The Greatest Hits...Alive

by Stephen Thomas ErlewineThe very words "greatest hits live," or some variation of the sort, strikes fear in the heart of all rock critics, and many dedicated fans, as well, since it usually signals that it's cut-rate, latter-day recordings by an artist past his prime. And that assumption is usually true, with only a handful of exceptions to the rule. As it happens, Rick Springfield's Greatest Hits...Alive is one of those exceptions. True, Springfield was far away from the top of the charts when he recorded this material on his early summer tour of 2000, but he was in surprisingly strong form, turning out muscular, invigorating versions of his underrated, arena power pop chestnuts of the early '80s, while convincingly selling newer material. While he does admit in the liners that there was some slight studio doctoring (and that the songs about his father were recorded live in the studio, not the stage), that doesn't change the character of the performances, which are full-bodied, fairly exciting, and fun. This won't change the mind of any skeptics, but if you've ever found Working Class Dog to be a kind of masterpiece or loved such singles as "Affair of the Heart" or "Love Somebody," it's hard not to enjoy this spirited set as it's playing.