Kix 'Live In Baltimore' - The Bring Back Glam! Album Review
Friday, October 12, 2012 at 12:01AM 
Kix recently released the CD/DVD combo Live in Baltimore via Frontiers. This review focuses on the CD only. A digital version with alternate tracks is also available (more on that below).
Kix performed to a capacity crowd at Ram’s Head Live in Baltimore and the show was recorded for this combo.
Here’s the track listing:
1. No Ring Around Rosie
2. Atomic Bombs
3. Lie Like A Rug
4. Don’t Close Your Eyes
5. Girl Money
6. Cold Blood
7. Cold Shower
8. She Dropped Me The Bomb
9. Blow My Fuse
10. Kix Are For Kids
11. Midnite Dynamite
12. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah
A quick glance by any Kix fan will reveal that most of the live tracks were taken from the band’s most successful album Blow My Fuse.
Highlights of the record include “Girl Money,” “Cold Blood” and “Cold Shower.” These songs represents a very tight portion of the band’s live show.
Beginning with “No Ring Around Rosie” surprises me, as Kix usually start their show with “Hot Wire,” which isn’t part of the “core” CD but is on the DVD release. I think this is an error as “Hot Wire” deserves to be on the CD.
Kix has done a good job of spanning their entire career with the chosen tracks, even if Cool Kids and Show Business are ignored and really, the track “Cool Kids” should be here. Still, the casual fan gets what the band is about in a nice and tidy package that clocks in at under an hour. The die hard fans already own this record and wanted it in their collections a decade ago!
In 1993, Kix released the album called Kix Live (sometimes called contractual obligation live), largely touted as one of the best live albums of the Glam genre. The sound on Kix Live is huge. There is some song overlap here, but several tracks are different, making Live In Baltimore a must purchase.
One of the things I hate of all new releases these days are all the different versions available to the consumer. When I buy an album, I want to know that I am getting every track. Unfortunately, the physical release of Live In Baltimore leaves out tracks like “Sex” and “Same Jane,” two of my favorites. These songs are bonus material on the digital release. You can head to Amazon and buy each song download separately, including the bonus tracks. ("Same Jane" is available as a bonus track on the Japanese version of the CD audio part of the CD/VD package).
Now, to be fair, the limited amount of songs on the CD isn't really the band's fault. The band was only allowed to put 12 tracks on the CD, which is why there are so many more songs on the DVD.
The disc ends with a 17 minute (!) rendition of “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” which is always a good time. Every Kix fan knows that each live show is different – you never know which version of “Yeah” you’re going to get. I’ve even been to a Kix show where the song was cut for time (travesty!) and people left confused.
Bottom line: you need this album. As a band, Kix has recently promised that they are working on some new songs and that will be huge. In the meantime, Live In Baltimore should tide you over.
Reader Comments (8)
Say "No, No, No" to "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" and you get 4 much better songs!