L.A. GUNS – Cocked and Loaded Live

"Cocked and Loaded Live" by renowned glam metal act L.A. Guns is one of those releases that I was truly looking forward to immersing myself in and reviewing because the fact is that these guys have made some great albums over the years and written countless tunes that work perfectly in a live setting and never fail to make the crowd lose their minds. Having listened to this thirteen-track offering numerous times now, which, as its title suggests, includes the classic "Cocked and Loaded" LP performed in its entirety plus a few other tracks, I must say that I find it somewhat uninspired and lackluster. It sounds relatively flat and neither packs a sonic punch nor conjures up the raunchy essence of their studio material.

I was expecting something loud and raw, but the combination of the production and the playing leaves something to be desired here and it is simply not as memorable, potent, and vigorous as it could have been. We all know that they are incredibly skilled musicians and there is a reason why the aforementioned studio album is considered a classic, but here it feels as if they are merely running through the songs without any sense of heartfelt passion being present. Apart from the atmospheric rendition of "Magdalaine" and the chugging rocker that is "Speed", there is no real spark or fire to the proceedings and it fails to generate a sense of rock ‘n’ roll excitement.

I very much like the current constellation of L.A. Guns and the line-up boast charisma and talent, but "Cocked and Loaded Live" is hardly what I would deem a breathtaking experience, and sadly, the band is not in full euphoric flight onstage here.

 

Official L.A. Guns Ft. Phil Lewis and Tracii Guns (lagunsmusic.com)