The Plimsouls – Live: Beg, Borrow & Steal (Alive)

As fine as the PLIMSOULS‘ studio records are, they’ve always been overshadowed by the band’s rep as a live act – indeed, the word “legendary” often gets tossed around in reference to the L.A. quartet’s vintage live shows. Recorded at the Whiskey a Go Go on Halloween in 1981, Live: Beg, Borrow & Steal affirms that legend, as PETER CASE, EDDIE MUNOZ, DAVID PAHOA and LOU RAMIREZ rip through a set of turbocharged power pop, stripped-down R&B and blazing rock & roll with the skill of veterans and the enthusiasm of teenagers. Mixing tracks from the quartet’s self-titled debut LP and the then as-yet-unrecorded Everywhere at Once with covers of everyone from LARRY WILLIAMS to the EASYBEATS to LITTLE RICHARD to BO DIDDLEY, the Plimsouls easily validate the hyperbole in which their champions have indulged since the group split in the mid-80s. “Everyday Things,” “I’ll Get Lucky,” “Inch By Inch” and “Now” fairly leap out of the speakers and dance you around the room; by the time the band gets to “New Orleans” and “Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!,” on which it’s joined by the Fleshtones, the energy level threatens to shake the walls to dust. And while it may come as a surprise to fans of his more recent folk work, Case proves himself quite possibly the best rock & roll singer of his era. Whether you want to get a concentrated shot of Plimsouls goodness or the right platter to rock the party, Live: Beg, Borrow & Steal is an excellent dose of caffeinated adrenaline.

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