Search - Various Artists :: Live at Cbgb's

A typical evening of music at CBGBs

M. Bromberg | 02/17/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Actually, Dale, some of the performers did go further than this album. Mink DeVille may never have become a household name, but the band and its leader, Willy DeVille, released a slew of terrific albums. DeVille still records a new album every couple of years with exceptional quality stuff on every outing. Tuff Darts had a pretty decent first release that got loads of airplay in NYC, but the band's lead singer on Live at CBGBs was none other than Robert Gordon who spawned the rebirth of 50s rock and roll revival bands like the Stray Cats, the second coming of Link Wray, and many others. Gordon released several very strong albums and was a real critical favorite at the time. The quality of recording here is fair at best, but the youthful energy pours out of every song. This is a document of late 70s NYC New Wave which, at its best, was every bit as good as the British counterparts of Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, et al. Would've been nice to get a couple of other CBGB bands who did make it bigger on this disk --Blondie, Ramones to name a couple. Work the money, though."

All for the love of rock'n'roll

M. Bromberg | Atlanta, GA United States | 02/26/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Although none of the best-known NY bands are heard here (oh, the record contracts flying around CBGB's in 1976...) cult favorites Tuff Darts (Robert Gordon), Mink DeVille, and the Shirts sound like they're having a great time. This collection, recorded over three nights in July, 1976, shows the New York rock scene going in all different directions, while that same weekend the Heartbreakers and the Ramones were staging their own first British blitz of London. It's surprising how "radio-friendly" most of this music seems now. In the days of multi-platinum Peter Frampton and Fleetwood Mac, though, Manster's sped-up cover of the Yardbirds' "Over Under Sideways Down" was absolutely radical. Imagine that. And though it's true there's no real missed opportunities here, its a terrific snapshot of a time, a place, and an energy that's likely not to happen again."