Firehose's seven-track mini-album from 1992,
Live Totem Pole EP, proved to be a strong testament to the trio's high-energy live show. Recorded live at the Palomino in North Hollywood, CA, on August 16, 1991,
Mike Watt and company sound possessed as they thrash their way through five covers and two overlooked originals from yesteryear. Although the
Firehose precursor band,
the Minutemen, had covered
Blue Öyster Cult's "The Red and the Black" previously, the album-opening version included here simply shreds all previous versions (including
BOC's original). Other covers include
Public Enemy's "Sophisticated Bitch,"
the Butthole Surfers' "Revolution (Part Two),"
Superchunk's "Slack Motherfucker," and
Wire's "Mannequin." A pair of short
Watt-penned compositions, "What Gets Heard" and "Makin' the Freeway" (the latter contains a humorous stage warning from
Watt to a fan who's "throwing sh*t"), fit in well with the other selections. Shortly after its release,
Live Totem Pole was discontinued, and it has become a collectors' item amongst
Firehose/
Watt fans. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide