This live recording was released in 2003, one year after In Chronological Order. It therefore features many songs from the album.
On this CD, it is the two cover songs that provide some fresh material. Mario Bros is a fantastic version of the 1980s midi song, with some great arrangements providing greater depth to the range of moods. And their slightly gypsy-styled version of Hell is a great rendition of the Squirrel Nut Zippers song.
However, to be blunt, most of the remaining songs are poor cousins of their album versions. This is not helped by some scrappy playing (especially the horn section), and a lack of co-ordination and discipline making these versions sound like a jam session rather than cohesive songs. Worst affected are the swing songs Hogan and Run Fat Tony, which have lost their smoothness. Persiatown is also too undisciplined for my liking, and Kevin is such a crazy song to start with, that the live version merely makes it rougher.
On the plus side, this version of Ming is fantastic. The live version is well executed and makes it more "real", also it ends with a great cover of Inspector Gadget. Hit the Town (also known as "Let's Hit the Town Tonight") is also well represented here. The on-stage chaos adds a different dimension to the song, as does the greater ska influence than the album version, so it's great to see them mixing it up in this case.
The reggae, funk and fusion songs (Anchor, Soul U Need, Hungry, Club Lock) aren't to my taste unfortunately. However, Hungry is a wonderful exception, especially due to it breaking into a mighty fine version of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" at the end. Most importantly, the guitar sound hits the nail on the head.
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