The Fleshtones
Speed Connection

Now that I can say it: "yes, I have seen the Fleshtones live," I can dismiss this record with more confidence.

We were in a basement, because the venue where they performed is nothing more than a big basement that smells of mold (which I like for this reason), and there were about a hundred of us, maybe a few more or less, I wouldn't know, and just to be precise, I'll point out that at least forty percent of those present were hearing this band's music for the first time in their lives. After the opening act finished, Peter Zaremba arrives, no roadie hired to prepare the stage, he sets up the microphone and with his decadent dandy charm, he smiles showing his more than decayed teeth. He disappears, and the whole band emerges from behind for a surprise entrance. Why this description, you might ask? The answer is that the evening seemed like a sad New Year's party and turned into a frenzy, these Fleshtones are stage animals and between twists, push-ups, magic tricks, and clownish antics, they managed to transform a "wooden" audience into rock 'n' roll dancers.

And here we come to the point, "Speed Connection," live recorded in 1985 in France is the perfect opposite of what the Fleshtones are capable of delivering live. So much so that I keep asking myself why they chose this particular recording. The sounds are soft (too soft), the songs played are decidedly too "slow" and the audience, with all due respect, seems to fall asleep as the tracks progress. If much was promised with the triumphant start of "Hide and Seek," already with "Watch This," things start to deflate, and by the time one of my favorites, "Kingsmen like Medley," arrives, I am truly disappointed.

Thinking about it, maybe the band wanted to document their live overseas and couldn't resist the Parisian charm, but the fact is that perhaps due to "French incompetence," excuse my prejudices but in my opinion, rock and France are two parallel things, perhaps for unknown reasons the record doesn't rock.

The favorable point of this work is the tracks; for those who don't know the band, this is a great way to hear almost all of their best hits.

This album is a mediocre disappointment, and as a proud Italian, I say that if the cover had said "Live at Rome 85," the record would have been much better.