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Editorial Reviews

Recorded during their 1980 tour of England supporting the Clash, Live Shots is Joe Ely and his band at their rocking best. And while it could merely serve as a live, 'best-of' sampler of Ely's first three records, many of these songs seem to have found a home here. Tracks such as "I Had My Hopes Up High" and "Johnny's Blues" from his debut; Honky Tonk Masquerade's "Fingernails," and "Crazy Lemon" (one of four songs recorded in Texas) from the more recent, Down on the Drag, make the studio versions seem tame by comparison, while a relentless cover of the Blind Lemon Jefferson derivation, "Long Snake Moan," and a swinging "Midnight Shift," which had been recorded by fellow Lubbock native, Buddy Holly, and Ely's duet with Carlene Carter on Hank Williams' "Honk Tonkin'" are electrifying. Elsewhere, the melancholy country of "Honky Tonk Masquerade" and Butch Hancock's Southwest classic, "She Never Spoke Spanish to Me" are nearly as strong as their studio counterparts, though they may lack some of the originals' subtlety, while Hancock's "Fools Fall in Love" and "Boxcars" seem all the more ominous in this setting. It's not hard to see why the Clash handpicked Ely and his band to open their British dates; there's an energy on show here that's on par with the best that punk had to offer before becoming a commodity, but with a tightness that had been honed for years on the road and in the bars and clubs of Texas. Live Shots remains one of Joe Ely's best, and is as good an argument as you're going to find for releasing a live album. The four songs from the bonus, Texas Special EP included with the original vinyl were added to the CD release. Brett Hartenbach, All Music Guide

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