The Live Ones! (Previously Unissued Live Recordings from Michigan State University, 1966)

Album Review

All six of the songs on this 10" vinyl release were recorded live at Michigan State University in 1966, and were previously unissued. On the rare occasions when live recordings of bands such as the Standells are dredged up, the results are usually disappointing, both soundwise and performance-wise. Happily, this proves a remarkable exception to that norm. The fidelity is quite good — indeed better than many official live recordings of the time — and the Standells play well, reproducing the arrangements of their records pretty closely, though with some satisfying loose live energy. If just six songs from a 1966 Standells gig are available, this selection is about as good as you could wish for, with five of their best (or at least better) tunes: "Dirty Water," "Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White," "Why Did You Hurt Me," "Why Pick on Me," and "Mr. Nobody." There's also a cover of "Gloria," during whose middle spoken section the audience breaks out, for some probably always-to-be-unknown reason, into spontaneous applause. This is a very good collector-targeted release, and not one that you have to be an insane completist to enjoy.