Twelfth Night – Live Fact and Let Fiction Live – Really wasn’t sure if this would work, you surely can’t cut up Live and Let Live, one of the finest live albums ever, an album that really did define so so much back there, surely this is folly? Leave it alone! Well no, it works, from the opening moments of the classically enhanced The Celling Speaks to the last breath of Love Song, this really does work. Geoff Mann was at his raw best live, the warmth of that so distinctively beautifully flawed voice and yes, these re-imaginings and re-orderings from Twelfth Night’s Clive Mitten really really do work, as does the carefully considered running order and indeed everything about this perfectly crafted album.  Live Fact and Let Fiction Live is in a rather different way, like listening to a really good remix version of a much played favourite album (which is rather fitting seeing as Shadow Dogs came out today, the remixed version of Gazelle Twin’s vital Black Dog album from 2023, an album loved just as much as Live and Let Live around these parts).

“Live Fact and Let Fiction Live features all tracks from both Fact and Fiction and Geoff Mann’s two final shows with Twelfth Night back in November 1983, of which six tracks became the Live and Let Live album. Most tracks were recorded live in stereo or 24 track. Re-imagined, arranged, new performances added, engineered, produced and mastered by Clive Mitten”

Some diehards might not like the subtle colours Clive has added, although listening to it here I really can’t imagine why? Some might say he really shouldn’t meddle (even if it is his to do so), it works though, it works so so well, it feels positive, it feels respectful, it feels so so right when maybe it really shouldn’t. It obviously isn’t meant to replace and of course there can’t ever be too much appreciation of the human being and glorious wordsmith that Geoff Mann was and always will be. There’s just these added bits of details, well at times more than just bits, at times big pieces of positive embellishment, it all works though, that needs to be repeated, it all works beautifully – and I should say here, I’m a fan, I played my Twelfth Night albums endlessly back there, I know the original Live and Let Live intimately, it something I’m very very familiar with, I even name-dropped Geoff at my interview to get into art school (it worked, thanks Geoff), love the remixed artwork by the way. Actually some of this is very emotional, Human Being is just beautiful here, classical colour, flourish that flies and with every additional play the added colour emerges a little more. 

These were prog rock masterpieces anyway, masterpieces both in terms of sentiment and style (and the truth is what we tell you here, this is the fact, ignore the fiction), all these things have been said many times both here on these pages and via previous formats of Organ, Twelfth Night for a time back there were one of the very best bands. how much any of this means to anyone who wasn’t there at the time, to anyone who hasn’t heard the depth of The Collector, the powerful statement of Sequences or the absolute beauty of Love Song before is hard to say, I would say this isn’t just for those who are already know though, this is a good place to discover a rather fine band and if music be the food of love, explore on. This is a wonderful album, Clive Mitten has pulled this off beautifully, respectfully, emotionally and as Geoff says at the end of it all, there’s a lot of warmth here. Live Fact and Let Fiction Live is a beautiful piece of work, a beautiful piece of art, love the added colour love everything about it. (sw)

Bandcamp / Facebook

from the e.booklet that comes with the album

previously on these pages

ORGAN THING: Down that prog rock rabbit hole again with Twelfth Night’s Art & Illusion revisited, last year’s Jordsjø album, something new from Pure Reason Revolution and…

ORGAN THING: Trace that feeling back to source, a pay what you like Twelfth Night sampler album just released, a rather fine taste or two of the cult 80’s prog rock band…

Rush fans might like to explore this as well…