AMG Review of Real Live Sound

Alex Henderson
All Music Guide

Agent Orange's most essential work came in the early 1980s, but the influential band still sounded quite vital when Real Live Sound was recorded live at ~the Roxy in West Hollywood, CA, in 1990. Blending punk, power pop, and surf rock, Agent Orange definitely goes that extra mile on favorites like "Too Young to Die," "Bloodstains," "Last Goodbye," and "No Such Thing" as well as exciting covers of everything from the Who's "Shakin' All Over" and the 1960s surf instrumental "Pipeline" to the Dead Kennedys' "Police Truck." Orange's version of Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love" is especially interesting -- removing its psychedelic elements, Orange successfully gives the song a ripping punk/surf/power pop makeover. For those who don't own any Agent Orange CDs, the Rhino collection Living in Darkness would be the best place to start, but Real Live Sound is also highly recommended.