Speedealer

Burned Alive (Radical)
By Duke Crevanator

Normally, I’m not a huge fan of live records. They almost never capture the true essence of a live performance, so the listener is either disappointed (if they’ve seen the band live), or unimpressed (if they haven’t). Kiss Alive II is one exception, and I would rank this Speedealer release almost in that category.

It’s not the huge stadium recording of Kiss, but rather a show that took place in the legendary CBGB’s. The recording quality is great, the impression of an intimate setting is certainly there, but with the full rock’n’roll presence any Speedealer fan would expect. The material is also all-encompassing. There are tracks from the REO Speedealer days (Pig Fucker and Cream #1), and many selections from Bleed, Second Sight, and Here Comes Death. It’s enough to make old and new fans happy. A definite buy for diehards, but I’d recommend buying their studio stuff first if you’re a newbie.
(77 Bleecker Street #C2-21 New York, NY 10012)