Proceedings open with the first of three cover versions included on the album. Elsewhere on this blog I said, "Any song that centres on the assassination of President Kennedy has the potential to be pretty disastrous but "Seconds" is both respectful and entertaining." Whist this may be true of the original, I'm not convinced the LCD version is quite as successful.
The second track is a grittier version of the title track from their previous album and, to me, it improves things. I'm not a fan of the song "You Wanted a Hit" so the protracted version included here is totally wasted on me. However, I am a massive fan of "Get Innocuous!" which drives along relentlessly in a wash of synths, frenetic drumming and vocal chants. This is clearly a band that have played together for a long time as no matter how intricate and syncopated things become, they all seem to remain locked to each other like machines.
Next is a trio of songs taken from the "American Dream" album which are all pretty dull - with the exception of "I Used To" which is superior to the original album version. "Home" rattles along at a rapid pace and delivers all of your cowbell percussion dreams in the process. This track segues into a version of Chic's "I Want Your Love" in which Nancy delivers a respectable vocal.
The introduction alone is enough to put me off listening to "Emotional Haircut" but I brave it and survive. "Oh Baby" is the standout track from the proceeding album and the version here offers us a slightly different flavour of a great song. The first single from the album was a cover of Heaven 17's "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" which is presented as a reverential and restrained reproduction of the original.
Whilst some of the versions recorded in these sessions are superior to the originals, there is an over reliance on material from "American Dream" which means this record doesn't hang together as well as it could have. The band are clearly highly talented and were operating as a well oiled machine by the time they went into the studio to record this, but I wanted to hear a greater spread of material. 2/5
