Tony Levin

Now before you get all excited thinking that Prime Cuts by Tony Levin is a career-spanning retrospective of the bass great's long-and-winding recording career, the truth is it's a six-track compilation of Levin's work on the Magna Carta label. The label is known primarily for uniting prog rock musicians and seeing what they can come up with, and Prime Cuts certainly features it's fair share of prog bombast, including Levin playing alongside three/fifths of Dream Theater on "Kindred Spirits" and "Another Dimension" (under the moniker Liquid Tension Experiment). Also included are a pair of moody tracks as part of collaborations with drummer Terry Bozzio -- "T & T Vignette" and "Endless" (the latter of which also includes Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens), as well as a track credited to Magellan, "Brother's Keeper," which features an often key-ingredient for all things prog -- some very pretentious lyrics. While not an adequate representation of the vast variety of artists Levin has played with over the years, Prime Cuts features some of the better prog-based tracks that Levin has appeared on via his Magna Carta recordings. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide