stone said it had a “moody canvas reminiscent of Pink Floyd,” except that Pink Floyd hadn’t exhibited this sort of kineticism since the Syd days. The overall sound is more like a particularly good Manzanera disc (on the strength of this album I bought several Manzanera albums and never play any of them, but I’ve continued to listen to this), with Eno’s involvement vaguer and more limited. The swirling gloom of the fade out to “That Falling Feeling” is still savory after all these years, and that’s only one fine track of many. It’s reminiscent of the Floyd in that no matter how silly the lyrics may get, the textures created and the moods evoked are overwhelming enough to allow you to forgive whatever verbal gerbils you may encounter.

Unlike so much of what I most enjoy writing about, these albums have been and still are in print; they can be located with a minimum of difficulty. Start with 801 Live, you won’t be sorry. If you’re as enthralled with that as I am, Listen Now will keep you sated until you can find the bootleg tape. There’s a legal boot of old live Eno tracks called Dali’s Car including one or two tracks from it, and Manzanera has a new comp with one or two additional live tunes as well. Available at the finest of record boutiques.

Mid-2002 Update
I've been meaning to get back to this site for years, to make much-needed changes and updates. Too much of what's in here is more opinion than fact, but these pieces were written in 1996 and for most of these bands there was little to no info to be found online. That was the idea, people could do a websearch and find something, and know they're not alone. My, how we've grown...

Until I can update this site properly, I'll quickly note that there is yet another 801 release: Live At Manchester University, released on Expression records in 1997. This is later on, Eno is not involved. The legend has it they played just those three gigs in 1976, but this is from 11 February, 1977. It's fine listening, although not a patch on 801 Live. I'm happy anything of the sort exists. Phil Manzanera has his own reissue label now, and I believe there is more available from him but I'll need to check it out. Till then . . . . .