Old 97's -- Alive & Wired

Alive & Wired
Old 97's
(New West)

"When I think of Old 97's, the thing that makes me the most proud is that we've always been a smoking live band. If truths were to be told, lots of things can be done in the studio to trick up your songs and give them the illusion of being vital. But the live thing is pretty much what-you-see-is-what-you-get. I love being in a high-octane, sweaty, crunchy, ofttimes out of tune monster that swings and lurches from gig to gig, even from song to song. I love that we don't really know how the songs end. I love that we don't rehearse. I love diving into solos head first with no idea where I'm going and, if I crash and burn, snickering at the outcome and moving on."
� Old 97's guitarist Ken Bethea, in the liner notes for "Alive & Wired"

Bethea's right; Old 97's are a damn good live band. They reached the upper stratus of alt-country by giving it their all, and I'm pretty sure they've never cheated a crowd out of its hard-earned money. I can't speak for all of my fellow wannabe musicians who never made it out of the garage, but the band � Rhett Miller (vocals/guitar), Murry Hammond (vocals/bass), Bethea (guitar, vocals) and Philip Peeples (drums) � should be an inspiration to us all. Their manic energy and sweat-soaked exuberance makes them a force on the stage. It's also what makes their new release, "Alive & Wired," a qualified success.

With few exceptions, the live album is usually the bastard stepchild of a band's catalog, and usually for one of three reasons: it's a stopgap until a new studio album can be readied; it was recorded to fulfill a contractual obligation; or it's a marketing move targeting a band's large, loyal following at its shows.

This isn't the first live recording for Old 97's, who acquitted themselves well on the six-song live bonus disc that accompanied the early pressing of 2001's "Satellite Rides." Whatever their reasons for returning to the live setting, the band has given a fair representation of its career on "Alive & Wired." Unlike Lucinda Williams' recent live disc, which sounds great but is heavily weighted toward her latest releases, Old 97's draw from their entire body of work. Their most recent studio album, "Drag It Up," is represented by only five of the 31 songs on the two discs. Leading the way is "Too Far to Care" (probably the band's best album), with eight tracks (although two of them also appeared on earlier releases, before the band's major-label days on Elektra). There's even a B-side ("The Villain") and an unreleased track ("Iron Road").

"Alive & Wired" was compiled from two nights this June at Gruene Hall just outside of New Braunfels, Texas, pretty much an ideal showcase for the Dallas band. If you're already a fan, you know what to expect. If you're new to Old 97's, the picture of the sweat-soaked band, clad in T-shirts and jeans, on the back of the packaging gives you a pretty clear idea what you're in for.

The majority of the time, "Alive & Wired" works. Tunes such as "Barrier Reef," from "Too Far to Care," exhibit the band's winning combination of country, power pop and good old rock and roll wrapped in catchy melodies and crowd-pleasing lines such as "My name's Stuart Ransom Miller/I'm a serial lady killer." Some of the band's best known songs (which they probably play the most live) fare best. "W. TX Teardrops," "Salome," "Rollerskate Skinny," "Doreen," "Designs on You" and "Big Brown Eyes" convey the intensity of their shows while maintaining a measure of the polish found on the studio versions. This is due in part to the rock-solid drumming of the underrated Peeples, who holds down the rollicking, galloping backbeat and gets a brief moment in the spotlight with a short solo on "Doreen."

Other cuts don't translate as well. "Coahuila," Bethea's only vocal turn in the band's catalog, highlights why Miller and Hammond handle the singing. The band seems to fall progressively out of tune on the next two tracks, "Iron Road" and "Wish the Worst." Harmonies teeter off key a little too often. Miller at times seems on the verge of running out of breath, resorting to raggedly shouting during the disc closer (and traditional show closer) "Timebomb." In his defense, you'd be gasping for air (if not dead) if you worked as hard as this guy.

Pointing out the shortcomings of "Alive & Wired" is not to indict old 97's. Far from it. Live albums aren't generally overwhelming successes because they fight the uphill battle of trying to give the listener the best of both worlds. Those worlds often are best enjoyed separately. When you're in the club, feeling the bass under your feet and fighting the heat along with the band, you're willing to overlook the occasional flubbed part or sour note. When you're in your own home, and separated from that experience, it can be less palatable. I'm not such a tightass as to suggest that bands have to be perfect all the time. Instruments drifting out of tune is part of the glory of live rock and roll, particularly when a band has the energy to pull if off. Old 97's has it to spare.

If you've read this far, you're most likely a fan and nothing I say will keep you from buying this disc. I'm not necessarily saying that you shouldn't buy it. I am saying that no matter how much you enjoy it, you'll get more enjoyment out of your twenty bucks the next time Old 97's come to your town. That you won't want to miss.