For some 25 years, until the release of The Lakeside Sessions, it looked as though Live Libel would be the inglorious swan song of one of the most distinguished songwriting teams of the '70s. In fact, the album was intended chiefly as a contractual obligation while Atkin -- increasingly dissatisfied as he was with RCA's support -- looked around for another label. Unfortunately, punk happened while he was looking, and suddenly labels weren't interested in articulate singer/songwriters. So for 25 years fans were left with an album that largely consisted of mildly scurrilous send-ups that had proven popular in live shows (or as the blurb put it, "An album of musical tributes to insufficiently neglected contemporary artists"). Since most of their targets (Kris Kristofferson, James Taylor, Leonard Cohen, Alice Cooper, Steeleye Span, and other '70s notables) long since ceased to be particularly influential, contemporary listeners are unlikely to find themselves convulsed with laughter -- though anyone allergic to Cohen will probably still find Doom from a Room (credited to Leonard Conman) something of a hoot. Adding further to the album's ragbag feel is Ballad of an Upstairs Window, an already aging comedy song -- with lyrics by Atkin -- whose principal interest is as a road not taken. Uncle Sea Bird, too, sounds as though it were recorded for another project entirely. Most significantly, perhaps, the album also boasted lyricist Clive James' first and last vocal lead on Why, a less than savage spoof of the then ubiquitous Telly Savalas hit If, though this was omitted for the CD reissue. ~ Christopher Evans, Rovi

1		Song for Rita
2		Black Funk Rex
3		I'm Crazy Over You
4		Errant Knight
5		Ready for the Road
6		Why
7		Ballad of an Upstairs Window
8		Stranger in Town
9		Rattlesnake Rock
10		Doom from a Room
11		I've Got Better Things to Do
12		Lonesome Levis Lane
13		Sheer Quivering Genius
14		Uncle Sea Bird