Album Review — Tesla
Tesla — Five Man London Jam
We usually don’t review live albums but we also aren’t usually quarantined for six weeks (it’s been extended here) so it seems like a good time to break some rules.
To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of “Five Man Acoustical Jam”, Tesla released “Five Man London Jam” this past week. As the title states, this was recorded in London at the famed Abbey Road Studios. This album has a very different feel than the original release. The original was recorded in Philadelphia in front of a much larger crown. The London recording sounds like there are less than 100 people in attendance.
But there are a lot of similarities between the two. There are five songs that are on both records, including their hit from the original record, “Signs”. We also get repeats of “Cumin’ Atcha Live/Truckin’”, “We Can Work It Out” (which the band points out was originally recorded at Abbey Road), “Paradise” and “Love Song”. The album is almost entirely acoustic, like the original, with the exception of “Love Song”, again, like the original.
We also get three songs off their latest record, “Shock”, which I’m not a huge fan of so I would have rather had a couple of more classics instead. I will say “Tied To The Tracks” is a decent track and fits this acoustic setting very nicely.
There are some pleasant surprises including “Into The Now”, “Call It What You Want” and “What You Give”. Considering Tesla has released multiple albums since 1990 I’m a little surprised they didn’t feature some more from their catalogue, but I understand the desire to stay true to the original release.
I really enjoy live records so this is a nice addition to my collection. I have always enjoyed different versions of songs and we get a few classics done a little differently. It’s an appropriate and fun way to celebrate the 30th Anniversary (can it be that long?) of their “Five Man Acoustical Jam” release.
If you are a Tesla fan, you will want to check this out even if just for a few songs.
85 out of 100
Track Listing
1. CUMIN’ ATCHA LIVE / TRUCKIN’
2. TIED TO THE TRACKS
3. WE CAN WORK IT OUT *
4. SIGNS
5. WHAT YOU GIVE *
6. CALIFORNIA SUMMER SONG
7. FOREVER LOVING YOU
8. MILES AWAY
9. PARADISE *
10. CALL IT WHAT YOU WANT
11. STIR IT UP
12. INTO THE NOW *
13. LOVE SONG *
*Best Songs