Summary
What Do You Want from Live is the debut live album released by The Tubes, and was recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon, London.
| What Do You Want from Live | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | February 1978 | |||
| Recorded | November 1977 | |||
| Venue | Hammersmith Odeon, London | |||
| Genre | Rock, experimental rock, progressive rock | |||
| Length | 72:42 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Producer | Pete Henderson, Rikki Farr | |||
| The Tubes chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
Background edit
The Tubes toured the UK at the height of the punk rock era in 1977. Despite their somewhat out-of-step musicality, the band's humorous and manic stage show found favor all over the country. The cabaret-like shows lasted over an hour, ending with Waybill – in character as "Quay Lewd", a parody of a drug-addled rock star – getting crushed to death by a giant stack of (fake) speakers. NME pronounced the tour a great success, writing: "They came, they outraged, they conquered."[2]
Track listing edit
- "Overture" - 6:39
- "Up from the Deep" – 2:00
- "Young and Rich" – 1:27
- "Madam I'm Adam" – 0:49
- "Mondo Bondage" – 0:12
- "Up from the Deep" – 1:00
- "White Punks on Dope" – 0:20
- "Got Yourself a Deal" – 4:30
- "Show Me a Reason" – 3:28
- "What Do You Want from Life" – 5:12
- "God-Bird-Change" – 4:48
- "Special Ballet" – 1:01
- "Don't Touch Me There" – 3:48
- "Mondo Bondage" – 3:25
- "Smoke (La vie en Fumér)" – 8:20
- "Crime Medley" - 3:05
- "Sound Effect-Siren" – 0:08
- Theme from "Dragnet" – 0:07
- Theme from "Peter Gunn" – 0:34
- Theme from "Perry Mason" – 1:13
- Theme from "Untouchables" – 1:03
- "I Was a Punk Before You Were a Punk" – 4:02
- "I Saw Her Standing There" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) – 2:57
- "Drum Solo" – 4:20
- "Boy Crazy" – 2:40
- "You're No Fun" – 3:15
- "Stand Up and Shout" – 3:30
- "White Punks on Dope" – 8:33
Personnel edit
- Fee Waybill - vocals
- Bill Spooner - guitar, vocals
- Michael Cotten - synthesizer
- Mingo Lewis - drums, percussion
- Prairie Prince - drums
- Roger Steen - guitar
- Vince Welnick - keyboards
- Rick Anderson - bass
- Re Styles - vocals
Critical reception edit
Although AllMusic reviews the album very favorably, describing it as "witty and entertaining" throughout, it ultimately gives it three stars out of five because the audio portion of the show is simply unable to convey the full impact of a Tubes concert in their heyday. "The downside of What Do You Want from Live", says reviewer Donald A. Guarisco, "is that some of the numbers are less potent without the choreographed routines surrounding them ... this leaves the listener feeling like they're only witnessing part of the joke", adding wistfully, "if only someone would put out a video of one of the Tubes' shows from this era."[1]
Charts edit
| Chart (1978) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[3] | 87 |
| Canada (RPM)[4] | 75 |
| United Kingdom (Official Charts Company)[5] | 38 |
| United States (Billboard 200)[6] | 82 |
References edit
- ^ a b Guarisco, Donald A.. What Do You Want from Live at AllMusic
- ^ Blake, Mark (August 29, 2016). "The Tubes: They came, they outraged, they conquered". Loudersound.com. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 314. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums - April 22, 1978" (PDF).
- ^ "Tubes: Albums". Officialcharts.com. 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
- ^ "The Tubes Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard.com. 2019. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2019.