Sum 41

I’ve already publicly admitted the guilty pleasure that is Sum 41 and I’m standing behind it. But their first live album, recorded in London, ON of all places, is a too-slick document of what are generally chaotic and less polished live performances. About two of the 21 tracks into the disc, I found myself wondering if they didn’t pull a little Kiss Alive trickery into, using editing and studio overdubs to make it a little more perfect...and a little too perfect. There’s nary a bum note or vocal crack to be found; which is the opposite of what you get when you see them live (and I mean that in a good way because performing like they do it’s impossible to hit every cue just right). As for the song selection, it’s essentially a greatest hits collection with a protracted breakdown in "Makes No Difference” and a couple of minute-long thrashers thrown in. The songs remain solid, but the production quality betrays a true Sum 41 live experience.