Search - Rollins Band :: Do It

Seminal Early Rollins Band

B. Parker | oh | 01/02/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"NOTE: This is the newly remastered version of this album.

I've been a fan of Henry's for a long time. However, it took me until recently to dig into the early Rollins Band output. Now, while this is named after one of the three outtakes from the Lifetime sessions, the stuff that is essential on here are the live tracks. Every track on here destroys. Most of the live material is tracks from "Lifetime", though there are also a few from "Hot Animal Machine". In all cases, the live versions are superior to the studio tracks. Henry goes for the vocals more intensely, there's a few years of road time on the songs, and also Theo Van Rock's stunning work at the soundboard. He really was a fifth member of the band. I haven't heard the later live albums "Turned On" and "Live In Australia" yet. To me, this is a supreme example of what the Rollins Band was capable of in the pre-"End of Silence" days. If you have this, you almost don't need "Lifetime" or "Hot Animal Machine" - though if you were to do that, you wouldn't have the song "Drive-by Shooting", and that would be a shame..."