Ike and Tina Turner left behind more than one live album from the early '60s, but this double-LP/double-CD set is probably the best of them. Not only is the sound superb and the performance of the band spot-on, but Tina Turner is in exceptionally good voice, and the range of material -- from R&B standards like "Hi Heel Sneakers" (done here as "Tight Pants") to country-pop songs such as "I Can't Stop Loving You" -- is not only astounding, but a brilliant showcase for the duo and their band; they even bring a subtle soulfulness amid the broader, more shouting pieces, to Sam Cooke's "Good Times" and the virtual Tina Turner solo piece "All I Can Do Is Cry." The CD reissue is so clean that it captures all of those nuances -- but when the sax solo and the chorus come up on "Early in the Morning," it also sounds like your ear is down the bell of the instrument and the rest of you is lying in the lap of the Ikettes. The sound varies radically between some songs, as though the microphone setups were very different between the two concert venues used as sources for this release, and there's no attempt at making this seem like a complete show from one source, the silence between the songs breaking up the ambience. The set is a vital document, however, as essential by itself as any compilation of the best of the duo's early work (and one wonders if there are any outtakes lying around the Warner Bros. holdings from Loma Records, which originally released this set). ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
Gene Curtis (Liner Notes), Nathaniel Russell (Reissue Design), Dick McGraw (Engineer), Pat Thomas (Reissue Producer), Nathaniel Russell (Reissue Layout)
![Live! The Ike & Tina Turner Show [DBK]](http://content.answers.com/main/content/img/amg/pop_albums/cov200/drh900/h979/h97983a339a.jpg)
