Hot on the heels of November’s RCA best of, this ultimately disappointing live album takes us through the best of the Weddoes’ back catalogue, with only one brief nod to the Cinerama days with Après Ski. The set begins with two corkers from Seamonsters, Corduroy and Sucker, before the pick of the 12-singles-in-a- year Hit Parade experiment (the first and best, Blue Eyes, Come Play With Me and Loveslave). Longtime fans are kept happy with some George Best-era favourites, including A Million Miles and 1988 single Nobody’s Twisting Your Arm, before a fine version of Click Click from the forgotten surf-style Watusi. The highlights are the two fresh-sounding Take Fountain tracks, I’m From Further North Than You and fans’ favourite Ringway To Seatac, before the band builds to its usual climax featuring Brassneck and Kennedy.
Recorded at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire in November 2005, there’s no doubt that they go down a storm with the crowd. But what sounds like it was a good performance, just doesn’t translate well to CD. Plus, since reforming, the band has missed the clattering invention of former sticksman Simon Smith, who played with the Weddoes until the Cinerama split of 1997.
