this title is out-of-print
Sideshow was intended to plug the gap between Children and A Story Two Days Wide.
Sideshow contains four live tracks, one excellent unreleased studio track from
the Children sessions, an alternate mix of Eye Next to Glass without the
background television noise, and two radio edits aimed at mainstream radio. One of the
live tracks is a cover of an instrumental from The Who’s Tommy album, called
Sparks. The other three live tracks are songs from the first Iluvatar album that
have mutated significantly in live performance. Fans will recognize Funk Massage
as a mutant Dream Visage. The tracks are:
Cracker (radio edit)
New Found Key (radio edit)
All We Are (previously unreleased)
Marionette (live)
Emperor's New Clothes (live)
Funk Massage (live)
Sparks (live)
Eye Next to Glass (no news mix)
Excerpt from All We Are (RealAudio
G2 28K mono)
(streaming version)
Excerpt from Funk Massage (RealAudio
G2 28K mono)
(streaming version)
“This is a great disc for anyone wanting to acquaint themselves with Iluvatar, one of today’s leading American prog rock groups. Certainly this quintet from Maryland has received a lot of attention over the last several years and a listen to this collection of live cuts, radio remixes and unreleased tracks reveals why. The studio work displays consummate professionalism and a fine attention to detail, while the live material... reveals that the band can deliver the goods on stage. The sound production and playing throughout are top notch... Sure the Marillion and Genesis influences abound (especially in Glenn McLaughlin’s vocals), but Iluvatar usually manages to find enough originality to keep the listener interested. Fortunately the concern seems to be on crafting full-bodied and colorful arrangements and here the effort pays off... Highly recommended.” [Exposé]
“...a much fuller, huge wedge of sound from the ranks of keyboards and guitars, even sounding majestic and anthemic on the quieter passages, but make no mistake because this is now a class act with 8 smoking songs over 57 excellent minutes. Musically it’s veering towards classic IQ territory, even, dare I say it, with the power of modern Spock’s Beard thrown in for this ride, as tidal waves of guitars, keyboards & synths positively storm through the tracks, underpinned by a tight and forceful rhythm section, while the production of the whole thing is mindblowing... A simply amazing album and total proof that prog is maturing at a rapid pace.” [Compact Disc Services]
“Sideshow is what you might call a ’tweener’, a collection of live tracks and edits/remixes of previously released tunes bridging the gap between full-blown studio discs. Yet considering the energy displayed here, this might be the best of Iluvatar’s three albums to date... [All We Are is] a dead-on suggestion of what Genesis might have sounded like had Phil Collins not totally foresaken the band’s progressive roots... Iluvatar sounds as close to Genesis as any neo band I’ve heard. Thankfully, their material is up to snuff.>” [Progression]
“All in all a record worth buying, primarily for the fans of Iluvatar. For those not yet familiar with the band, it’s better to start with one of their studio recordings... Nevertheless this CD still proves that Iluvatar belongs to the top of U.S. neo-prog bands.” [Progressive Newsletter (translated from German)]
“This is a pretty good selection of material, with some real nice playing. The live stuff gives a good hint at how tight the band is live. I’m hoping a proper studio effort is due soon.” [Music Uncovered]
“Iluvatar [are] one of my American favourites... All We Are...is a real beauty in the best Genesis tradition... I really enjoyed this CD and I believe that all fans of this band and people who like Genesis can buy this album.” [Background]