Search - Supersuckers :: Live at Bart's CD Cellar & Record Shop (Dig)

Great Sound, Excellent Tunes. What are you waiting for? Buy

F. Verdi | Philadelphia, PA United States | 11/14/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well, it's Monday morning, I'm sitting at my desk with a fresh beer [frosty, cold left-overs from the weekend are so medicinal in the mornin'] and I'm listening to The Supersuckers . . . but this isn't any old Supersuckers, this is the latest from the Mid-Fi Recordings catalogue, "Live at Bart's CD Cellar & Record Shop".



So, this is a "live" recording, huh? Well, I know that the Supersuckers were playing their instruments in front of a group of people, and they were not in an official recording studio, but it's hard to tell. See, you don't hear any of the typical "live" ambience; Drunks yelling "Woo-who!", "Play some Skynyrd man!" or the ruffled sound of bras being lifted and panties thrown. Nope, not here. All you hear on this recording is the quality of the music being performed [I know, I know, uninhibited bras are a good thing, but they are better seen, not heard while you're trying to listen to music in your office]. We get an excellent pedal steel version of "Creepy Jackalope Eye" [one of my favorites, with the patented three "Creepy Jackalope" crescendo] and it all is capped with a fun performance of "Hey Ya!", made better by the fact that the hipsters in the audience apparently needed some coaxing by Mr. Spaghetti to get involved and let their hair down. Hey, some people need to be coaxed.



This recording has a nice intimate quality. Eddie strings dry-wit between songs of honest living and creepy jackalopes [actually, I don't think they're all creepy. Some of them just want to be loved actually]. Rontrose Heathman plays like a ring and bell as always, but don't forget Thunder Bolton, Muderburger along with Jordan Shapiro on Pedal Steel and Danny Bland on bass. This is a well rounded group of consummate musicians. For the most part this is the country version of The Supersuckers, but hell that line was blurred a long time ago. As far as I'm concerned it's always The Supersuckers no matter what song they happen to be playing, nor in what fashion they happen to be playing it.



The bottom-line is this is one of the best live recordings I've heard in a while. It's a good set, and of decent length [The Supersuckers always deliver the music for the money]. If you are a fan of The Supersuckers - hell if you're just a fan of good rockin' music with a down home country feel - you'll be glad you made the investment, especially at this price.



When I listen to The Supersuckers "Live at Bart's CD Cellar & Record Shop", I almost feel like I'm standing right there, with a smile on my face, watching the best rock n' roll band in the world . . . even if I'm just sitting at my desk on a Monday morning, trying to shake a hangover.



By the way, I'll let you in on a secret, there's a cool hidden track . . . but you'll have to buy it to find out what it is. I ain't sayin' nothin'. Pony up and find out yourself, you old skinflint!"