Live Live In Paris

Yes, there's an echo in here -- the Backyard Babies obviously wanted to stress the point when naming this raucous, unpolished live album Live Live in Paris. Recorded in the City of Light during the Swedish hard rockers' 2004 tour, the disc collects 16 uniformly turbocharged performances of fabulous album hits like "Earn the Crown," "The Clash," "Made Me Madman," "Star War," and "Minus Celsius," to name but a few. Frontman Nicke Borg enjoys a constant, witty, but succinct rapport throughout with La Maroquinere's paying customers, wasting few words where hip-shaking, neck-snapping, boot-kicking, electrifying music will more than suffice. And lead guitarist Dregen can always be counted to drive the quartet's instrumental assault with disciplined but exuberantly intuitive chops. Fans unfamiliar with the Backyard Babies may prefer to start their education with the studio-based Tinnitus collection, but there's no denying that Live Live in Paris, too, contains a track listing very worthy of a greatest-hits set. Either way, you can't go wrong or be too early where the Backyard Babies are concerned -- they are rock & roll. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia