Call the Cops: Live in New York 1990

Recording information: New York (1990).
Illustrator: Leela Brookes.
One faces a live document of Happy Mondays in 1990 with equal amounts of excitement and dread. No question, the Mondays were at a peak in 1990, riding the wave generated by Pills 'n' Thrills & Bellyaches, but that was a creation of the studio and the group's excesses of the time surely don't guarantee a smooth, assured performance. Call the Cops: Live in New York 1990 is neither a triumph nor a disaster. The Mondays start off a little wobbly but they get their footing fairly quickly, before "Step On" concludes in its opening spot. The band goes through highlights from Bummed and Pills 'n' Thrills, and if they never conjure a real sense of menace or debauchery, never quite splicing the tapes and live performances effectively, they don't fall, either: they create a party that's enjoyable if not quite memorable. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine