Ska music reviews

How dooes one cope with music so life-affirming, yet twisted by the fact that Bradley never lived to see it released? Or his band literally own the world from the shadows the next year, with far less talented musicians aping the Sublime sound to commercial acclaim? A question I've wrestled with for nigh on ten years now. Sure darkness creeps in on "Same in the End" and "Burritos", nihilism on "April 29 1992". The light Brad radiated from his soul outshines every last bit of it. "Pawn Shop" is a painful reminder of the all-too-real cost of heroin addiction. Can't help but wonder where they might have gone next, with each succesive album being an evolution of the one before. Speculation's pointless. The legend of Sublime grows year by year, as does the reputation of this, their final album. Need a pick me up from that Bush Administration depression? Listen to "Caress Me Down" and harken back to better days. Can it be that it was all so simple?

can never NEVER. get enough of this music. This music at its finest. Sublime started its own genre and nobody can duplicate. Everytrack is meaningful and amazing. If you really listen, you find more than just bad ass beats, ryhmes and instrumentals and fearless vocals. You will find music that is from the heart and speaks to people like me. I wish Brad was still around.

This albums is one of the best albums of all-time. When i first popped in the CD in my car i was blown away and it changed my life. I found myself never needing to press the "next track" button on my car stereo because each song was just as amazing as the other. From "Garden Grove" to "Santeria" to "Under My Voodoo," each song was different and could not be pinpointed to ant specific genre. Like Bradley said, people can be up all night trying to put a label on Sublime. Rather than trying to label them as reggae/hiphop/punk/rap/ska, people should just be listening to the music and being thankful that there once was a band that sounded this awesome.

this album rules!! sublime rules!!! this and their self-titled albums are their best. too bad that brad died right when they were beginning to take over the world. if you don't have this you need to get this. i have the version with the two later deleted tracks ''rawhide'' and ''get out!'' and i have the version without those 2 tracks and more artwork. both versions are great. Sublime forever!!!

The production on this album bothered me for the longest time but this is truly a timeless classic. I don't know how many people realize that Sublime were the real deal. Up until their self-titled album, they were always under produced and best represented live. This music has so much heart though, it is unbelievable. There are more self-proclaimed singles on this CD than there are on the bands self-titled effort. A lot of these songs never saw the "light" we call radio, but songs like 40oz. To Freedom, Smoke To Joints, We're Only Gonna Die For Our Arrogance, Don't Push, 5446, Badfish, and basically the rest of the CD, are all great tunes. Artists like Bob Marley are receiving a lot of attention lately, and it seems to be a trend. Sublime is getting a lot of attention too, and it's okay. Sublime was a band that pioneered a sound. And, during the 90s, they were an out to all the grunge that dominated the era. This is also the only album I hear so many people complaining that they have worn out. Like that's a bad thing.

5 STAR AVERAGE RATING? YOU DO THE MATH. I PLAYED THIS CD SO MANY TIMES IT WORE OUT!

This CD is awesome. This is what really established Less Than Jake in the public scene. This is a great album, full of catchy horns and just overall great ska. Some would say this is LTJ's best album, but I tend to like their newer stuff. That's the only reason I gave it a four, because I was comparing it to those. It's worth it if you are a LTJ fan at all.

