One of their biggest weaknesses, however, has been in conjuring up a recording that conveys the pure party throwdown that is their live act. Since their early '80s classics Hexbreaker and Roman Gods they've kicked out a steady supply of new albums, usually one every year or two. Some of these are pretty good -- Powerstance and Beautiful Light are personal favorites of mine - while others are impaired by flat production or feeble material that drains much of the life from the performances. Solid Gold Sound, the group's last album from 2001, had some really ace moments but kinda sounded like sludge, and for some reason Peter Zaremba and Keith Streng both bellowed as if in pain, like they'd swallowed bicycle pumps before they recorded the thing. They probably shouldn't produce themselves if they can help it.

By contrast, Do You Swing? jumps out tha speakers right off the bat, like Zaremba, Streng, drummer Bill Milhizer and bassist Ken Fox are raving it up right there in your own living space. Give Rick Miller much of the credit for this - the Southern Culture on the Skids guitarist/singer has been making a name for himself as a damn fine producer up there in the North Carolina greenlands, and on Do You Swing? he brings out The Fleshtones' instinctive strengths with a robust, unpolluted sound that's just totally alive. The Fleshtones have honestly never sounded this good on a record, and of course the bulk of the credit for the success of this album goes to them. With selected assistance from a few guest players - including Jimbo Mathus and Ed Crawford (yep, the old fIREHOSE dude) -- they've stepped up to the plate with a batch of performances that rank among their best. "Headlock on My Heart," "Are You Ready For the Mountain?" "I'm Back Again" and the title track in particular capture that gleeful spirit that's at the heart of their music, all the handclaps, hoots, hollers, and harmonica breaks just adding accent to the standpoint that, despite all the constant strife and insanity in the world, this life is still worth dancing about. And the wonderful "Destination Greenpoint" invites their New York palooka humor to the forefront. But while it will probably get the bulk of the attention - cover songs always do, since it gives people something familiar to latch onto - the band's take on Led Zep's "Communication Breakdown" (with a little "Whole Lotta Love" thrown in) probably should've remained a live show crowd-pleaser. It just seems sorta silly and pointless, but then I guess all this stuff is silly and pointless, so why be a grump about it? Whatever, it's only two and a half minutes, I can live with it.

For most of The Fleshtones' existence they've operated as a virtually unnoticed anomaly, old-school daddy-freaks on the outskirts of the generally accepted standards of hepness and musical cool. Now that we're in the midst of one of those periodic garage-band revivals I'm sure the band - and certainly Yep Rock Records, who've given them a new, higher profile home than they've known for some time, along with similarly-minded Atlanta combo The Forty-Fives - is hoping for some long-overdue recognition. It may happen, and I hope it does, but it wouldn't surprise me if it doesn't. Y'know, Spin and Mojo and Q and Blender sure as shit ain't gonna be putting them on the cover and declaring them Band of the Year or anything. But you shouldn't let that stop you from checking out some of the best music ever from one of the forefathers of the garage movement - second generation, anyway. They're a national treasure.