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Why Do They Rock So Hard?

Reel Big Fish - Why Do They Rock So Hard? Audio CD

A fair review of the Reel Big Fish "Why Do They Rock So Hard?" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Reel Big Fish reviews here, or go back to the Reel Big Fish tabs.

Band: Reel Big Fish
Title: Why Do They Rock So Hard?
Rating:

Release Date: 2001-10-23
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Somebody Hates Me 2: Brand New Song 3: She's Famous Now 4: You Don't Know 5: Set Up (You Need This) 6: Thank You for Not Moshing 7: I'm Cool 8: I Want Your Girlfriend to Be My Girlfriend Too 9: Everything Is Cool 10: Song #3 11: Scott's a Dork 12: Big Star 13: Kids Don't Like It 14: Down in Flames 15: We Care 16: Victory Over Peter Bones (The Legend of Alan Guile Verses Peter Bones)

Good and catchy ska
Ska music in general has guitar structure that is usually quick, clean and palm muted for a quick cut of sound. First off, Reel Big Fish is a punk ska band. Ska also features trumpets, trombones or other brass instrumentation. That being said reel big fish is a very catchy and fast paced band that features very catchy pop punk songs with ska influences throughout.

This CD in particular is poppier than some other Reel Big Fish material however it is still catchy as can be. A downside to this CD is that some of the things that are intended to be funny can come across as somewhat lame and over produced.

The first half of the CD is probably the best and most catchy with songs like "Somebody Hates Me" (10/10) "She's Famous Now" (10/10) "The Set Up" (10/10) "I Want Your Girlfriend To Be My Girlfriend Too" (10/10)and "Thank You For Not Moshing. " (9/10)

The other first songs are not necessarily bad but songs like "I'm Cool" (6/10) is not only on this disk but also on two other Reel Big Fish albums and this version is one of the better but overall the song seems overplayed. "You Don't Know" is a slower number which features some good brass riffs throughout but isn't super great to hear repeated several times. (7/10). I think the worst song is track two "Brand New Song" which has some of the stupidest lyrics ever. Example "Oh not you again, it gets worse everytime and one plus two again, wont work I can't divide it well let it go, I don't care, I love you and you're not there. A Brand new song just for you Im not sorry about the things I do. The song must be even recognized by the band as being bad becuase Aaron, the singer, sings the final lines of the song which are "sorry about this mess (refering to the song itself).

The second half of the disk I don't really feel comes on as strong as the first half. Songs like "Song 3" which features a reagae (sorry if spelling is incorrect) like structure with even some vinyl scratching and a cool bassline (9/10) and "The Kids Don't Like It" (10/10) keep the second half afloat but the other songs are just kind of boring and stupid.

I love Reel Big Fish as a band because they are fun and catchy. However the last few songs are just pretty stupid. Songs like "We Care" (2/10) and the musical "Victory Over Peter Bones" in comapirison to earlier tracks is just a horrible way to end the album. Adding a musical at the end of a catchy fun disk makes you just want eject the CD and listen to the other songs again from the beginning. "Down in Flames" (5/10) is a little too long for the songs own good and can become very repetive.

Overall if you like some good, catchy punk rock music with brass, some pop, and childlike humor this CD will not dissapoint. However, this CD is weaker than Reel Big Fish's Turn The Radio off and features some songs that I feel do not add anything to the value of the CD. Also, the flow of the album is kind of lacking becuase the band chose to have the best songs for the first hlf and some mediocre ones at the end. Overall it is a good CD with some fun catchy songs and some that are not as fun and catchy as they could be. Enjoy, I hope this review helps. .

