The Necks celebrated their 15th birthday with the release of Athenaeum, Homebush, Quay and Raab, a quadruple live set. Each disc contains one piece ranging between 43 and 54 minutes, recorded at four different concerts in January and March 2001. In this group's case, "live" means that the instrumentation is kept to the basic piano, bass, drums trio. Each piece is unique, yet in pure Necks' fashion, it could be mistaken for one of its brothers. The recipe remains the same throughout . To make it short, the piece starts with a basic motif stated by any of the three musicians (Chris Abrahams, Lloyd Swanton, or Tony Buck), a motif which will be ornamented and modified very gradually throughout the piece, reaching a climax of intensity just before the end. The music draws on jazz invention (including the use of atonality), the hypnotic power of a steady groove and repetition, and an indescribable feeling of magic when the trio hits the climax; a feeling that has very much to do with the realization that tremendous musicianship and virtuosity hide under the apparent simplicity of the music. Of the four pieces, Quay is the most striking, mainly because it starts the softest and ends the loudest, with the shortest closing catharsis. Abrahams builds up a rapid-fire acoustic soundscape of piano notes that is simply superhuman. Newcomers who want a taste of the Necks live should start with the single CD Piano Bass Drums. Fans who already know that, despite appearances, no two Necks improvisations are alike, will definitely want to invest in this set. The magic works every time. ~ François Couture, Rovi

1		Athenaeum
2		Homebush
3		Quay
4		Raab