Rarely, do the Plasmatics get the credit they deserve for their influence on Punk and Heavy Metal. Yeah, there were bands that were pushing the envelope, back in the day, but not like the Plasmatics. Imagine a punk version of Alice Cooper with a female vocalist, and you'd be pretty close. Wendy O Williams, pushed the genre further than any other female vocalist before her. That said, MVD Visual has recently released Plasmatics Live! (Rod Swenson's Lost Tapes 1978-81), so you can witness it for yourself.
This release is from Rod Swenson's archive, which had thought to be lost. If you're unaware, Swenson was the visionary behind the Plasmatics shows as well as their manager. Apparently, Swenson filmed many of their shows, back in the day, and now we, the fans, get to enjoy the archived footage. The DVD is made up of 5 different shows spanning from 1978 through 1981. The footage in most of these shows looks good, but the audio suffers in parts. The footage looks like it was restored off old video tapes, but who cares, because this is some rare shit.
If you are not sure who the Plasmatics are, or if you didn't get them back in the day, then this is something you should check out. This band was innovative and really pushed the bar, when it came to live performances. A cool aspect of the video is seeing how the band changes their look from tour to tour, as well as their stage show. This one's a keeper.
Bottom Line: A DVD that shows a band pushing the limits live. They may not be the most talented musicians, but they sure could put on a show. If you ever wondered if there was a female Alice Cooper, then look no further and check out this DVD.
-Ragman is thinking it is time to finally pick up Coup D'Etat.