Live and Sleazy

AMG Review of Live and Sleazy

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

Live albums by studio-constructed groups are always a bit weird, but the Village People's Live and Sleazy (possibly the greatest title for a live album, ever) is an entity unto itself. Released in 1979, just after the group's popularity peaked but before the downfall began, the album captures the group running through their best known songs "live" in concert -- much of this was doctored in the studio, after the fact. There's no improvisation or new arrangements here, but there's a different feel -- it's over-the-top and ridiculous and if you have somehow missed the group's not-quite-hidden gayness, well there's no chance of it here. It's not really the way to hear Village Poeple, but fans of kitsch and disco will find this an irresistable artifact.