www.mekons.com / www.tgrec.com

The whole idea of “Greatest Hits Live!” is pretty old school for any enduring performer but not necessarily what you'd expect from a second-wave arty anarchist English punk band known for its ever-changing phases and championing of the down-and-out on par with Tom Waits. For those reasons, they've become critical darlings (confession--yours truly included) and also because we love their cheekiness, ironic distance and sly humor (also see Randy Newman, Magnetic Fields).

Mekons' history goes back to the late ‘70s, and that's the time period their latest record explores. Like most bands that are proud of their current product, the band hadn't played many of these songs live until they recently decided to celebrate their 25th anniversary in a series of concerts. Mekons have always examined political and rock history in their songs, and now, at a point in their careers when most bands are gun-shy about replaying their early catalog live (lest they appear that they're not doing important work anymore), they've turned their eye on their own history.

Though they acquired a quarter-century of distance from their material, Mekons obviously still have a soft spot for their early work, as it appropriately sounds like a more rough-hewn version of their later material. Live and studio recreations here include a chantey about dentistry ("Teeth"), a sweet ditty about romantic fear ("What"), reggae tune about blue collar life ("Work All Week"), an a cappella rant about capitalism ("The Building"), a shout-a-long about space travel ("Dan Dare") and an Asian drone piece about emptiness ("This Sporting Life"), all of which show off the musical and lyrical breadth of the band. Maybe it's the somewhat improved musicianship and audio, but the material is indeed transformed into more than the lo-fi noise it once was. As such, high marks for concept and execution. Hope other long-time road bands are taking notes here too.

—Jason Gross