The vast majority of European disco artists who were active in the late '70s never recorded live albums. Eurodisco was aimed at dance clubs, and conventional wisdom has it that live recordings don't fare very well on the dance floor. So it came as a surprise when, in 1979, Malligator released this live
Cerrone album in France. Recorded at the Paris Pavilion on December 1-2, 1978, this two-LP set wasn't a major club hit. But for
Cerrone's more devoted fans, In Concert serves as a generally pleasing document of what he could do on stage with a live band. The album gets off to a surprisingly hard-edged rock/soul start with an enjoyable, if unremarkable, performance of
the Spencer Davis Group's "Gimme Some Lovin'." By opening on a tough and gritty note,
Cerrone lets you know that you can't expect the live
Cerrone to sound exactly like the
Cerrone of the studio, and sure enough, live performances of "Supernature," "Je Suis Music," and "Rocket in My Pocket" have a harder, grittier edge than the studio versions. Even "Cerrone's Paradise" and "Love in C Minor," which were quite lush in the studio, become tougher and more rock-influenced on stage.
Cerrone's various singers don't hesitate to belt, and the Parisian drummer plays more forcefully than on his studio recordings. In Concert isn't perfect, but it has a lot more pluses than minuses and is an interesting release that shows us an overlooked side of the Eurodisco icon. ~ Alex Henderson