Southside Johnny - Live At The Paradise Theater (2001)

I don't know what dark closet or dusty vault shelf that somebody dug up this vintage Southside Johnny performance from but I'm sure glad that it's been brought into the light of day. Taken from a December 1978 show at the Paradise Theater in Boston, this collection shows the band in their prime. Electric and exciting live performers, only Springsteen's E Street Band or the Iron City Houserockers could come close to touching the Asbury Jukes in 1978. Since live Southside Johnny albums (legitimate or bootleg) are scarcer than good songs on a Backstreets Boys' album, Live At The Paradise Theater is a welcome addition to the Jukes canon.

Drawing from the band's classic first three albums, Live At The Paradise Theater features Southside Johnny Lyon's soulful vocals on a handful of songs donated by former Juke "Miami" Steve Van Zandt and Asbury Park legend Bruce Springsteen. There are also inspired covers, including a rave-up rendition of Sam Cooke's "Having A Party" and the Leiber/Stoller gem "Santa Claus Is Back In Town." After all this time, Jukes classics like "This Time It's For Real," "Love On The Wrong Side Of Town," "Trapped Again" and "I Don't Want To Go Home" still sound as fresh and heartache-inspiring as they did twenty-something years ago. With a horn section hand-picked by Van Zandt and some finely-crafted guitar playing from Billy Rush, the Jukes run through a fourteen song set that evokes the passion and fire of the Rhythm & Blues revues of the fifties and sixties.

Although Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes continue to tour and blow the roof off every venue they're asked to demolish, the band was always too reverent in their roots to break through to a mainstream audience. That leaves Live At The Paradise Theater for us long-time fanboys, the hardcore legion who feel that the unique blend of roots rock, soul, R&B and blues kicked out by Southside Johnny transcends time and trends. In this light, Live At The Paradise delivers the cheap rock & roll thrills we crave. (Phoenix Rising Records)

(Click on the CD cover to buy Live At The Paradise Theater from Amazon.com)