RED ROCKERS - IT'S IN OUR BLOOD (2026)
Label: Liberation Hall
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 62 Minutes 48 Seconds
Audio: PCM 2.0 Stereo (No Subtitles)
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1)
Red Rockers were a New Orleans Clash-esque punk band form in '79, releasing their debut album Condition Red in '81 on 415 Records, and releasing two more album that were more commercial and post-punk/new wave in nature, before disbanding in '85. This Blu-ray documents the band recorded live on November 11th, 2023, reuniting for the first time in forty years at Tipitina's in New Orleans, performing their debut album Condition Red in its entirety. The band is in fine form, the anthemic tunes sound like they've got the crowd pumped, from the set opener, a rollicking cover of The Clash's "I'm So Bored with the U.S.A" the live mix sounds terrifically raw full-bodied and full-throttled, even more so with uncompressed audio here versus the CD, with a weightier bottom end. The band throw in a couple of real Red Rockers obscurities into the set, including "Voice of America" and "Missing In Action", which I think only appeared on more recent Condition Red re-issues'. The anthemic tunes hold up quite nicely, delivered by a band not merely reliving the past, but knocking out some timeless and catchy punk rock tunes that forty years on still sound as vital and raucous as ever, with themes of perseverance that are timeless. This Blu-ray offers the complete show, as where the recently reviewed CD left off three tracks, "Nothing To Lose", the cover of "Folsom Prison Blues" and their later-era single "China", the later of which is from the Red Rockers 'Good As Gold' 1983 album, which was a video that got quite a bit of play on MTV. If you're uninitiated would say check out the classic Condition Red (1981) album first, give it a spin, and then check out this live document. I think that if you're into anthemic punk along the lines of The Clash, The Dils and Social Distortion then the Red Rockers is gonna get your fist pumping for sure.
Audio/Video: The concert is presented in 1080p HD framed in 1.78:1 widescreen, shot from different camera angles from the crowd and sound booth, it looks terrific, clean and sharp, the stage lighting looks great. Audio comes by way of PCM 2.0 stereo, and it's a solid live mix with nice upper registers and a solid bottom-end.
I enjoyed the CD version of this reunion show quite a bit, but aside from the expanded setlist and superior audio this release has some very cool extras that sweeten the deal even more. We start off with the 15-min Guest Songs, which are actually additional covers recorded during the reunion show with a series of guest singers, We start off with Kiki from Glamorama performing "The Wait” by the Pretenders, then into The Beatles “Helter Skelter” with Jonathan Pretus from Cowboy Mouth and The Breton Sound, then a version of The Damned’ “New Rose" with Brad Orgeron, who at various times was fronted the Contenders, The Backstabbers, Aces 88, and Fade To Black, and then it ends with Stephie Whitesox doing a banger version of The Runaway’s “Cherry Bomb.”
Next is the 6-min Making of "China" Video featuring behind-the-scenes footage of making the film, camera set-ups, direction from director Oley Sassone, clips of the video (but sadly not the full video), these include interview clips with singer John Thomas Griffith. Sassone notably directed some huge MTV videos, among them "Broken Wings" by Mr. Mister and "It's in the Way That You Use It" by Eric Clapton, but, as a cult film lover I would be remiss not to mention that he also directed the notoriously unreleased (but easy enough to find if you're looking) Fantastic Four live-action film that was executive produced by Roger Corman.
Next, we get a full Red Rockers live show recorded at The Spit 1981, in Boston. A raw 39 minute performance of mostly songs from the first album. The setlist includes "Know What I Think", "Voice of America", "Teenage Underground", "Peer Pressure", "Can You Hear", "White Law", "Condition Red", "Hold On", "Grow Up", a cover of "Shakin' All Over" by Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, "Dead Heroes", Live Or Die", "Guns of Revolution", "Folsom Prison Blues", and "Missing In Action". The show was with multiple cameras, I am not sure what this was filmed for, maybe a cable public access show, but it's terrific, the sound mix lacks low-end, but it's a solid raw record of the band early on. At one point one of the rowdy punks from the audience grabs the mic and yells "Fuck the Clash, we want Red Rockets!". It's a great bonus to see the band in their '81 line-up versus their 2023 reunion line-up.
The last of the extras is the 3-in Jim Reilly Joins Red Rockers featuring band members Darren Hill, John Thomas Griffith, and James Singletary talking about the departure of drummer Patrick Butler Jones, and how they were talking to Bono from U2 Berkeley, who they toured with, when he suggested Jim Reilly from UK punk legends Stiff Little Fingers, who were heroes of the Red Rockers guys, as a replacement. He ended up joining the band, and we get a story of the 'Belfast Kiss' which the drummer gave to an annoying drunk trying to get a bite of his sandwich at a bar.
The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase
with booklet with liner notes by Audrey Faine, which is identical the the booklet that accompanies the CD, just a larger formatted booklet.
Tracklist:
1. Intro
2. I'm So Bored With the USA (The Clash)
3. Teenage Underground
4. Peer Pressure
5. Nothing To Lose +
6. Can You Hear
7. Know What I Think
8. United We Stand
9. Dead Heroes
10. Grow Up
11. China +
12. Folsom Prison Blues (Johnny Cash) +
13. Condition Red/My Generation (The Who)
14. Hold On
15. Missing In Action
16. White Law
17. Voice Of America
18. Live Or Die
19. Guns Of Revolution
+ Denotes track not available on the CD/LP, exclusive to the Blu-ray
Special Features:
- Guest Songs (14:50)
- Making of "China" Video (6:13)
- The Spit 1981 (37:57)
- Jim Reilly Joins Red Rockers (2:34)
Buy it!
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