Customer Reviews

Live! Beg Borrow & Steal: October 31, 1981 Whiskey A Go Go

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Alive Records seems to be on a mission to get all of Peter Case's early material into circulation. They issued the first official CD of the Nerves EP (with bonus tracks!), a live Nerves LP, Case's post-Nerves hook-up with Paul Collins in the Breakaways, and now this supercharged live show by the Plimsouls. Already one of L.A.'s most potent rock `n' roll bands, the Plimsouls hit a sixth gear when they played live. Fans have previously enjoyed another live set on One Night in America, and though the audio seems slightly more compressed on this October 1981 recording, the performance is a few degrees hotter. Peter Case sings with a ragged, full-throated soulfulness that's urged along by Dave Pahoa and Lou Ramierez's rhythms and goosed by Eddie Munoz's electric guitar riffs.

The Plimsouls were a non-stop live act. They launch from the gates at full-speed with "Hush Hush" and never let the pedal up from the floor. "Lost Time" assembles itself from stabbing rhythm guitar riffs, rumbling bass and propulsive drums, and "Women" teases with a moment of confidentiality before roaring down the strip with all cylinders firing. Plimosouls originals "A Million Miles Away" and "Everyday Things" get an extra measure of passion on stage, and when the band kicks into their encore covers of the Kinks' "Come on Now" and Gary "U.S." Bonds' "New Orleans" (with the Fleshtones sitting in on the latter) it's as if they're offering their souls on the altar rock `n' roll. Their cover of Thee Midniters' "Jump, Jive & Harmonize" is missing the signature organ whine, but Case sounds absolutely possessed throughout this and the rest of the set.

Power pop fans treasure the Plimsouls' studio recordings, but their live set proves them one of the era's top rock `n' roll bands. When they get deep into the groove it feels as if Peter Case is doing all he can to stay on top of this hard-charging band. Nearly thirty years later this set still commands you get up and move around - the Plimsouls' powers transcend time and space. Less than half the titles here, recorded at the Whisky A Go Go, overlap with One Night in America, and the inclusion of "Lost Time," "Women," "Zero Hour," "I Want You Back," and "Everyday Things" makes this disc an essential for fans. Alive's packaging includes a six-panel insert with terrific period photos (including the stellar color cover shot). Now if only they could get 1981's The Plimsouls back in print! [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]

I was very fortunate in my youth to have seen The Plimsouls playing live, lucky because i am in Australia. I was a huge fan of the band back in the early 80's and to see them live was a dream come true. I remember it as if it were only last week, the band was on fire and delivered a killer live set. They were the most energetic band i had ever seen live, still are by any measure.

I have bought every CD ever released by the band including a previously released live performance that is badly distorted, and even the re-release of it which is not much better. So I had high hopes for this release. The fact it includes tunes not on the earlier live CD release was an added attraction too. Two of the songs pay homage to their influences, 'Sorry' and 'Women' are songs penned by Australia's most famous song writing team of Vanda and Young. The songs were originally performed by their band The Easybeats in the sixties. I recall them doing Women in the live set i saw in California.

While the performance is pretty good on this CD, it still does not really let you know what a live Plimsouls gig was all about, and the sound quality is just awful. If this is not a transfer from Cassette tape I would be very surprised. There is clearly azimuth issues on the opening track, which seems to settle down as the song gets going but it really sounds lacking in the top end and the drums sound like cardboard boxes.

But, if you are a Plimsouls fan (as I am) then you simply have to own this disc. Those just discovering the band, will glean little from this CD, and probably find it less to your liking if your experiences thus far are their studio albums. What we really need is a DVD release of the band live to get any real understanding of The Plimsouls place in music history, which is one of the finest rock bands of all time, and most certainly THE epitome of the Power Pop genre of the early 80's.

For those who arrived here via Peter Case, if you don't know, before heading off on his "unplugged" solo career 20-whatever years ago, Case was the front man of this Los Angeles four-piece, guitar-driven, power-pop/punk-rock outfit. They blended '60 rhythm and blues, British pop, psychedelic folk and garage rock, delivered in a ramshackle punk style.
The band is captured in its rowdy rock-'n'-roll element here. The Fleshtones join in on two tracks, which is a blast. And it sounds as fresh as it was 30 years ago.