By David Thomas
February 18, 2003
Humor has always been an integral part of punk rock. There were of course the serious musicians like the CLASH, who were all about integrity, but starting with the heroic RAMONES, there was a bit of dry wit, sarcasm and even some levity to the genre that made it even more endearing.
Today, bands like REGGIE AND THE FULL EFFECT and ATOM & HIS PACKAGE are at one end of the spectrum with their ultra-witty writing, while some of the biggest stars around pay respects to the best American punk band of all time.
Pick of the Week
A TRIBUTE TO THE RAMONES, We’re A Happy Family
I was never a huge fan of the RAMONES. Don’t get me wrong I knew every RAMONES song as well as the next guy but I never sought out all their records. The songs were just ingrained into my subconscious automatically. I had seen the RAMONES live twice, once opening for PEARL JAM in 1995 and then the following year at Lollapalooza. I never got to see them in a tiny club, but they were a great live act, cranking out their songs loud and fast even at the stadium level.
After Joey and Dee Dee both died so suddenly, this tribute album was almost a no-brainer. I found the eclectic mix of acts on it a delightful surprise. Not because ROB ZOMBIE plays next to U2, but because the most surprising acts deliver the best songs. Here’s a quick rundown:
The RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS start things off right with a somewhat somber but island-influenced “Havana Affair.” It’s a perfect song for the band to tackle and more palatable than any of the songs from the band’s last album.
After a horrible heavy metal rendition of “Blitzkrieg Bop” by ROB ZOMBIE (why did he produce this album?), EDDIE VEDDER joins his friends in ZEKE for a faithful “I Believe In Miracles.” The singer’s trademark timbre is worlds apart from Joey’s nasal delivery but seems to fit just the same over abrasive guitars and steady drumming.
Than we get to hear METALLICA take on “53rd & 3rd” where James Hetfield’s vocals are as pitiful as Vedder’s are soulful. I do give the band credit for turning down their metal-thunder to a punkish beat. Lars Ulrich doesn’t even overplay the song!
U2 just doesn’t make any sense here. The band plays a faithful rendition of “Beat On The Brat” but Bono is just whispering the lyrics. His Irish crooning sounds completely out of place and the band would’ve been better off picking a different tune.
KISS shocked me at first listen but then it made sense that they would play “Do You Remember Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio” so perfectly. It’s an anthem. And if there’s anything KISS knows how to play it’s big rock ‘n’ roll anthems. Here the band and the song selection make sense and it’s interesting to hear KISS, who was at the other end of the rock spectrum playing stadiums in the 1970s, paying tribute to their club gigging brethren in THE RAMONES.
I won’t even waste a second sentence on the horrible industrial drudge that is the MARILYN MANSON take of “The KKK Took My Baby Away.”
GARBAGE do an adequate job on “I Just Wanna Have Something To Do,” but it doesn’t inspire any thoughts other than what the RAMONES might’ve sounded like had Debbie Harry fronted the group as Debbie Ramone.
GREEN DAY do a perfect job on “Outsider”. As I age, I’m constantly reminded how good a band GREEN DAY actually is, even if they were huge sell-outs. Mainly because I keep hearing SUM 41 every ten seconds and wish Billy Joe and company would just go kick their dwarfish asses. GREEN DAY still plays punk better than almost anyone else today. Billy Joe’s longing vocals resonate perfectly as he sings, “I’m an outsider, outside of everything.”
THE PRETENDERS turn in a transformed version of “Something To Believe In.” This is what you want a tribute to be, one landmark band offering their take on a certain song from another landmark band. THE PRETENDERS obviously slow down the track and break it down to its barest parts. The vocals are so sad and melancholy that this it’s placement between GREEN DAY and RANCID is a bizarre one.
RANCID, of course, takes “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker” and actually plays it a beat faster than the original! Lars Fredriksen takes all the lead vocals, giving a traditional punk vibe, but I would’ve loved to hear Tim Armstong’s inaudible, yet endearing, mumbling here.
Blowing me away with his performance on We’re A Happy Family is PETE YORN. “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend’s” lonely lyrics originally sung by the not too attractive Joey made it a heart breaking tune, even if played by guys in leather jackets. YORN’s gorgeous pipes and lush orchestration hammer home all the heartache of the original and offers some real substance to the song.
The OFFSPRING are the polar opposites playing “I Wanna Be Sedated” without any originality or inspiration. It sounds just like the original except with massively doctored vocals.
ROONEY plays “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow.” Who the hell is ROONEY? How’d they get on this album?
Delivering a classic, spooky, blues infused performance of “Return of Jackie & Judy” is TOM WAITS. Enough said.
And capping off the album is a bonus tack by VEDDER and ZEKE of “Daytime Dilemma (Dangers Of Love).” Like their other track it’s down admirably but I prefer the selection of “I Believe In Miracles” for Vedder’s delivery.
Overall this is a better tribute than most and hopefully this track by track review will help you decide if this is the way you want to honor Joey and Dee Dee. Or you can just go rent Rock & Roll High School.
Derivative Pick of the Week
REGGIE AND THE FULL EFFECT, Under The Tray (Vagrant Records)
The humor on Under The Tray comes from the actual songwriting. There are tracks that are simple emo rock cutouts, “Congratulations Smack & Katy,” and others that retread 1980's synth pop like “MOOD 4 LUV.” When the band actually plays something closer to their own style of guitar heavy tracks the group actually succeeds in producing some truly memorable cuts like “What Won’t Kill You Eats Gas.”
By the time you reach “Getting By With It’s” and its danceable, synthesizer grooves, it hits you that maybe this band is taking themselves seriously. Despite the silly album artwork and song titles, maybe REGGIE do think this is good music. And as far as concise songwriting goes everything makes sense. Choruses are in the right place, there are climatic changes, a solid pacing to the record etc. But it is the schizophrenic nature of the album that will throw off listeners and ultimately leave the album in the “rarely listened to” stack of CDs on my desk.
Indie Pick of the Week
ATOM & HIS PACKAGE, Attention! Blah! Blah! Blah! (Hopeless Records)
While REGGIE is straight-ahead rocking out ATOM & HIS PACKAGE, the one-man project of Adam Goren, takes more cues from Saturday Night Live than CHEAP TRICK.
For ATOM and Attention!, things are always more comedic (at least it seems that way) than REGGIE but that doesn’t mean they’re any less smart, witty or catchy. Think NOFX with a brain and a synthesizer. Tracks like "Moustache" might not make much sense, but then things get all meaningful on “The Palestinians Are Not The Same Thing as the Rebel Alliance, Jackass.” And while it sounds like GUTTERMOUTH is actually playing the song, the lyrics are just too highbrow for most of the punks on the scene.
The sarcasm does get a bit thick at times but doesn’t interfere with the overall enjoyment of the songs like on “Friend, Please Stop Smoking.” “Out To Everyone” is a melodic journey of basic rhythm and a few memorable lyrics. It’s nothing grand but the simplest things are often the most fulfilling and that sums up this record.
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