I'm going to open this review by admitting in no uncertain terms that, by and large, I am biased against live albums. I like going to shows and experiencing music live, but hearing that same experience on a disc loses something in the translation for me. I should mention that I'm talking about rock and pop live albums-- obviously, styles like jazz rely on the spontaneity of a live performance to be effective; even most jazz studio albums are performed in live takes. Maybe it's just my love of production and the completeness that truly great studio records have, or the fact that a lot of bands don't do much to distance their performances from the studio versions of their songs, but live albums usually go back on the shelf after one or two listens, never to be heard from again in my house.

I'm not sure if I'd call this Echo and the Bunnymen live record an exception to that rule-- I definitely enjoy their studio material more-- but I can say that I've been spinning Live in Liverpool on a pretty regular basis since it arrived in the mail, and as live albums go, it's a pretty impressive showing. Now a duo consisting of Ian McCulloch and Will Sergeant, the Bunnymen have assembled an able, muscular backing band and chosen a set list that gathers songs from throughout their career for what amounts essentially to a fantastic live career retrospective.

Most of the versions presented by the band here faithfully recall the songs' original incarnations, and longtime fans should be more than pleased with what they hear. Echo and the Bunnymen are one of only a handful of older bands out there who haven't really lost any of their vitality, and these performances bristle with the enthusiasm and energy of a much younger band. When the guys dip into their post-reunion catalog, it often sounds a great deal more charged than those songs' studio counterparts.

That's especially true of the three tracks taken from last year's Flowers, an album that saw them returning to their dark post-punk roots. They take "Eternity Turns" at breakneck speed, but McCulloch's voice is clear and even throughout the song, and Sergeant's heavily effected guitar work is simply sterling. "King of Kings" is even more psychedelicized here than on the album, with Sergeant throwing up scudding clouds of guitar to offset McCulloch and the band's stable delivery. The band also tackles "Buried Alive" and "Supermellow Man" from that album in spirited versions that rival the originals in terms of sheer charisma.

Aside from a somewhat lackluster rendition of "Nothing Lasts Forever," from 1997's Evergreen, the band sticks to some of the best songs of their 80s heyday, drawing at least one from every album they released in their original incarnation as a quartet. Expectedly, "Ocean Rain" figures the most prominently, with fully amped versions of "Seven Seas" and "My Kingdom" and a propulsive reading of "The Killing Moon" confirming that album's timelessness. The slow take on "Ocean Rain" that closes the album is unfortunately less than exciting, but well delivered nonetheless.

The two biggest highlights of the album both reach back to the band's 1979 debut, Crocodiles. The band rips and snorts its way through "All That Jazz" with both Sergeant and McCulloch tearing into their guitars while some hired heads bash out the rhythmic backing with abandon. "Rescue" opens things in a similarly pounding fashion, and the cheering audience knows exactly what to expect when Sergeant lays into the massive guitar lick that kicks the song off. McCulloch's voice warms into the song a bit, but by the end, he's belting out the words as loudly as ever.

Another early peak is the single "Never Stop," a song that never made its way onto any of the band's proper albums, but proves to be one of their best with its loose, Police-y groove and sweeping chorus. Live in Liverpool's climax comes with "Zimbo," a retitled version of "All My Colours" from the band's sophomore effort, Heaven Up Here. This is one of the few songs that's actually significantly rearranged, but the band nonetheless manages to capture the apocalyptic slow burn of the original.

Admirably, the band have chosen to include two versions of songs from 1983's trippy, experimental Porcupine, which is widely regarded as their most difficult record (it's also one of their best). The version of "Back of Love" is amazing, bursting with post-punk fury and Sergeant's gravity-defying guitar playing. "The Cutter," though not quite as frantic, reads similarly well, as McCulloch's vocals are at their best, booming on the tense chorus and cutting straight through Sergeant's spastic outbursts with ease.

So, in the end, there's not a whole lot to complain about on this disc. The performances are uniformly great, the set list draws on a lot of their best material, and the recording is crystal clear (though occasionally there's a bit of hiss from the crowd microphone). I suppose it would have been nicer if the album was all taken from a single performance-- the tracks are selected from two August 2001 shows at the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts' Paul McCartney Auditorium-- as it's nice to hear live recordings in the context of one complete show. But that's a minor gripe. The band manage a strong consistency of mood and performance acumen, which is what's really important when you're listening at home.

Suffice to say, fans of Echo and the Bunnymen should check this out-- it will not disappoint. As for neophytes, I suppose it depends largely on how biased you are for or against live albums. If you're an audiophile or an album person, you may want to start with Ocean Rain or Crocodiles, but if you're just looking for a good overview of the band's career and some strong performances, this could be the place. Either way, Live in Liverpool is one of those rare live albums that keeps me coming back, and there's a lot to be said for that.

-Joe Tangari, March 27th, 2002