DOWNLOAD: The Outlets, "Third Floor" (mp3)
The practice of reunited punk bands re-recording their early hits rarely yeilds anything worth listening to, but the Outlets are a special case: like a bunch of Boston bands in the early ’80s, their studio recordings rarely matched their live prowess. And in the ensuing decades, they’ve kept busy — especially founding Dropkick Murphys guitarist Rick Barton, who recently returned with yet another ball-breaking rock and roll band, Everybody Out. So the only-slightly-misleadingly-named The Outlets Rock 1980 (featuring all original members, recorded earlier this year) comes as a corrective: loud, ripping, and dirty, it’s arguably better than the real thing. For good measure, they’ve tacked on the original recordings from their best singles. You can catch the band October 13 at Church (formerly the Linwood).