NOFX

They’ve Actually Gotten Worse Live

[3/5]

Recorded over three nights in early 2007 at Slim’s in San Francisco, They’ve Actually Gotten Worse Live marks NOFX’s second foray into the oft-unfortunate realm of the live record. Full of sorta-drunken inter-song banter and a distinct but tolerable degree of slop, listeners get 24 tracks old and new, well known and lesser so. Ideally, live records serve to capture the spirit of a band’s performance while also documenting a specific time and place, and Worse does this well enough-you get the complete NOFX package, including the ridiculously funny one-liners, blistering punk songs and a healthy dose of “fuck off.” Do you like to get wasted and teeter on the edge of total belligerence? These guys sure do, and Worse brings you the whole shebang in a clever, fun and sometimes compelling shot glass, full of cocaine and set on fire. It also avoids any redundancy with respect to 1995’s I Heard They Suck Live, which is now the band’s lesser live record in terms of both content and audio quality (this thing is beefy and sounds downright awesome). It’s a stretch to say Worse is essential listening, but fans will certainly enjoy this more than substantial holdover as they anticipate the next proper NOFX album. (FAT WRECK CHORDS) Ronen Kauffman

ROCKS LIKE:

NOFX’s I Heard They Suck Live

NOFX’s War on Errorism

Bill Hicks’ Rant in E-Minor