KIM MITCHELL – I Am A Wild Party (Live) (1990 Alert)
Kim Mitchell’s solo career has been pretty spotty, but I think most fans own this live album. Personally, I would rank it as a must-have. If only it wasn’t so damn brief! What is this, an EP? Even by 1990 standards, when cassette was a primary format, 38 minutes for a live album from a musician with a career as rich as Kim’s…?
I Am A Wild Party (Live) kicks off with the title track, which was one of two “new” songs recorded at rehearsal. It’s actually an older song from the sessions of his 1986 album; the chorus ends with the line “I’m shakin’ like a human being.” This is now a Kim klassic, the kind of fun summer party rocker that he is known for. The other new song is “Deep Dive”, a good hard tune with some greasy guitar groove.
Live highlights include the old Max Webster classic “Battle Scar”. As you may remember, that was Max Webster’s team-up with Rush. Here, bassist Peter Fredette (a great singer in his own right) takes Geddy Lee’s vocal. He does it extremely well, too. Elsewhere on this album, Fredette sings the high parts on the ballad “All We Are”, which many fans consider better than the original studio version from Akimbo Alogo.
“That’s the Hold”, “Lager and Ale”, “Rock & Roll Duty” all rock harder than their album versions, let loose from the sterility of a studio, with Fredette wailing away in the background. These are great live versions, with not a lot of crowd noise to distract from the actual musicianship and volume!
I think the album could have been 10 or 11 songs. When the party sounds this good, you don’t want to leave.
4/5 stars
mikeladano.com 
Yeah the 38 minutes is to short esp for a live album like u said but for sure That’s The Hold is worth the price of admission! The whole thing rocks and yep a great summer time disc back in 90!
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Yeah Deke this one was at the forefront of many backyard / porch parties in my neighborhood!
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Time for a extended version of this release!
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I bet there would be demand for it.
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Yeah for sure I mean everyone else is reissuing things up the ying yang…but Nuthin has been done to Akimbos collection! Time I say is of the essence!…..you should check out his Fill Your Head Full Of Rock Greatest Hits….it’s by far his best compilation ..just rockin stuff…
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The same could be said of the Max catalogue. I know there are some Rock Candy reissues, but why not more?
I do have Fill Your Head With Rock, which is also great for the 1989 live DVD it comes with.
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No way I did not know about the live DVD…is It the Muchmusic one? Where there all drumming at the beginning?
Remember yrs ago reading that David Lee Roth had recorded Kids In Action as a possibility for the Eat Em album as Sheean was a member of Max once ..now that woulda been sumthin to hear!
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I know!! That would have blown my mind if that happened. OK, I have my Kim DVD in front of me:
Mine is a Swedish import. It has a live DVD called Rockland Wonderland, Sept 28 1989. I think it might be the Much special…I have to watch it again.
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He had a pretty good run on albums for the most part….I was and still fawn of the Itch album…
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Then my review of that album may be controversial :) I just listened to it again last week…it’s good but I am a Kimosabe guy. I love the Kimosabe album.
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Hahaha….listen man Lemon Wedge was the drinking tune in the summer of 94 here in Tbay!
Hahaha…bring on the review….actually it would be cool cause Kimosabe is a great song esp with Andy Curran on it…those three Coney albums and the Scatterbrain album are the dope(as the kids say nowadays)…hahaha
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Yeah those albums are “sick”!
Kimosabe is a lot more laid back than Itch but I dunno, it struck of chord with me. There’s some great music on it.
Ahh man…Lemon Wedge. I had an argument with a girlfriend over Lemon Wedge! I had the Greatest Hits CD in the car and she was complaining about that song. I made a wrong turn and then she blew up at me!
Yeah she hated Lemon Wedge man, big time!
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Basically she wanted me to skip the song and I refused :)
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Dude, if the relationship had devolved to THAT, it was over anyway.
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Actually the only argument I had was with the shot glass after a few shots…and the shot glass always won!
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I heard this played at many parties myself, even owned it at one point, back in the day. I don’t recall complaining about the playing length at the time but… I can see your point now. Great songs. Kim rules.
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