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NOFX - They've Actually Gotten Worse (Fat Wreck Chords)
 Recorded at three nights at Slim's in San Francisco in January of 2007, NOFX's second live album since 1995's I Heard They Still Suck is part punk rock show, part comedy club. There's a lot of funny shtick, like the tribute to 60's trumpeter Herb Alpert, "Herb," a horn driven instrumental that must have had most of the crowd wondering, "What the fuck?" There's also a funny, improvised "birthday song" to one of the gals in the crowd ("Amy's a Crack Whore"), but that's classic NOFX. Like fellow Californians Reel Big Fish, you never know what to expect, but you know it's gonna be cool.
NOFX has a knack for ridiculously infectious grooves and catchy melodies that serve as a musical platform for their political and world views which poke fun ("Franco," "Parents," "Murder the Government," for starters) at what are some really important issues, without preaching to the masses. Usually at a NOFX show, no one needs to wind up. The band's music seduces any room into a nonstop wild party. You can almost feel the audience sway back and forth, jump up and down, and pogo in the mosh pit like a mad riot. (they should have made a DVD of the show too). And don't plan on hearing a note for note replay of their studio albums. NOFX mixes it up and mesh different songs together, keeping the audience on their toes, and their set ever-intriguing.
Tim and I had interviewed Fat Mike a couple of years ago (he has a wicked sense of humor. - hey Mike, the offer is still good to get a couple of Jersey pizzas and hang out next time around), and we also saw NOFX at The Warped Tour. Here's a band that was formed in 1983 and has not lost a bit of their mojo or energy! Unlike the self-deprecating title of this album, they've actually gotten BETTER live! - Phil Rainone
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