Published on May 31, 2005
Being a fan of the Backyard Babies has always been paradoxically
challenging for me. I list them as one of my favorite bands but
only find myself really caring about the superb
Total 13 release when it comes time for me to pop a disc of
theirs into the player. With just four studio releases in their
catalog, this is obviously a paltry percentage of albums that get
me amped but I have always contended that there must be something
more to it for me to still find myself raising the band’s flag so
high after recent subpar releases.
I think I now have it figured out in a way that makes sense for
me to explain.
Live Live In Paris proves the Backyard Babies are a band
that thrives with their sound found outside of the studio. I guess
this can be said for a lot of punk bands — did I say punk band?
Well, there is the problem. The band’s last two albums,
Stockholm Syndrome and
Making Enemies Is Good, are so overproduced that the band
comes off sounding herbivorous in nature, as in, anything but
punk.
Where
Live Live In Paris comes in to save the day is that it takes
what on paper looks like a dreadful setlist from a May, 2004 gig at
the La Maroquinerie and reinvents those questionable songs into
sounds similar to those that make
Total 13 so appealing to me. Songs such as “Earn The Crown,”
“Brand New Hate” and “Minus Celsius” benefit from the protein
ingestion of the Backyard Babies’ live sound and turn
Live Live In Paris into an event that proves the true root
of this paradox, as those songs are just plain awful on the studio
albums in which they are found. Throw in the
Total 13 tracks”Made Me Madman,” “Highlights” and “U.F.O.
Romeo” among others, and
Live Live In Paris becomes more of a complete listen.
Humourously, I’ll point out that it’s with the track “U.F.O.
Romeo” that I have to really question what I am hearing. In
introducing the track, vocalist Nicke Borg bellows, “alright
Houston….you’ve got a problem!!!” Does Borg think I’m on as
many drugs as him in trying to pass this over on me? I doubt he’s
obscuring some benign reference to Houston in linking NASA and
UFO’s together. I mean his audience is supposedly French and we all
know the French aren’t that smart. Thankfully, lead guitarist,
Dregen throws in the obligatory “merci!” at the end of the track
which will keep me from putting certain production rumors into
play.
Anyways,
Live Live In Paris is the best Backyard Babies album I have
bought in years and succeeds in depicting the band in their true
live form. I speak from the experience in March, 2004 which had me
catching the band perform (two months earlier than this recording)
while headlining a gig in Oslo on this same tour. The only
complaint I have in judging
Live Live In Paris may be an unfair one as it has nothing to
do with what is found on the album, but rather, it’s a dig at them
leaving their best song, “Spotlight The Sun,” off the
tracklist.
That aside,
Live Live In Paris communicates a true current statement and
would be an appropriate place to discover the band performing with
their best punk n’ roll effort . This is a good thing for the
American public as the Backyard Babies are preparing to set sail on
their first headlining U.S. tour since 2000 this June and will
likely be playing most of what is found on this disc.