This is one of my favorite LTJ albums. I am going to review each song searately so you can decide if you want this cd. (and you probably will.)
1. Automatic 5/5: The album opens with an old guy saying "This is the old dude Howie J. Reynolds and you're listening to Less Than Jake." Right after that, Automatic begins starting out with a great bass and then the trombone comes in. This is a very good song.
2. Happy Man 4/5: This is a pretty good, fast song, but it isn't my favorite. The lyrics are about a guy who is constantly working.
3. 9th at Pine 5/5: This is a pretty good one.
4. Sugar in Your Gas Tank 5/5: If I had it in me I'd stop my random thoughts and my dumb dreams, then I could deal with this non-stop spinning world (lyrics from the song.)
5. Shindo 4/5: Slower, but still good. Nice duet with both singers (Chris and Roger).
6. 107 5/5: This song is awesome! At one part, the singer yells "You're going down!" And now I always imitate that when one of my friends does something to antogonize me (like flicking my ear with a spoon.)
7. Johnny Quest thinks we're Sellouts 4/5: HahAhaHa! this is funny since Johnny Quest is an old cartoon character!
8. Krazy Glue 5/5: A pretty cool song about following your own point of view and not giving in to tradition.
9. Never Going back to New Jersey 5/5: Pretty cool.
10. How's my driving, Doug Hastings? 3/5: It could have gotten a 5 out of 5, but there is just too much profantiy in this one.
11. Just Like Frank 4/5: Nice one
12. Ask the Magic 8 Ball 5/5: Something about this makes me think of Lego Island. Don't ask. I have no clue why.
13. Dopeman 4/5: Cool drums and horns on this one.
14. Jen Doesn't like me anymore 5/5: How can Jen not like him when he's the lead singer of one of the best bands ever?
15. Rock N' Roll Pizzeria 4/5: Why is this song called Rock N' Roll Pizzeria!?!
16. Lockdown 4/5: Nice close to a great album.

All in all, this is a great album. If you like ska, punk, or rock in general, you have to get this for your collection. Also check out the albums "Hello Rockveiw" and the new one "In With the Out Crowd."

This CD is one of their best by far. All my favorite songs are on this. They truly shine through this CD, if your a Less Than Jake fan this is a must buy CD!

I love this CD. The Aquabats have a great fun way of playing music and telling silly stories. The CD has a lot of funny songs like The Cat With Two Heads. The entire CD will have you smiling and feeling like dancing.

Although none of their albums are bad, this is by far the best one. The Fury of the Aquabats is 13 amazing songs that are hilarious and great to sing along to as well as 2 cool instrumental songs and one song im not crazy about (Attacked By Snakes). If you have the slightest liking for ska, funny music or just upbeat, fun music that makes you happy then this would easily be my number one reccommendation for you. All you need to do is pop it in and no matter how you were feeling before... you are guaranteed a smile after the first couple of seconds of Super Rad. It is just impossible to be sad when listening to these guys. My favorite songs are Super Rad, Red Sweater, Captain Hampton..., Story of Nothing, Idiot Box, My Skateboard, Lobster Bucket & Theme Song. This not only their best album but one of the best ska albums as well.

It seems like no matter what these guys come up against, they still manage to put on a great live show and release awesome albums.

The Fury Of The Aquabats is probably one of my favorite albums that the band has ever released. Even if these guys aren't on a major record label with tons of funding behind them, they put their heart and soul into the music... which fans can really respect!

If you're ready for some funky up-beat ska music, I'd encourage you to purchase The Fury Of The Aquabats today. You won't be wasting any money by investing in these guys, i promise!

This is a must-listen. You may not like it, but it is certainly worthy of the praise it gets. I personally don't think it's the "best album ever" but I do think it's better than 95% of music. Even if their songs are a bit simplistic, every song is very very catchy (in a good way).

Sample these tracks above to see just how great this album is: Knowledge, Sound System, Jaded, The Crowd, Unity, One of These Days, Gonna Find You, Bad Town, Aritificial Life, Room Without A Window, Junkies Running Dry, Yelling In My Ear, I Got No.

Energy is, without a doubt, one of the greatest ska/punk albums of all time. Released in 1991, this album shows so much raw emotion. This single album influenced so many well-known bands that you here these days, such as Green Day, Sum 41, and NOFX. Operation Ivy sang about controversial issues such as the East Bay, police, and violence. Every time you listen, you can here the urgent plea of Operation Ivy begging us to unite.

One of the reasons this album is a classic is its musicianship. Simple, yet perfectly arranged guitars from Tim Armstrong (credited as Lint), excellent drumming courtesy of Dave Mello, brilliant bass from Matt Freeman (credited as Matt McCall) and raw, passionate vocals from Jesse Michaels. To some, Energy may be poorly recorded. This is true, but it shows the passion of the band.

Although short-lived, Operation Ivy left a huge mark on modern music as we see it today. This excerpt from "Journey to the End of the East Bay" recorded by Rancid (formed by Tim and Matt after Operation Ivy) tells the story through their perspective. "Started in '87 ended in '89, you got a garage or an amp, we'll play anytime. It was just the four of us, yea the core of us, too much attention unavoidably destroyed us. Four kids on tour three thousand miles in a four door car not knowing what was going. Years it would turn out like this. Hell, no no premonition could have seen for."

