Live Stiffs Live is a live album released in 1978 by Stiff Records. It compiles concert performances by several of the record label's artists recorded during the "Live Stiffs Tour", which ran from 3 October to 5 November 1977.
Songs Among the recording artists featured on the album are Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Ian Dury & the Blockheads, Nick Lowe, Wreckless Eric, and Larry Wallis. The album opens with tour MC (and later Clash road manager) Kosmo Vinyl calling audience members away from the bar and introducing the first act as "Nick Lowe's Led Zeppelin". The final cut of the album is a performance of Ian Dury's hit, "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" performed by all of the tour's artists and crew.
Release The album has been known by various names including Stiffs Live Stiffs, Stiffs Live and Live Stiffs. The name of the original Stiff Records release on 17 February 1978 was Live Stiffs Live. The album was later re-issued on Music for Pleasure (MFP 50445) as simply Live Stiffs.
The album entered the UK Albums Chart on 11 March 1980, eventually peaking at number 28.
It was released by Demon Records on CD in 1994 (Demon 621) and re-released in 1997 as (Edsel 621 & Diablo Records 851).[ Allmusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine] Retrieved 25 February 2009
Critical reception Reviewing in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau wrote:
In a retrospective review, AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine said "the entire record captures the wild, careening spirit of Stiff — it's fun, trashy rock & roll."
Track listing Side one "I Knew the Bride" (Nick Lowe) - Nick Lowe's Last Chicken in the Shop - 3.25 "Let's Eat" (Lowe) - Nick Lowe's Last Chicken in the Shop - 2.44 "Semaphore Signals" (Wreckless Eric) - Wreckless Eric & the New Rockets - 3.25 "Reconnez Cherie" (Eric) - Wreckless Eric & the New Rockets - 3.45 "Police Car" (Larry Wallis) - Larry Wallis' Psychedelic Rowdies - 3.59
Side two "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) - Elvis Costello & the Attractions - 2.27 "Miracle Man" (Elvis Costello) - Elvis Costello & the Attractions - 3.56 "Billericay Dickie" (Ian Dury) - Ian Dury & the Blockheads - 4.24 "Wake Up & Make Love with Me" (Dury) - Ian Dury & the Blockheads - 3.32 "Sex Drugs Rock & Roll & Chaos" (Dury) - All artists - 5.41
Personnel Nick Lowe's Last Chicken in the Shop (side one, tracks 1 & 2) Nick Lowe - bass, vocals Larry Wallis - guitar Terry Williams - drums Pete Thomas - drums Dave Edmunds - guitar Penny Tobin - keyboards Wreckless Eric & the New Rockets (side one, tracks 3 & 4) Wreckless Eric - guitar, vocals Davey Payne - saxophone Denise Roudette - bass Ian Dury - drums Larry Wallis' Psychedelic Rowdies (side one, track 5) Larry Wallis - guitar, vocals Nick Lowe - bass Penny Tobin - keyboards Terry Williams - drums Pete Thomas - drums Elvis Costello & the Attractions (side two, tracks 1 & 2) Elvis Costello - vocals, guitar Steve Nieve - keyboards Bruce Thomas - bass Pete Thomas - drums Ian Dury & the Blockheads (side two, tracks 3 & 4) Ian Dury - vocals John Turnbull - guitar Charley Charles - drums Norman Watt-Roy - bass Chaz Jankel - guitar Mickey Gallagher - keyboards Davey Payne - saxophone
See also Stiff Records discography
References