Route 66 (live)

December's Children (And Everybody's)
Side 1, Track 6
"Route 66" (live) (Bobby Troup) – 2:39



"Live" version of the song they did on England's Newest Hitmakers – live in quotes because there's some doubt that this track (and the others that ended up on Got Live If You Want It!) were actually recorded in front of an audience. What is not in dispute is the quality – where the sound on the previous studio release was tentative and uninterested, here it's raw and vital. Keith's intro is enough to alert the listener that you can't just be a passenger here, you've got to run as fast as you can just to keep up. The band maintains the frenetic energy through a great Keith solo right until the end. Rated ten for sheer awesomeness.

Route 66

England’s Newest Hitmakers

Side 1, Track 2

“Route 66” (Bobby Troup) – 2:20

Everybody knows this song, but I'm not sure why. It's a pretty pedestrian blues workout, the kind of thing Chuck Berry could crank out without trying hard. Speaking of which – Keith tosses out a great Chuck Berry solo in this one. There's a whole lot of nothing going on here – Mick can't seem to get any excitement going, and when the band screws up the ending they don't even care enough to do another take. If it wasn't for the solo, this track would be utterly forgettable.

I've forgotten it already!