To be honest, I bought this album by mistake. Based on the tracklisting, I thought it was a Greatest Hits album - the word "Live" or date of recording isn't mentioned on the cover. What it is, is a live document of the band at its prime recorded at the small but historic London Marquee Club in December 1983. The concert was also videotaped and released on VHS tape (anyone remember those?). For those not familiar with Hanoi Rocks, they were the archetype 80's glam band, and had a crucial influence on U.S. hair metal. Bands like Guns'n'Roses, Mötley Crüe, Poison, Skid Row etc. have acknowledged their debt and so have indie bands like Manic Street Preachers and the Foo Fighters. Hanoi Rocks came from the most unlikely place for such an influential band, icy Finland. I do believe they were the very first rock band from the Scandinavian peninsula to achieve worldwide success (unless, of course, you count ABBA). They came from the punk scene and kept punk's edge and connection to early primitive rock'n'roll which they coupled with hard rock guitar solos and a transvestite look they may have borrowed by The New York Dolls but took it further and added more glamour to. One year after the recording of this album and during their triumphant first American tour, tragedy struck. During a party at Mötley Crüe's house, MC singer Vince Neil and HR drummer Razzle drove to the liquor store to get more beers. They were already drunk and got involved in an accident. When they didn't get back, other members went seeking for them, arriving just in time to see Neil getting handcuffed by the police and learn that Razzle was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He had just celebrated his 24th birthday. His bandmates were grief-stricken and decided to put an end to their band. The live album and video functioned as a perfect epitaph, the Rocks sounding tight and looking assured, singer Michael Monroe (a.k.a. Matti Fagerholm) strutting the stage like a catwalk and guitarist Andy McCoy (Antti Hulkko) doing a perfect Keith Richards imitation. Not to mention the hats - probably HR influenced Guns'n'Roses in more ways than one... The concert started off much like an 80's Ramones gig: An instrumental intro, followed by an 1-2-3-4 count and "Oriental Beat", a Ramones/Beach Boys sounding track off their 2nd album. "Back to Mystery City" is closer to the trash rockabilly/punk style of the New York Dolls and "Motorvatin'" a Creedence/Status Quo boogie. "Until I Get You" and "Don't Ever Leave Me" are melodic hard rock and "Mental Beat" a fast punk/metal number with audience joining in on the chorus. "Tragedy" and "Visitor" are fast hard rockers justifying the Guns'n'Roses comparisons and "Malibu Beach Nightmare" is surf punk with rocking sax and Wipe Out-style drums. "11th Street Kidzz" from their debut seems to merge Mott the Hoople's "All the Young Dudes" & Sandinista-era Clash. "Taxi Driver" and "Lost In The City" sport R&B choruses, metal guitars (the former) and harmonica (the latter). "Lightnin' Bar Blues" by country songwriter Hoyt Axton has a welcome 60's air and singalong chorus and "Beer and a Cigarette" is a fast Rolling Stones/Yardbirds-style garage rocker with a blues harp solo. The album closes with a trio of covers that function as a tribute to their early influences: A fairly straightforward take of Alice Cooper's "Under My Wheels", a frantic garage punk "I Feel Alright" (Iggy and the Stooges) sporting a Doorsy middle section, and a lightning-speed version of The Yardbirds' garage nugget "Train Kept A Rollin'". Now that I think of it, it may be just as well I bought this live album instead of a Greatest Hits, as it does contain all their best songs performed in a rough no-nonsense manner and flows much better than a compilation with the inevitable differences in sound and production. Based on what I heard here, I already started collecting their individual studio albums. Style-wise they may be rooted to the 80's but, unlike their hair-metal disciples, they made timeless rock'n'roll that still sounds fresh and exciting today.
**** for Back To Mystery City, Until I Get You, Don't Never Leave Me, Malibu Beach, Lost In The City
*** for Pipeline, Oriental Beat, Motorvatin', Mental Beat, Tragedy, 11th Street Kids, Taxi-Driver, Lightning Bar Blues, Beer And A Cigarette, Under My Wheels, Train Kept A Rollin
** for Visitor, I Feel Alright
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