by Stephen Thomas Erlewine The live record is a common gambit for hard rock bands, especially those past their commercial peak and recording for a new label. It's an easy way to get royalties for old songs and an easy way to get fans to buy a new record. It's also a sign of creative bankruptcy, but that doesn't matter if the record is good, which is the case with Warrant's Warrant Live 1986-1997. The title is misleading. The album is not a collection of live performances — it is a Detroit concert from 1997, where the group played its greatest hits. Warrant were at the top of their game, sounding harder and more ferocious than they did in the studio. That doesn't prevent some of these songs from being absolute dogs, but at least the band sounds impassioned about the material, which makes Warrant Live 1986-1997 a must-have for most of the group's hardcore fans.