Customer Reviews

Bad Scene, Everyone's Fault: Jawbreaker Tribute

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

First off, this is a tribute. It is not Jawbreaker, so to hold these performances up to their standards is unfair to these bands. While far from perfect, this is a better-than-average tribute cd.

It is obvious that most of these bands were influenced a great deal by Jawbreaker, as many of them sound very similar in style. Unfortunately, some of the bands try too hard to sound like them, and end up sounding like generic pop-punk covers. The songs that are best on this album are those that are the most different from the original versions.

The Aeffect may have provided the best contribution to this album, with a heavily synthesized version of "Boxcar". The Reunion Show performs "Unlisted Track" plugged in and with a full band, giving it a much more upbeat feel. Kill Your Idols does "Do You Still Hate Me" in typical Jawbreaker fashion, but with the much lower, hoarse vocals, it has a completely different feel. Duvall slows down "Busy", making the already emotional song even more dramatic. I also like Nerf Header's rendition of "Chesterfield King"

Not all of the songs meet with such success. For Amusement Only and Riddlin Kids provide energetic but generic renditions of "Shield Your Eyes" and "Jinx Removing", respectively. Jeff Ott performs an interesting but too-drawn-out version of "Jet Black", complete with the same Walken monologue at the end.

Most of the other songs are interesting the first couple times, but are soon forgettable. After giving this album a few listens, I have mixed reactions. Some songs are done very well, some are done poorly. If you are a big Jawbreaker fan, you may very well like this album. Just realize that, like all tribute albums, these songs will never be as good as the originals.

Though the tracks on this CD have been much poo-poo'd by so-called "fans since the Bivouac days", I found this album to be a refreshing take on a brilliant theme.

Tributes are not meant to duplicate or even approximate the original material. They are meant to incorporate a fan's style and personality on a song they feel touched them in a certain way, such that it inspired them to try to recreate that feeling.

If you love Jawbreaker, buy this album. It may give you some perspective regarding how other people view the music of this epic, timeless band.

I liked the Kiss The Bottle rendition. So did Blake. I asked him.

BTW: Bivuoac wasn't their first album. I've been a fan since the mission district days.

(P.S.: Ryan Hood - save your breath, I never was one......)

I enjoyed this comp. alot. I was kind of sketchy about buy it at first becuase of bands like Riddlin' Kids, Fall Out Boy, and Reunion Show, but even those tracks weren't bad. BigWig, Face To Face, and Nerf Herder all had killer songs. In my opinion the two best songs on the cd are, Sparta and Duvall, both are very diffrent from the Jawbreaker version but they still pay good respect to the songs. ALSO BIG PROps to goodnight bad guy for an awesome cover of "jet black".

Tribute compilations like Bad Scene, Everyone's Fault help prove that there is no substitution for the real thing. These types of releases jolt longtime fans into appreciating how outstanding the original band really was, while reaching young whippersnappers who may not be familiar with an underground legend. Here, homage is paid to the influential Jawbreaker.

I've never been a big fan of tribute albums, though it is interesting to hear different versions of the original songs (that is, if the band is bold enough to give it their own twist). A huge fan ever since my exposure to 24 Hour Revenge Therapy back in high school, listening to Bad Scene, Everyone's Fault helped respark and boost my adoration for Jawbreaker. After getting through a handful of tracks on the compilation, I quickly ejected the disc, dusted of my copies of Unfun, 24 Hour Revenge Therapy, Bivouac, and yes, even Dear You, and got lost in the melodic punk-rock splendor embedded within all those great releases.

Bigwig, Bayside, Face to Face, Name Taken, Duvall, Travoltas, Riddlin' Kids, Counterfit, The Æffect, For Amusement Only, Fall Out Boy, The Reunion Show, Sparta, Nerf Herder, Kill Your Idols, The Gamits, and Good Night Bad Guy are all at fault for contributing forgettable covers to a bad concept. A couple bonus points are given to Sparta and The Æffect for attempting to approach the original from a different angle, but the end results disappoints with the rest.

Suggestion: if you're really interested in listening, burn this off a friend. It's a release you will play once and forget about. It's not that the renditions are terrible; it just doesn't make sense to listen to not-as-good interpretations over the real deal.

Death to tributes! Death to Jawbreaker imitators! All hail the true king of melodic punk-rock!

Any half decent wedding band could cover these songs and sound half decent. Jet Black might throw a bit of a pall over the wedding, but wtf? Not bad for a changeup on some Jawbreaker classics.

i have been a LONG time jawbreaker fan. not one of these kids that got into them after "dear you" had come and gone. i saw jawbreaker on tour supporting the "Busy" 7" the month "unfun" came out. anyway, this cd is not very good. these bands try too hard, or is it too easy, to sound and sing like jawbreaker. only 2 or 3 bands give it "their own" flavor; ie: duvall, travoltas, face to face. and the track that has been promoted all summer as "Fifteen" is not "Fifteen", but a track from "Fifteen" member Jeff Ott, and it's not that good of a track. anyway, get it simply for novelty.... try to find it used.

The inclusion of Fall Out Boy nearly kept me from getting this cd, cause let's face it, they suck. But apart from that, this is one of the better tribute albums I've ever heard. I can see "die hard" Jawbreaker fans not liking this album cause it's different. Let's be honest, those guys don't care much for anything "different". But, if you enjoy Jawbreaker like your average music listener should then you will see how truly great this is. Nerf Herder and Travoltas pretty much rule the tracks with "Chesterfield King" and "Bad Scene, Everyone's Fault". Fall Out Boy does what they can to destroy the memory of a good (not phenomenally amazing) band. Just skip over that one. Enjoy the rest.

this album is a worthy tribute and the artists on the album did a good job of covering all the songs with the standout song of "kiss the bottle" by sparta.

Obviously when you set out to cover Jawbreaker the bar is amazingly high right off the bat. Unlike the majority of these reviewers, I think there is a lot of success in the tribute.

The highs: The standout on the CD is Duvall's version of 'Busy'. They slow it right down and really bring out the emotionally charged lyrics. Ashtray Monument, Boat Dreams from the Hill (or "Boat"), Kiss the Bottle, and Jinx Removing all get some nice makeovers.

Touching anything from "Dear You" is a lofty goal indeed. Honestly I think only Fall Out Boy and The Reunion Show get it right. Bayside's 'Chemistry' isn't bad, though.

Lagwagon has a FAR superior 'Want' and they should have been on this album.

If you like Jawbreaker, yI think you'll like this comp. It's not Jawbreaker, but hey, it's not supposed to be.

This is the worst tribute ever. Jawbreaker were the furthest thing from pop, yet almost every band who contributed to this album gave each song a crappy pop twist. With the exception of Bigwig and maybe face to face most of these bands SUCK!
Dying Wish Records should hang their head in shame. As I listen to this right now, I am wishing I was dead. Seriously.
If you want to hear some Jawbreaker, start with Unfun and go from there.