Alive And Wired - Old 97's
Metascore
79 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 8
  2. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. If you're an Old 97's fan you've been waiting for this. If you're not, you just might be when it's all said and done.
  2. What is great about this set is that one disc feels like enough, but once you hear the second you know it's necessary.
  3. 80
    A sweatstorm of strum and twang. [Dec 2005, p.106]
  4. Quite simply, Alive & Wired captures a great band on a great night.
  5. Hardcore 97's fans may be disappointed by a few omissions (only two cuts from Wreck Your Life?), but Alive & Wired is a pretty complete package.
  6. What Alive & Wired does best is reconcile the considerable charms of the band's studio output with the immediacy of their live shows' energy, and the Old 97's captured on this essential double-album is a band that lands at the midpoint between Wilco's high-minded songcraft and the ball-busting rock swagger of Drive-By Truckers.
  7. By culling from early releases and rescuing tracks from last year's tepid Drag It Up, the band showcases a surprisingly deep and ridiculously rich canon of loser anthems ("Wish the Worst"), dark ballads ("Salome"), odes to romantic doubt and suspicion ("The Other Shoe"), cowboy calls ("West Texas Teardrops"), and frenzied barnstormers ("Doreen")-- all written and played with generous humor and genuine exhilaration.
  8. While the lack of onstage banter is welcome, Alive & Wired would have benefited from fewer songs and more space.
User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 4 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. KrisB
    9
    Are they out of their freaking heads? Where's "What We Talk About"? Whatever. They're an amazing band with great Americana tunes, and the album is great (they new it was gonna be a live album and they still couldn't play...) sorry. It was still great without it. Full Review »
  2. MelissaB
    9
    I only give this a 9 and not a 10 because i would have like to hear more banter.. Rhett is funny :)
  3. RobA
    8
    This band rules. These CD's don't quite capture how awesome their live shows are, but if you like great Americana, go ahead and pick this up. Some of the catchiest songs ever written. Full Review »