Live And Rockin'

Live and Rockin' was recorded in concert in Sheffield in 1990, and it is fair to say that this is not the band's favorite release. "A shit gig at a shit venue where the whole set is drowned out by fiddle," sniffs Ant Thomas, and he does have a point. But still, there are few Demented Are Go recordings that pack quite so much mad excitement as this, with the band riding the crest of the recently released The Day the Earth Spat Blood LP and its live set bristling with some of the group's all-time greatest contributions to the psychobilly catalog: "Human Slug," "Busted Hymen," "Anal Wonderland," "Transvestite Blues," and, of course, a version of "Be Bop a Lula" that has to be heard to be even vaguely comprehended. Fans fascinated at the possibility of divorcing Demented Are Go from the body politic of psychobilly rechristened them the Kings of Satanic Hillbilly, and that accursed fiddle makes a good case for them retaining that title. But even if you could blot it out of your hearing, you wouldn't want to. Live and Rockin' is not the best-sounding live album you've ever heard. But at least you know it is live. And you feel more alive because of that. ~ Dave Thompson