Reviews

The Bouncing Souls are treading a dangerous ground for a punk band.  They are bordering on becoming an institution, a landmark, something inert and capable of rest. Luckily, New Jersey’s favorite sons are not a band whose longevity has been cause for alarm. The Bouncing Souls are still living life on their own terms, and this double disc live album released on their own Chunksaah record label showcases a band, and their fans, who seem to never get old.  I suspect vampirism.  The Souls hit all the classics and the new favorites, and even haul Johnny X out on stage to help sing The Ballad of Johnny X. Everything sounds great, and the kids respond just as well to new tracks like Anchors Awiegh as they do to immortals like a ska-infused Kate Is Great, which reminds us, “Things always change.”
 
If you are not a Bouncing Souls fan now, chances are you were once.  If you are still young and are not a Bouncing Souls fan yet, chances are you will be for at least one point of your life.  The Souls speak to everyone at a certain time; they speak to some for longer than others.  But their music will always inspire someone somewhere.  Greg sends the song Gone out to, “You, the seventeen year old punks, the thirty year old punks, the sixty year old punks.”  Wherever you are, how ever old you are, you will love the Bouncing Souls for at least a short time. You can disagree, you can say that I’m a hopeless romantic, but I say you’re just hopeless.
 
The Souls have always had a great live show, and no recording can ever capture the exact mix of youthful crowd enthusiasm and youthful Souls love of the music, but this live double disc set tries awful hard.  This is not just for True Believers, it is for anyone, whether you hear it from a friend or on a Private Radio.  Enough stupid jokes.  This is the first live disc I have heard in a while that didn’t make me want to shoot myself in the face.  Aside from the songs being great, the quality of the recording is remarkable, especially for not being all recorded at the same show.  Kudos to Bob the sound guy, you have kept the fun of the live show intact, but also have kept the show atmosphere from overwhelming an amazing collection of tunes.
 
Twenty-nine tracks on two discs spanning fifteen years of one band having fun.  Buy it for the inspirational Fight To Live or the name dropping glee of East Coast! Fuck You!  When Greg thanks everyone for being there during the album capping Night On Earth you’ll be glad you spent one more night with the Bouncing Souls.