Dr. Stan's Prescription, Vol. 2

AMG Review of Dr. Stan's Prescription, Vol. 2

Andrew Leahey
All Music Guide

While the first volume of the Dr. Stan's Prescription series captured two moe. performances, volume two limits itself to a single concert: the first night of moe.down 2001, the band's annual festival in upstate New York. Covers are mostly absent this time, apart from a middling rendition of "Don't Fear the Reaper" that features the spottiest vocals of the entire night. Elsewhere, the band is in classic form, delivering all the staples of a moe. show while the crowd cheers in the background. There's a 15-minute bass solo, a lushly diverse version of "Moth," and an epic "Time Ed" that stretches for nearly half an hour, a running time that dwarfs the succinct songs featured on Dr. Stan's Prescription, Vol. 1. It rained during this performance -- something that the band references multiple times from the stage -- and moe. sounds especially tight as a result, as if they owed it to their soggy audience to turn in a solid performance. Dr. Stan's Prescription, Vol. 2 is an altogether stronger album than its predecessor, as it offers a more definitive picture of the band in a uniquely homey environment.