**** Live from Oz by Planet X – Calling All Planet X Junkies for a Poor Man’s Greatest Hits Package

There is some excellent improvisation on Live from Oz, but I was hoping for more.  The album is very good, except for the fact that it’s sound quality is slightly less than what we would expect from a studio album.  I don’t know how that could be changed.

I love that Virgil Donati’s drums are not triggered.

Planet X was created as a band that was created to “Strike fear into the hearts of musicians.”  I have to say that I think that they failed on that one, at least on the Live from Oz disc.  Derek Sherinian has a tremendously over inflated opinion of himself if he thinks Planet X is the best progressive rock act going.  While I would say this act is one of the better acts in music, the technicality of it is often reached by other artists, especially those who are also at the top of their discipline.  Also, I do believe that both Tony MacAlpine’s and Virgil Donati’s parts were better than Derek Sherinian’s.

One important issue I want to address here is whether or not someone should feel that he or she has a complete Planet X discography if he or she does not have Live from Oz.  At that one, I would say, if you don’t have this one, there is no reason to rush out to the store to get it.  Also, chances are the store might not have it, and additionally you may have to look pretty hard to find this one.  IMHO, in most instances, the studio versions are better than those on Live from Oz.  Live from Oz is for the Planet X junkie, and I won’t say that I wish I hadn’t bought it.  I happen to be a planet X junkie.  The price to buy the cd when I got it was well worth the price of admission for Live from Oz.

Lastly, Live from Oz can definitely serve as a type of poor man’s greatest hits for Planet X. 

***** Quantum by Planet X: Regular People Say, “Turn that xxxx Down!”

Who are these regular people?  These would be the regular people that say my reviews aren’t helpful.  I am a huge fan of Planet X.  Planet X is one of those bands that if a regular person hears them expect, “Turn that xxxx down!”  I have been a fan of them since they started, and I will probably always hold them in high regard.  Quantum is perhaps Planet X’s best album to date.  It goes without say that with players like these that Planet X is going to put out nothing but the highest quality music.  Really, Planet X is a contemporary jazz band, and one of the few that have actually gained a following in my generation.  If you want a pop album, then that is not what you will get with Quantum though the song writing is superb.  If you want to fit in, good luck if you listen to Planet X.  In fact, if you play this for your friends, expect to be an outcast.  Why?  Because your average Joe is not educated in music and falls for a bunch of tricks, but there are no tricks on Quantum, just music at its finest.  Going to a Planet X show is like attending a church where music quality is first and foremost.   Yes, there is far more to this album than chops, as though their needs to be some skill to play chops, Quantum also has a complexity, such that a rest in the music says just as much as a note.