Customer Reviews

B is for B-Sides

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Like another reviewer of this CD, I have never written an Amazon review, but felt compelled to since, frankly, there are too many negative reviews for what is, in my opinion, a quality album.

First of all, YES, this CD is like Anthem in that it shys away from the horn-driven ska sound that LTJ popularized in years past. Yes, they're still there and yes, they sound great, but they aren't featured on as many songs or as often. So if the only reason you ever listened to Less Than Jake was to hear horns, this or Anthem will not appeal to you.

However, those who simply seek good music could do much worse than B Is For B-Sides. The songs are all well-written, and I'm sure most listeners can relate to at least some of the things the boys from Gainsville sing about. On that note, it's worth saying that on this album, Roger sings quite a few of the songs, which provides what is in my opinion a varied sound. LTJ's horn section, as always, is tight and sounds great, but even I would like to see them featured more on future releases.

Like all albums, though, B Is for B-Sides is not without its flaws, however small. First and foremost, it's too damn short. It clocks in at a few minutes short of a half an hour, and for such a quality album, the ride ends too soon. Also, I know it's been said a hundred times before, but I really wish LTJ would put more emphasis on the horns. JR and Buddy are really talented players and I think they deserve to be featured more on the albums.

To be short, if you liked the direction Anthem went in, you'll love B Is for B-Sides. If you like LTJ only for the ska element, be wary. Those who find themselves in the middle should definatley give this one a try.

PS: Anyone who says Less Than Jake "isn't ska" anymore should go see them live. Any such thoughts will probably be extinguished upon doing so.

People are complaining that this CD is less than they expected, or its too ska-ish. Well, duh! LTJ is a ska band! is that surprising? If you've been reading these reviews and you're confused on what to do, listen to the samples. They speak for themselves. Portrait, ASAOK, 9-1-1, and showbiz are my faves.

You will love this CD. Cross my heart.

B-sides, the artwork is cool too.

the reason why this is their best cd is it combines the meaningful lyrics that were in "anthem" with the ska sounds from "losing streak". a bunch of people liked anthem but hated the fact that there wasnt enough ska in it. well these are songs they recorded when making anthem and theyve got plenty of ska and meaningful lyrics.
if you havent bought an LTJ cd before, then i suggest buying "losing streak" or "hello rockview"(which i think is their 2nd best cd).
dont listen to this and expect to hear much stuff like old catch 22 or planet smashers. less than jake isnt all that ska.....but they still kick ass.

First off, anyone that says this album is trash talking bull. Considering its the castoffs from Anthem i think its a superb album, especially when you see i only rated Anthem as 3 stars.
To me this album is still a mile off that old Losing Streak style that all of us love but i find i just dont care. Their newer more poppy sound which began at Hello Rockview is still superb in my opinion and can bring a smile to my face almost as well as Losing Streak, Pezcore and to some extent Losers,Kings and Things We Dont Understand did.
I can see peoples point of view about this change in style and i admit i also found Anthem slightly boring and lacking that phenomenal heart that all other LTJ records hold (bar maybe Goodbye Blue and White which was too random to be considered a proper album to me) but I think LTJ have redeemed their new style greatly with this album, and whilst it will never quite be as brilliant as Losing Streak its still going to hold a special spot on my CD shelves with the other LTJ albums.
P.S. As all the other true fans have said, i cant stress enough how important it is to see this band live, they remain to this day the best iv seen by a mile, and iv seen some pretty damn good bands!

Their earlier work was bit too commercial, passe for my tastes.
This album strikes a chord, a cord, and a nerve and back.
This is much more satisfying on a deeper level.

Chris, Vinny, Rog, JR, Buddy have outdone themselves.
Most bands get worse and uninspired as they age.
LTJ gets more and more awesome each day/year.
It'll be a sad day for music/art when they go their separate ways.

See a show. They bring the most energy and upstage anyone hey play with. They embrace some of the cornier elements of rock and showmanship. Sometimes seriously, sometimes satirically. Always awesome. Live LTJ is a religious experience.

All the tracks rule. Stick this in you cd player/cassette/8-track/vinyl player and smash in the repeat button. It's better than good. It's Less Than something.

I think the only reason lots of these werent on anthem isn't because they were worse, just different sounding. On Anthem Less Than Jake kinda went a little more pop punk instead of the ska sound, and had barely any horns. Just when i got worried they would completely lose the ska sound, this came out and sounds exactly like the old LTJ. It has tons of horns and is ppretty fast. The best songs are Sleep it Off, Bridge and Tunnel Authority, and Nine One One. There are a few you might wanna skip over, but thats natural for a B-side CD. I'd have to say this is my second favorite CD by them only to hello rockview. All in all if you like anything by LTJ, this is no different and you'll love it.

I just bought this CD today, and I enjoyed it. I'm a Less Than Jake newcomer, and the only reason I started listening to them is because they're on Projekt Revolution, which I want to go to. I love the sound that Less Than Jake has. As I said, I'm a newcomer to Less Than Jake, so I've only heard a couple of songs from their other CDs. But this CD is great. Only problem is that it's short. But what would you expect from a B-sides album?

I've never written a review on Amazon before, but I feel like with an average of only three stars right now, this album just isn't getting enough love.

There's some great stuff here. Portrait Of A Cigarette Smoker At 19 has an insanely catchy chorus and starts things off well. Sleep it Off is great as well, and features that great, plucky ska guitar sound that's been lacking in a lot of LTJ songs since Borders and Boundaries. Bridge And Tunnel Authority is another song that'll easily get stuck in your head, and A.S.A.O.K. is really upbeat and has a good horn riff. Jay Frenzal is a lot of fun, and serves as your obligatory LTJ song about one of their crazy friends (think How's My Driving, Doug Hastings? and Mr. Chevy Celebrity) that was missing from Anthem. Nine-One-One to Anyone is another standout song with that great ska guitar, and Robots One, Humans Zero has some really great songwriting.

If you were a little disappointed with Anthem like I was, you might just like B Is for B-Sides. The songs seem more fun and upbeat, and though this isn't a complete return to LTJ's old ska sound, the horns and ska guitar do seem to be more common here than in Anthem.

It's no Losing Streak, but B Is for B-Sides definitely feels closer to the old Less Than Jake we all know and love than Anthem did.

Take it from a long-time LTJ fan... this 27-minute-long album is worth the hefty price tag. Matter of fact, this disc's only problem is its length. B is for B-Sides is like a musical extension of Anthem, though slightly darker lyrically. The band is like a fine wine (or cheddar cheese!), maturing with time, progressively getting better. B-Sides is a must-have, no matter what anybody else will tell you in their entirely credible, thoroughly extensive and mind-bendingly thoughtful review. ;)

One can see why some of these songs didn't make the cut for the Anthem album, but none are of low quality. Some songs remind me of the Losers, Kings, and Things We Don't Understand sound, but much improved. My only complaints are A) It's too short, and B) The songs are mixed/ normalized/ whatever the proper term is at a ridiculously high 'volume'.