Spin (10/98, p.147) - 6 (out of 10) - "...LIVE FROM THE MIDDLE EAST is unremittingly fun-fun-fun. It's probably perfect for your next workout or frat party..."
Entertainment Weekly (11/27/98, p.85) - "...Barrett races across 22 horn-punched thrashers like he's scented fox--the kind of rabid, party-down performance you rarely hear on live sets these days." - Rating: B+
Q (3/99, p.100) - 3 Stars (out of 5) - "...investing their songs with a ferocious punk aggression borne out of their hardcore roots, a goofy, feelgood attitude and a side order of feisty non-preachifying political anger..."
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones: Dicky Barrett (vocals); Nate Albert (guitar); Tim Burton, Kevin Lenear (saxophone); Dennis Brockenborough (trombone); Joe Gittleman (bass); Joe Sirois (drums).
Recorded live at Middle East, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Includes liner notes by Joe Gittleman.
LIVE FROM THE MIDDLE EAST was recorded at the 1997 Hometown Throwdown, an annual five-day concert held for the Bosstones' hometown fans in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Compiled from each of the five concerts, the album captures the hyperkinetic energy and immediacy of a live performance by a band which has acquired its devoted fan base mostly on the reputation of its frenzied, rowdy concerts. The Bosstones can be credited as innovators of the hugely popular fusion of ska with punk rock (they've been around since 1985), as well as activists. The band's lyrical themes are often relentless castigation of all kinds of bigotry and reflect a true social conscience. The 22 songs include the hit single, "The Impression That I Get," as well as pure ska classics like "Royal Oil" and thrashing punk rockers like "Doves and Civilians."