Nofx - They've Actually Gotten Worse Live

  by Adrian Huggins

published: 9 / 12 / 2007

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Review

If you’re a NOFX fan you will know exactly what to expect from this album. Or rather you will have a good idea of what to expect, but may still wonder if it is actually any good or worth buying as sometimes live albums really aren’t that great. "Warts and all" is the phrase that would I used to sum this record up. NOFX haven't tried to cover up anything that goes wrong. They're not stupid though, and, recorded over three nights in San Diego, they have managed to get the majority of the best bits in, but make no mistake this is certainly not edited. This is, however, the beauty of it and why it works so well. NOFX are not and will never be the sort of band who play flawless and practiced sets with rehearsed between song banter, but that is possibly why they have been together for 15 years. They really don’t care and manage to mix politics with a sense of the ridiculous. Older songs like ‘Murder the government’ and ‘Franco Un-American’ have had their lyrics changed to make them anti-Bush: “The whole world's laughing at our fucking president/he loves Dick but hates homosexuals”. They’re certainly not sugar coating, editing or dumbing down their views for the sake of offending people. They are also not afraid to sing about the funny and ridiculous on songs like ‘What’s the Matter with Parents These Days’ and ‘Happy birthday You’re Not Special’. There are very few bands out there that have managed to do this well and sustain it for longer than a few years if that. As with all NOFX shows the songs are that bit faster and completely energetic, but maintain the band's classic punk sound. Singer/bassist Fat Mike and guitarist El Hefe make a wonderful double act hurling insults at each other, their band, their crew and the crowd – “Yeah, you think we fucked up. Well too bad ,you paid already.” It is all good natured fun. Kind of. The songs are mostly taken from their last three or four albums. Having already released a live album, 'I Heard They Suck Live', back 1995 they have purposely not included any songs which featured on that. I am constantly impressed and relieved that NOFX exist because somehow these punks, who are all well into their 30’s, manage to stay relevant and are not afraid to pass honest comment on the world around them. What makes them special is that all the while they still laugh at juvenile jokes and poke fun of everything and anything they see. If that’s not enough, they’ve never released a single and never been a part of any MTV fads or scenes. They only ever made one video, they are punk. Thank fuck for NOFX.

Track Listing:-

1 Intro/Glass War
2 You're Wrong
3 Franco Un-American
4 Scavenger Type
5 What's The Matter With Parents Today?
6 The Longest Line
7 New Happy Birthday Song?
8 Eat The Meek
9 Murder The Government
10 Monosyllabic Girl
11 I'm Telling Tim
12 Instant Crassic
13 Can't Get The Stink Out
14 See Her Pee
15 I Wanna Be An Alcoholic
16 Fuck The Kids
17 Juice Head
18 What Now My Love
19 Lori Meyers
20 We March To The Beat Of Indifferent Drum
21 I, Melvin
22 Green Corn
23 Whoops I Od'd
24 Stickin In My Eye
25 The Decline