Band:	Racer X
Album:	Live Extreme - Volume I
Style:	Heavy metal
Release date:	January 01, 1988
A review by:	Walter Iego

01. Loud And Clear
02. Dangerous Love
03. Bruce's Solo
04. Gone Too Far
05. John's Solo
06. She Wants Control
07. Scit Scat Wah
08. Into The Night
09. Paul's Solo
10. Motor Man
11. Scott's Solo
12. Set The World On Fire

This livealbum from Los Angeles based Racer X, marked in 1988 the epiphany of virtuoso performance and captures the essence of their critically acclaimed liveshows. Recorded at the Country Club in Reseda, California, it features 8 exuberant songs and 4 incredible solos that are still today totally jawbreaking and undefeated in the category "most-notes-played-per-minute".

Often misjudged, many belived that the band was all about musical stunts and offered no "real" musical value in terms of good songwriting, this couldn't have been further from the truth. Packed with an arsenal of catchy tunes, from the classic song: "Loud And Clear" - with its twinriff intro, to "Dangerous Love"; and the introduction of the new instrumental "Scit Scat Wah", even the most bent out of shape critic would understand the craftsmanship gone into the songwritting, the structure and perfect geist of controlling melody.

The songs do contain a fresh dose of neo-classic metal, not totally different from Yngwie Malmsteen; but where Malmsteen focuses on melancholy, Racer X breach the classical influences with bluesy undertones that are unmistakable and vivid.

A third comparison goes to NWOBHM; british heavy-metal at its finest hour; homages to Judas Priest but also Kiss, Led Zeppelin and to their own genre.

This album is like "Kiss - Alive!" - for guitarists and musicians, but also a true reminiscence for musiclovers what a real liveshow should be; full of life and vigor that leave you wanting for more, and more.

The production is perfect and each instrument has its own "space" in the soundframe; singer Jeff Martin roars and the overall feeling you get is that you are actually there in the crowd yelling: "Racer X... Racer X... Racer X..."