While Live may be a stopgap measure to bide time for a troubled band that hasn't released an album of new material since 1995, it's also a cool and comprehensive live portrait of a sonically superb band. The 14 tracks, recorded at various venues between 1990 and 1996 and featuring both bassists--ex-member Mike Starr and replacement Mike Inez--show a vitality and looseness not evident on the band's serious studio albums. AIC's spirit is most evident on the countrified "Queen of the Rodeo," although their personalities shine throughout. Sequenced from a booming 1990 version of "Bleed the Freak" through "Dam That River," captured during AIC's stint on a 1996 Kiss tour, Live provides a striking cross section of performances from a seminal hard-rock band. --Katherine Turman