Devoid of either historical or analytical detail, Live & Rare is one of those albums which could have been recorded any time in the last 30 years, and leaves the listener hoping it'll live up to expectations. Naturally, it doesn't. There are only two Eddie & the Hot Rods albums that are genuinely worth owning, their debut and their sophomore set. Between them, and all the more so across recent bonus track-stacked reissues, Teenage Depression and Life on the Line round up every worthwhile note of music the band recorded in their so glorious heyday, then spread around the albums and a clutch of singles, too. Many of the same titles appear here as well, some live, some demos, and some, conceivably, of more historic value than the packaging lets on. Others, however, unquestionably date from the band's mid-'80s sort-of reunion, with vocalist Barrie Masters and drummer Steve Nicol the only original bandmembers in sight, and anything beyond a nostalgic flapping clearly beyond them. "Fought for You" and "Hey Tonight," that lineup's sole singles, are of marginal curiosity value, but extracts from the One Story Town live set are tired and toothless. If you don't care about context but simply want a singalong, you might enjoy them. You probably also think "caveat" is what you wear down a pothole, and that's OK as well. But if you want a true taste of the Hot Rods at their peak, and maybe an aural explanation of why they remain an irreplaceable ingredient in the history of the past quarter century of righteous rock, Live & Rare should be left where you found it.