LIVESTOCK

A curiously detached live effort from Brand X.

Most of it sounds as if it were recorded in the VERY early hours, in a darkened cellar. There's no interaction with the audience and there are very few attempts to enliven the original studio tracks. Only "Euthanasia Waltz" (off UNORTHODOX BEHAVIOUR) is given an extra dimension with the help of a truly ecstatic guitar solo from John Goodsall, while "Malaga Virgen" (from MOROCCAN ROLL) benefits from some extra jaunty playing by Messrs. Dennard and Jones. (I believe the bass is mixed closer to the front than on the band's studio albums, which helps.) Both of these tracks also acquire more colour thanks to Morris Pert's remarkable percussion playing. Apart from that, virtually all of the album is a low-key affair. As far as I know, the opening tracks, "Nightmare Patrol" and "-Ish", cannot be found anywhere else. They are OK tracks, much in the same spirit as Brand X's early studio work, but they do not exactly set my heart on fire, if you catch my drift.

Between the tracks, you can hear the roar of what seems to be an enormous crowd. ("Euthanasia Waltz" is simply faded out, without applause or explanation.) Strange that the audience remained entirely silent during the actual performances! Perhaps they were all totally SERIOUS guys with beards, merely nodding along sagely...

MOROCCAN ROLL is still one of my all-time favourite prog albums, and I'm a bit surprised the band didn't manage to light too many sparks on stage. Devoted fans will need LIVESTOCK, if only for its (literally) unique material, but I can't help thinking this is a collection that was scraped together hurriedly. The obligatory Hipgnosis cover makes the album look even more depressing. Purposeless releases like this only make you understand why the world was once crying out for the likes of Ian Dury, Madness and the Pretenders.