Simple Plan - Mtv Hard Rock Live

  by Adrian Huggins

published: 18 / 10 / 2005

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Review

Canadian pop-punkers Simple Plan have released this album as part of the 'MTV Rocks: Live'series. There doesn’t really seem to be that much to distinguish this live album from a studio album, which is both a good and bad thing. Good in that you can tell what they’re playing no problem, with no muffled voices, off key instruments and the such like. Apart from that, however, it’s just the band's songs with a few thousand people cheering in between, and the odd sing-along and “Let me see you jumps!” thown in along the way. The album , however, features no extended versions or adlibbed pieces to make it more interesting, As for the songs well, the band are undoubtedly pop-punk. Nothing more, nothing less, and, fair play to them ,they do what they do very well. They play very catchy tunes that stick in your head, like 'I’d Do Anything' and 'Crazy', although there is not a great deal to them other than that. But that is okay sometimes, and if you remember that then you can enjoy them. Simple Plan are not going to change the world or cause any riots, but that is ok. It’s not their job to do that. I’d imagine if a Mr Jonathon Bonjoviani or whatever he was called had been starting a band now this is what it would sound like. The album starts off with 'Shut Up' which is a good way to start the show and is followed with the song 'Jump', which you can very well imagine several thousand fresh faced youths bouncing merrily along to. All good and well and it pretty much carries on like this throughout. Some of the songs that appear towards the end of the record, such as 'Crazy' and current single 'Untitled', showcase the band's slower side. Both these tracks feature sing-a-longs, and while you may spend half the album thinking: “Yeah it’s ok, but this one sound like that one..” when you hear all those fans singing back at the group then you start soften and realize that hey, maybe it’s not for me, but for the people there this band are really special. This is definitely an album for the fans. If you're not a fan and do hear it, then my advice is to just enjoy it for what it is, fun. They’re not a bunch of guys preaching to you, or telling you how great they are. They’re just up their playing and having fun, and nobody should take any of that away from them or their many fans.

Track Listing:-

1 Shut Up!
2 Jump
3 The Worst Day Ever
4 Addicted
5 Me Against The World
6 Crazy
7 God Must Hate Me
8 Thank You
9 Welcome To My Life
10 I'm Just A Kid
11 I'd Do Anything
12 Untitled (How Could This Happen To Me?)
13 Perfect
14 Crazy (Acoustic Version)