Oh, the live album.

Do you remember the last time you heard about your favorite band releasing one and thought, “Hey, this will do just fine until they release their new material?”

Generally, the live album wears out its welcome within a couple of weeks before it fulfills its destiny to rest amongst the likes of Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumper” and R.E.M.’s “Monster” in the used-CD bin. The novelty wears off faster than a vending machine sticky hand in a cramped car ride across the country.

The latest band featured in Fat Wreck Chord’s “Live in a Dive” series, Lagwagon, throws the crust off its last scraps of bread to a fan base that has been hungry for quite some time.

Make no mistake, however – the 22 tracks are superbly executed and the band still sounds in top form long after its 1992 debut. Singer Joey Cape hits each note perfectly throughout the recording, and the rest of the band follows suit.

Is the perfect execution a good thing to listen to on a live album, though? Besides the somewhat chucklesome stage banter between songs, this live recording could be mistaken for a greatest hits compilation.

The only appeal of live recordings comes from unexpected twists like extended guitar solos, reworkings of original material or cover songs not featured on former releases.

Two new songs are featured: “Mister Bap” and “The Chemist.” “Mister Bap” is a sad attempt at hardcore punk that obviously was laboriously constructed – clocking in at about 40 seconds. “The Chemist” is a much better fit for the band but does not warrant the purchase of the album for anyone except die-hard enthusiasts.

Old Lagwagon fans may be nostalgic enough to saddle up on this pony and give it a ride, but any newcomers may find themselves making an unexpected trip to the glue factory.