THis is such a great CD, 27 amazing songs that will fill anyones needs. Every song is worth listening to. The singing is executed perfectly with such speed and rythym. I wish I couldve seen these guys live, I bet it would have been full of ENERGY, haha indeed.
Fav songs: Here We Go Again, Hoboken, Room Without a Window, Vulnerabilty.
The lyrics are great, very relateable. Buy this CD if you like fast paced punk music with a passion.

Catch 22 really got me into ska with this album. It melodic, fast paced yet slow and groovy at times. The songs are just plain fun. I can't listen to this album without singing at the top of my lungs. Its a must have for any ska fan.

I don't like ska, but I love this album. Melodic yet edgy at times, it's an album that can be listened to straight through.

If Catch-22's "Keasbey Nights" was sex, it would cause a huge orgasm. Not only is this the greatest ska album made in the last 10 years (if not more), but it even qualifies for one of the best rock albums mad in the past 10 years. It mixes fast punk, horns, reggea, dub, and just about everything else to make a great mix of greatness. If I could give it a million stars, I would.
The thing that a lot of people don't understand is that it isn't supposed to sound mainstream and perfect. It was made by a bunch of guys who were bored and liked fast music. They went to a crappy studio and put out an AMAZING record, and now they're a famous band within their niche of the music market.
Ska is an aquired taste, and one who likes ska must like Catch-22's "Keasbey Nights" fore it defines what music should sound like today!!
:)

This album fundamentally redefined how I listen to music.

The year was 2000 or so, and my musical taste at the time consisted of Wierd Al and whatever heavy rock I could get my hands on. I panned horns and other non-guitar instruments as being boring and passe. I was a little idiot.

And then my friend excitedly sent me an MP3 of a song called Every New Day. I didn't get around to listening to it for a few days, but when I did, I couldn't stop listening. I raced over to Napster and downloaded as much of this band as I could get my hands on. Later I bought this album, along with everything else they produced. Today I listen to music from all different genres, with all sorts of instruments, and it's all Five Iron Frenzy's fault.

THe music is lyrically smart and catchy, and all the players play their parts very well. If I have a complaint, it's that you can't hear Jeff The Girl's sax very much. She blends in too much with the Trombone and Trumpet. I would recommend this album for anyone at all.

Never heard of these guys till 3 days ago, but I had been sung O Canada nearly every night my friend and I attened our hockey games. She finally found the CD and let me borrow it. And man O Canada is AWESOME!

Not only is their music amazing but the lyrics are great, funny when they need to be and just catchy enough to get even not Chrisitian rock band fans into the music.

Love this band already, and can't get O Canada out of my heads (my Canadaian hockey player friends are gonna hate me.... THANKS FIF)

There is no doubt, Every New Day is my favorite song ever written. It has been for the last 4 years, and I expect it will always hold that special place in my heart. Of course, that isn't the only good song on that CD. In fact, this CD probly contains more of my favorite songs than any other 2 CDs. Some of their best! You'll love it!

i've never really enjoy a sugar raysong before until i heard this one, a little change in the style of their performance and this has made them huge! so, sugar ray is in my favourite list now, how about you?

How do you satisfy a van load of mixed generations on vacation in Hawaii? The one & only song that did it was, Sugar Ray's, "Every Morning". Their upbeat & nostalgic tune is a "WINNER"! That song keeps me going ALL DAY LONG!

SUGAR RAY'S EVERY MORNING IS A CLASSIC AND WILL SURELY STAND THE TEST OF TIME. IT IS UPLIFTING ON THE WAY TO WORK OR ON THE WAY HOME FROM WORK. YOUNG AND OLD ALIKE CAN APPRECIATE SUGAR RAY.

Let me begin by saying that The Suicide Machines are my favorite band, even though they broke up not too long ago. This, however, is not the album that turned me on to these guys. But it sure is one hell of a CD. Out of its 16 songs, I enjoy all of them thoroughly, because they are all different. Of course, this CD may just all be about teenagers having fun early in their career, but The Suicide Machines make great music out of it, not to mention the organ thrown in. I often try to highlight my favorites of the disc at hand, but this is another one of those cases where it would just be too difficult, every track is killer! Regardless of its genre, this is just music at its finest. So go out and get it, pop it in your stereo, and please your ears with the fun party of an album that it is. Thank you for your time.

