MICHAEL MONROE

ANOTHER NIGHT IN THE SUN

LIVE IN HELSINKI

Track listing:

1. Nothin's Alright
2. Motorvatin'
3. Hammersmith Palais
4. You're Next
5. Not Fakin' It
6. Dysfunctional
7. I Wanna Be Loved
8. Love Song
9. Machine Gun Etiquette
10. Motorheaded For A Fall
11. Back To Mystery City
12. Malibu Beach Nightmare
13. Dead Jail Or Rock 'n' Roll
14. Ain't Nothin' To Do
15. 1970 (I Feel Alright)

I always get a little edgy and try to be as objective as possible when Hanoi or one of its members releases something to the world. Like a lot of you I’m holding out for a studio recording from Mike’s new band but in the interim what could be better than a Mike Monroe live offering?

With Hanoi’s classic ‘All Those Wasted Years’ so long in the racks (if there are still record shops out there!) and the recent Hanoi live CD and DVD from their farewell tour still fresh it’s interesting to listen to this one.

A quick scan of the setlist is bound to disappoint some I guess but the mix of old, new and covers seems to balance out nicely to this reviewer at least. A few Hanoi standards here, a smattering from the old solo back catalogue, a few killer covers and something new – what more could you want?

With one of my favourite bassists onboard in Sam Yaffa, and New York Doll Steve Conti providing the guitar you can’t go past the live sound of the band who are very tight on this long, light June night.

So what do we really get then? Well kicking off with the sadly short-lived Demolition 23 track ‘Nothing’s Alright’ and ending with the counterpoint of The Stooges classic ‘I Feel Alright’ we get a lot for our money. For a live album this really is a gem.

New song ‘You’re next’ gives us a taste of what these guys will be laying down in the studio hopefully relatively soon, it’s a very strong song with some great harp from Mike as is the other new track ‘Motorheaded for a Fall’ . On the basis of these two I must admit that I’m primed for that studio record!

The Hanoi songs are as you would expect beautifully executed reminders of the wonderful legacy Mike has supporting him in his new venture. Where you might take exception though is in the covers – not in the fact that they aren’t all great songs but in the sheer weight of numbers: there’s some Nazareth, a Johnny Thunders rocker, a brace from the Damned, and of course the aforementioned Stooges classic. For a guy who put out a lot of none to shabby solo records it’s just a shame he couldn’t slot in a few more reminders!

Highlights are certainly the new solo songs and of course the timeless Hanoi tunes: songs that never seem to age or lose an ounce of the impact they had when I first heard them. The wonderfully energetic ‘Dead Jail or Rock ‘n’ Roll’ and the gloriously loud and chaotic mash of the closer ‘1970 (I Feel Alright)’ with its snatches from ‘Radar Love’ and ‘Baby Please Don’t Go’ leave the old mouth watering.

The eighties ain’t dead and Mr Monroe and co are alive and kicking! Go see these guys support the might Motorhead if you are lucky enough to be in the UK. If not then you must buy this album!

Mark