Got Live If You Want It! is a six-song extended play release by the Rolling Stones featuring live recordings from 1965. The title is a pun on the swamp bluessong "I Got Love If You Want It" by Slim Harpo; the Stones recorded his "I'm a King Bee" for their 1964 debut album. Got Live If You Want It! reached number one in the UK and was the group's last EP. Although not issued in the US, three of its songs were included on albums released there by London Records in 1965: "I'm Alright" on Out of Our Heads; and "Route 66" and "I'm Moving On" on December's Children . With different tracks mostly recorded in 1966, London used the title for a live album released in December 1966.
Recording
Renowned for its raw-sounding quality, Got Live If You Want It! has endured as a live artifact, more for its historical than musical appeal. Reportedly engineerGlyn Johns had hung microphones over the balcony for the recording; however, this is called into question as "I'm Alright" on the Got Live If You Want It! LP contains the same backing track but with different vocals. This would have been impossible if the recordings were made as described. Additionally, "I'm Moving On" features a harmonica overdub as the instrument can be heard underneath Jagger's vocal during the first verse while Brian Jones is playing slide guitar. These two tracks may even be studio recordings re-tooled to give the impression of being live. The lack of studio documentation relating to The Stones' Decca recordings makes this difficult to confirm, but this approach was used the following year on the US Got Live If You Want It! LP.
Release and reception
In a review for AllMusic, Richie Unterberger gave the EP three put of five stars. He noted, "The EP was crudely recorded, but the raw energy of the group's early performances does shine through, particularly on the two best tracks, the cover of Hank Snow's 'I'm Moving On', and 'I'm Alright'." Unavailable for decades, Got Live If You Want It! was reissued on CD in 2004 on the Singles 1963–1965 box set. In November 2010, it was made available digitally and in 2011 as part of the 60's UK EP Collection digital compilation. On 29 November 2013, the EP was reissued on 7-inch vinyl record as a part of Record Store DayBlack Friday 2013.