I'm not as young as I used to be - Duh. But this CD came to me through a younger colleague who was into the punk scene. Most of the new punk music doesn't do anything for me. Most of it is too angry to be believable. But this CD blew me away.

Very creative sound. Changes tempo and styles with raw energy yet a subtle grace.

Some say the Mighty Mighty Bosstones are similar, but they can't compare to TSM.

Okay, so all else isn't really 'failing,' because "War Profiteering is Killing Us All" and "A Match and Some Gasoline" were both amazing albums, but as I have read so many reviews of this CD and all the fans of the Suicide Machines think that this is like... lightyears better than the new stuff, I had to pick it up and officially make myself 'a Suicide Machines fan.' So I did. And they weren't lying. This CD is mind blowing, high speed, amazingly catchy, punk music with a twist of ska that'll leave you wanting more. Now I have to admit, this took a little while to grow on me, one of the many reasons I don't review CDs immediately after I get them... (If you see my review of Sum 41's "Chuck" you'll see the mistake of doing that) Once the CD became familiar though, you simply can't get enough of it. It's simply the mass amounts of energy these guys have (or used to have) that makes the CD unforgetable, and also, it doesn't sound like every other band that you see on MTV every day. Jay has one of the greatest voices that I've ever heard, and seeing as this is before the hardcore screaming Suicide Machines emerged, it sounds even better.

Highlights: Everything pretty much goes in this part. The CD just makes you wanna get up and jump around, not caring that the whole croud of people around you are gaping stupidly at you thinking that you're some kind of idiot. All 16 tracks deliver a non-stop, upbeat, music experience that you'll be listening to for years, despite the fact that this CD is almost 10 years old. The horns in "Hey!" and "Vans Song" give the album a creative feel that let you know this is a band that will take anything and make it sound good. Other than that, it's just downright amazing punk music. "Break the Glass" is possibly the catchiest song on this planet to date, and "Too Much" and "Inside/Outside" are two of the more stand-out tracks. The bass in "No Face" is also very memoriable.

Lowlights: Not much you can say bad about this CD, maybe just the fact that there will never be abother one, but that would just make this less of a classic.

In the end, I say buy it if you like any of the following things
-Punk
-Ska
-Catchy music
-Music that experiments with different sounds
-Fast pace, in-your-face vocals
-Music that would make MTV throw up
-GOOD MUSIC!

Hehe, a little redundant, just shut up and go buy the CD!

I've had this cd for four years now and I still listen to it every day. For a live album, this one is awesome! Most live albums are not good. This is totaly opposite. LISTEN TO THE HIDDEN TRACK ON "EVERY NEW DAY"!!!

This Was My First Five Iron CD my second was Chesses of Nazareth. When I first listened to One Girl Army, Oh, Canada, A Flowery Song, Dandilions, Suckerpunch, ansd so on I fell in love with Five Irons sound and had to get all of there cds. There one of my favorite bands and if you haven't got this cd i would highly recomend it. It has the awsomest mix of Five Irons early songs. Which I think are the best.I would give this cd 10 stars but they won't let me.


Five Iron Frenzy Rules!

Five Iron Frenzy makes a solid compilation of some of their best songs with the release of this live album, which will delight die-hard fans of the Denver ska-core ensemble and curious listeners alike. One of the things that has always set Five Iron Frenzy apart from other groups in their genre has been their unique stage presence and sense of humor, (which encludes dressing as the cast of Star Trek and crowd surfing a giant pinata filled with chili across their crowd) and these qualities are shown in this album. However, apart from the outrageously entertaining gimmicks of their live preformances, Five Iron Frenzy also offers fine musicianship and songwriting which is played out with even more energy than their studio records. These aspects distinguish the band from their contemporaries and make for an exillarating live experience. In short, Five Iron is a dish best experienced live, but this album is the next best thing (and is sadly the only thing available after the band announced their breakup in late November of 2003.)