On the basis of Guitar Therapy Live’s mind-boggling virtuosity, the dynamic range of the songs included (some from the deepest recesses of MK’s catalog) and the kick-you-in-the-balls nature of their live performances, I can’t even imagine there’s a guitar player alive who’d be willing to stand up and say, Geez, I’d like to get that guy on stage and blow his socks off with the wheedly wheedly I learned last night watching the “Poison: 20 Years Too Many” DVD.

So it’s odd for me to say that even with a dynamite live production and all these other things going for it, Guitar Therapy Live is really good, but not great.

Keneally’s walked his own path since working as Frank Zappa’s wunderkind stunt guitarist on Zappa’s 1988 Euro Big Band tour and, except for a couple of tours as Steve Vai’s guitar foil, he’s pretty much gone wherever his muse has led him. Whether recording the dense proto-metal rock of “’Cause of Breakfast” (from Boil That Dust Speck), the Zappa-esque “Spoon Guy” (on Hat) or the pop rock of “Pride is a Sin” from his latest studio release Dog, it’s quite clear that he’s been doing the things, and working with the people, that he wants to. In listening to these tunes on Guitar Therapy Live, as wide-ranging as they are, you can see that they’re the result of a brilliant and singular vision. With this four-piece band each song gets a full throttle, sometimes thrilling workout that showcases every nuance of the music’s strength, much of it in the inventive arrangements. At the same time it highlights what I believe is one of Mike Keneally’s weaknesses and, in turn, Guitar Therapy Live’s primary weakness.

With a name like Guitar Therapy I guess I’d have to be even more brain damaged not to expect guitar, guitar, and a little more guitar thrown in on top of that. What’s hard for my head to get around is why the vocals are pushed so far back into the mix. In the liner notes Keneally points out that he made this conscious decision because “the guitar says what I’m feeling better than the voice does most of the time.” That’s great, but then why bother playing songs with vocals at all? Why write lyrics? He’s got plenty of great instrumentals in his catalog. Why include a great song like “Pride is a Sin” if you’re going to bury the vocals? Or the brilliant “Top of Stove Melting,” where the lyrics are as important to the song as the guitar solo (which, by the way, has to be heard to be believed). All this in turn leads to another thought in regards to this album, and Keneally’s output as a whole.

Mike Keneally can really sing. It just isn’t at the same level as his playing or composing. On the sprechensang of “Spoon Guy” or the torrent of words and thoughts that make up “Voyage to Manhood,” everything in Keneallyland is in alignment. But on the songs with strong vocal melodies I long to hear someone more expressive, or soulful, or something. Not to belabor the Zappa references but, since he’s obviously Keneally’s greatest musical influence, Mike needs to find his Ray White or Napoleon Murphy Brock. I wish he’d seek out a vocalist to blow these songs into the next level, and in turn make him feel guilty about pushing the voices down in the mix. Doing that would showcase each of his incredible talents, including his ability to write surreal, almost Joycean vignettes about modern life.

I mentioned this to a friend of mine with whom I’ve played guitar since we were teens, and he laughed at me. “Who listens to the lyrics anyway?” he asked somewhat rhetorically, and then he seemed to imply that because it was “guitar” music it made the vocals even less important.

That put me into a pensive mood because, at least in the case of this recording, I’m afraid he might be right. I’m not entirely certain whether it’s because the music is so damned good, or because it seems like Keneally planned it that way. Nonetheless, pick up this live recording for the stunning musicianship and buy the studio releases for their vocal-enriched versions. If you love adventurous music you won’t be sorry.

Uh oh -- seems like I should have put up another disclaimer.

Extra Features
The special edition of Guitar Therapy Live comes with a performance DVD, of a complete show recorded at the Baked Potato in Hollywood. It has a 5.1 surround mix that is awesome, and includes quite a few songs not on the CD, including (pay attention, Keneally fans) “Tranquillado,” “Frozen Beef” and “Cowology.” The vocals are much more lively in 5.1. While the DVD sounds incredible the video output is only okay at best. The editing’s fine but it was basically recorded on small digital cameras. This ticked me off a bit because at the last Potato show I went to Keneally’s people seemed more interested in documenting everything than they did in my enjoying the music. After being asked to move, having someone talk to us as if we were boneheads, and having too much to drink, we left after the first set and went to Roscoe’s for some chicken and waffles. That’s where we turned into boneheads. Is pissing off some of your biggest supporters worth documenting a show on video? Rhetorical question. Buy the special edition and listen to the 5.1.

Sound
The music sounds spectacular, especially considering it was recorded live. The sound of each member of MKB is clearly articulated and I can’t imagine how many hours he put into the instrumental mix. The whole vocal mix thing sticks in my throat like a chicken bone and I think he did himself a grave disservice. It dropped my sound rating for this CD by a full 2 points. It passes the car stereo test but over the last few days I’ve found that I prefer listening to the 5.1 on my home theater system. More songs, cleaner vocals and wider mix. If you want your whole concept of what live music can be to be altered, check out the second half of “Lightnin’ Roy” on headphones. Yikes. Too massive for mere words.