The Blue Album

This nine-song live CD is neither an ultimate intro (that's Treehouse's hot 1987 retrospective Buried Alive) of these original Cleveland punks' four classic 1977-1979 singles and 10 other tracks, nor is it the best live document. (That would be Terminal's 1983's self-titled "Pink" album and Treehouse's 1987 issue, The Godlike Power Of.) But all three are hard to find. And Blue, recorded when the Pagans were supposed to be 10 years past their prime, at Madison, WI's O'Kayz Corral in 1988, is further testament that these down ‘n' dirty miscreants were great any time, any place. Led by snarly-voiced great Mike Hudson, they exuded the rippin' garage rock ‘n' roll side of punk, found in their dirty drive and '77 punk riffs — as well as on covers here of Rolling Stones' 1964 number 19 "Heart of Stone" and the Elvis Presley 1958 number four version of "One Night with You." Hudson also had the snotty black humor of punk lyrics and irreverent attitude down pat, superior to more famous Ohio contemporary Stiv Bators. The only "too bad" is that Blue is so short (18 minutes!), missing all the classics such as "What's This S**t Called Love" and "Street Where Nobody Lives." Otherwise, for old fans, or those who want to experience what underground punk meant and smelled like, this hits hard.