CD Review

Perhaps I’m totally off the mark, but it’s hard to say that many of us would speak of The Sadies without attaching them to Neko Case. You probably know them as Case’s on again, off again road backing band, or remember them as the band that featured a guitar player seemingly as tall as Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets. But if you were in Toronto last February during the taping of their new album, In Concert, Volume One, you’re probably shaking your head, swearing that these Canadian guys-- Dallas Good, Travis Good, Sean Dean and Mike Belitsky—hold up just fine as the top billing.

And while this double live album doesn’t necessarily separate The Sadies as a totally independent band, it shows that they can do one thing very well: collaborate fast and furious as a live act. Disc one features The Sadies performing their original raw and raucous material, while disc two brings out their friends (Case, Gary Louris of The Jayhwaks, Blue Rodeo) to try out a few covers, most notably Pink Floyd’s “Lucifer Sam” and The Band’s “Evangeline.” All in all you get a grand celebration of The Sadies that speeds through more than 40 tunes, never once showing a frown.