Awe-inspiring

Why do they Rock so Hard is the followup to the commercially explosive Turn the Radio Off and it does not disappoint. Wow, what more can I say than Wow. Well, that's a lie. It seems to disappoint a few traditional ska fans who never really liked RBF to begin with. Others dislike it because it has a little bit less Ska than its predecessor (but not much). As far as Ska records are concerned, it is indeed inferior to Reel Big Fish's major label debut. However, as an overall music album it offers a much tighter balance of style and a much more impressive display of musicianship. Frontman Aaron Barrett has perfected his glam-rock style guitar work into a powerful and somewhat complex pop-punk arrangement. Bassist Matt Wong steps the funk up to the next level and Scott Klopfenstein shows off why him and Aaron are one of the best vocal duos on the Ska scene. The horn section doesn't falter either. Retaining the legendary lineup from Turn the Radio Off (which would leave before finishing Cheer Up!), Dan Regan leads Tavis and Grant through tight horn lines and beautifully crafted solos, especially on the remake of the demo In the Pit (now called Thank You for Not Moshing). This album is the second in what the band considers its trilogy and gives the message "Now that we're popular, how come everyone hates us?" Lyrically, that seems to be the overall theme, such as in Down in Flames or the album highlight Somebody Hates Me.

The band remakes several cuts from their self-released debut Everything Sucks, inlcuding a slowed-down I'm Cool, a beefed up I Want Your Girlfriend to be my Girlfriend and a glossied version of the faux-ballad Big Star. Other highlights of the album include The Set-Up, Brand New Song and the fidgety Kid's Don't Like It. Plus the band tosses in a wonderful collaberation with New York ska icon Coolie Ranx as Song #3.

Downsides? Sure there are some. There is a pointlessly long and boring jam after the last track which drags the album on a bit longer than it should and that in itself may warrant a star off if you get annoyed by that. There are what some have dubbed "filler" on the album (16 tracks usually means filler-ahead) such as Scott's a Dork, She's Famous or You Don't Know. Although others would say (including myself) that these cuts are equally amazing.

Recommended for fans of glam-rock, the 80's, punk/ska, pop-punk or just really happy music. Not at all recommended for those who hate the third wave, the Reel Big Fish, Ska or any combination of the three. Not the album to start your RBF collection with, though; Turn the Radio Off is a much better intro to the catalogue.

5 BIG BIG stars!!.

The Best CD From The Best Band Ever!
Then, I heard this CD, now like all i listen to is ska. I was a hard rocker only listening to the heaviest stuff. This is the best CD ever made!

Somebody Hates Me 10/10: An awesome opener, this song got my attention right away.
Brand New Song 10/10: A great happy ska song with pretty good lyrics.
She's Famous Now 9/10: Another great ska song but the lyrics aren't the best.
You Don't Know 10/10: An awesome song, not up-beat tho. I've wanted to say some of this stuff to some people.
The Set Up (You Need This) 10/10: Another sweet ska song. Great harmonizing, great horns, great everything.
Thank You For Not Moshing 9/10: Pretty good, I'm not to big on the Jamaican guy singing and stuff in the verse.
I'm Cool 10/10: Sweet and a great change. This is the best out of the 3 versions of I'm Cool.
I Want Your Girlfriend To Be My Girlfriend Too 10/10: My favorite on the CD, great guitar, great horns, great lyrics, great everything. I've wanted to say this to some people.
Everything Is Cool 10/10: This is a very weird song. It's kinda ska-metal, but its a change and a great song.
Song #3 7/10: My least favorite on this CD, I don't really like the Jamaican guy singing.
Scott's A Dork 10/10: Pretty much just a sweet song.
Big Star 7/10: Too slow and it seems sorta self-centered kinda with the lyrics.
The Kids Don't Like It 10/10: This is a sweet song with a very good sound.
Down In Flames 10/10: My second favorite on the CD. It has great horns and guitar and lyrics, they all go together perfect.
We Care 9/10: Great song and I like how they thank you for listening, but it didn't catch my attention that much.
Victory Over Peter Bones 10/10: So relaxing.

This is one of the best CDs I've ever bought, and now you gotta go BUY IT!.

Better Than Before... No Really It Is
In My Opinion this cd is better than "Turn The Radio Off"
but only slightly, their both pretty equal but both different
Some of the songs here are slower
and 1 or 2 even border on reggae (sp?)
I think there is 1 filler song and thats it
My favorite songs are Brand New Song, and Song #3
OH and some of these lyrics are uber Funnay.

ska rules!
so i give this cd a 4/5. my brothers r in a ska band and they really like this music and i think it rocks too.

You can see a complete list of all Reel Big Fish discography, or go back to the Reel Big Fish tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.