PETER CASE recalls
the golden days of his garage-pop legends THE PLIMSOULS’ ferocious, recently- released live shows around Huntington Beach, California.
BRIAN GREENE digs out his high-heel sneakers
T
“Everybody always said the band was better live.” The Plimsouls, L-R: Eddie Muñoz, Dave Pahoa, Lou Ramirez, Peter Case
24
A MILLION MILES AWAY
he “live versus on record” debate will always rage on when listeners compare the relative merits of the different ways of taking in their favourite artists’ music. There are those acts who thrive at the kind of
creativity that can only come about through the layering of ideas and sounds in a studio, while others need the immediate, interactive live setting to reach their full force. In the early ’80s, LA’s The Plimsouls released an EP and two albums of studio efforts that shook up the left-of-centre music world at the time. Combining the best parts of
powerpop, new wave, British Invasion throwback and roots rock, 1980’s Zero Hour EP, their eponymous debut long player from ’81 and ’83’s Everywhere At Once were all eye-opening, soul- energising creations that were a much- needed antidote to the hair metal and soulless synth pap plaguing the musical climate. But, fab as those records are, two recently-unearthed Plimsouls live albums make it appear that those of us who dug the band at the time, but never got the chance to see them live, missed out on experiencing them in their best light. In 2010 Alive! Records unearthed
Live! Beg, Borrow and Steal: October 31, 1981 Whiskey A Go Go, and this year they piggy-backed onto that with Beach Town Confidential: Live At The Golden Bear 1983. Both sets sound so fresh and brisk, it’s difficult to go back and listen to The Plimsouls’ studio releases after hearing them.
“Everybody always said the band was better live. The studio records rarely came close,” states Plimsouls front man Peter Case today. “The song ‘Everywhere At Once’ is about the best we ever got in the studio. It’s pretty explosive, and
Photo by Bob Matheu
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