...And I Know You Wanna Dance (Live)

Chronique

One of the most underrated rockers of the 1960s, Johnny Rivers was a guy who served up the big beat strong and simple -- on most of his best records, he set up at the Whisky A Go-Go in L.A. with a crack rhythm section and rolled tape as he let rip on a set of classic R&B tunes and pop hits, with his sturdy but passionate voice and no-nonsense guitar work doing the talking. And I Know You Wanna Dance was Rivers' fourth live album, and if it sometimes sounds like the work of a bar band, in this context that's a compliment -- Rivers was a guy who played to rock the party, and if he's playing what the audience wants to hear on this disc, he also did it very well indeed, and his covers of "Uptight (Everything's Alright)," "Every Day I Have to Cry," "Respect," and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" are potent blue-eyed soul with lots of feeling and no unnecessary fuss. Rivers could also dig deeper into the blues bag when he felt like it, and while "The Snake" and "Foolkiller" are uptempo rockers, their tough roots shine through bright and clear. Rivers' sharp, efficient lead guitar is on point throughout the album, and his bandmembers -- including Mickey Jones on drums and Larry Knechtel on keys -- are tight and tasty without getting in the way. Johnny Rivers may not have been the hippest guy on the charts, but he played real-deal rock & roll the way it was meant to sound, and And I Know You Wanna Dance is a lot more fun to listen to than a lot of other albums with much higher hipster cred.

© Mark Deming /TiVo