Customer Reviews

Foolish

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Foolish is one of the most underrated albums of the 90's and by Superchunk in general. While albums like "On the Mouth" and the later "Here's Where the Strings Come In" are based around the uptempo power pop they helped define, Foolish is more mid-tempo. But that doesn't mean the songs don't rock. Full of songs about unrequited or messed up love this is one of my favorites by the band.

"Foolish" and "Driveway to Driveway" are great songs about realizing one's own mistakes while still being slack jawed at what happened. Just looking at the first five songs i aurally salivate (if one could call it that). I love "Saving My Ticket", "Why do you have to put a date", "Keeping Track". This is a great album by a great band. I love Superchunk!

I had to admit it but I hadn't actually heard Superchunk until recently. That's pathetic since I love their music and would have loved it ten years ago, too. I first heard them on a Matador collection and their song on that CD, "For Tension", took me completely by surprise and blew me away. I just picked this album up, too, and it's amazing. The music is great but their lyrics--when I can make them out--are possibly even better. They have real genius for throwing a fresh light on everyday subjects, including failing relationships but they never get cliched or heavy-handed about it. I'd recommend this record to anyone that loves guitar-driven, intelligent, funny, unpretentious rock. The more I've found out about the band, the more I root for them. They're just the kind of people you want to see succeed. I just can't wait to order all their other albums.

I had to admit it but I hadn't actually heard Superchunk until recently. That's pathetic since I love their music and would have loved it ten years ago, too. I first heard them on a Matador collection and their song on that CD, "For Tension", took me completely by surprise and blew me away. I just picked this album up, too, and it's amazing. The music is great but their lyrics--when I can make them out--are possibly even better. They have real genius for throwing a fresh light on everyday subjects, including failing relationships but they never get cliched or heavy-handed about it. I'd recommend this record to anyone that loves guitar-driven, intelligent, funny, unpretentious rock. The more I've found out about the band, the more I root for them. They're just the kind of people you want to see succeed. I just can't wait to order all their other albums.

Quite simply ~ this has been my favorite album from my favorite band for 6 or 7 years. The writing is insipired and the delivery could not be topped. This is superchunks departure from their indie punk roots ~ and the only time they did that successfully. A melodic masterpiece.

Most people agree that 'On the Mouth' is better than most Superchunk albums. So is this one, don't give up on 'Foolish' before you have heard it.
True, the songs are more of a downer on this one than usual, but the lyrics and music are really very good. I have always loved Mac McCaughan's lyrics.."One good minute could last me a whole year." I pay attention to each song equally. Each one that is played brings a question in my mind of whether it, or the last is my favorite on this CD. Just as the same with 'on the mouth.'
Whether you only still like them for their "old" music, or the new stuff, this will appeal to both new and old fans. If you like listening to Superchunk, you might want to listen to Mac's other band, Portastatic. Equally pleasing as Superchunk to me....they Rock.
They have always had this effect on me, even the sad songs and albums make me smile.

Probably the favorite of critics, Foolish is an often beautiful disc that expresses Superchunk's more reserved side. Coming after (during?) the breakup of singer/guitarist Mac MacCaughan and bassist Laura Ballance, the record is filled with tales of pain and lost love, with appropriate music. There are a few upbeat tracks ("Water Wings", "Why Do You Have To Put A Name On Everything"), but in general the tempo is a lot more varied than their three previous records ("On The Mouth", and especially "No Pocky for Kitty" and "Superchunk"). My only problem with this album is the lack of one or two real memorable singles. "The First Part" and "Driveway to Driveway" just don't grab me like "Seed Toss", "The Question is How Fast", "Hyper Enough", "Watery Hands", etc. However, there are a few tracks to get your heart around on this disc, such as "Like a Fool", and it's the disc to pull out when you want the Superchunk sound but aren't up for jumping around.

You can definitely hear the band taking a new direction with this album. As a fan of Superchunk from their very first self titled album, Foolish is my favorite. Perhaps I changed along with them. After the first few listens, I found myself intrigued by the slower songs on the album. Each member of Superchunk (Mac, Laura, Jon and Jim) are extremely talented. I have fun trying to make out Mac's lyrics, which, all Superchunk fans will tell you, can sometimes be difficult. My favorite song is "Kicked In". Superchunk are one of my all time favorite bands, and each of their albums are a must have. All that, and they still put on an amazing live show! They make fun of eachother, tell jokes, and do great covers. Listen to Superchunk!

I'm a huge fan of this style of music - indie rock, as I see it. That said, this was my first Superchunk album. It's one of those bands that I knew for a long time I -should- listen to, but hadn't found the opportunity. Well some otehr indie rock fans recommended this album to me specifically and I was not disappointed! Just great straight ahead guitar and vox. Nothing too complicated, but yet creates a picture all it's own. Definitely recommended if you like indie-ish rock!

As major record labels scurried to sign "alternative rock" bands in the early 1990s, Superchunk bucked the trend by leaving Matador Records after its distribution deal with Warner Brothers, and releasing 1994's "Foolish" on their own Merge Record label. This is Superchunk's best complete album, mixing the energetic upbeat sound of earlier albums ("Water Wings", "Saving My Ticket", "Why Do You Have To Put A Date On Everything") with some slower, reflective songs like "Driveway to Driveway" and "Kicked In". Much of the lyrical content was reportedly fueled by the breakup of singer/guitarist Mac and bassist Laura (the grim cover artwork is credited to Laura). "Water Wings" might be my favorite Superchunk song of all. Future albums continued the wider musical scope, though with less essential results. This album merits serious consideration when compiling a list of the finest indie rock records of the 1990s. It sounds great fifteen years later, especially when compared to other indie albums from the mid 1990s.

I grew up on BEATLES, CREAM, JIMI, etc. I thrashed away the late 70's and 80's in hardcore. Now, at 51 I'm realizing I really like a strong guitar band. So, WEEZER, UNDERTONES and SUPERCHUNK just jump out at me. WEEZER and the UNDERTONES should be too poppy for my general tastes but that powerful guitar presence with two guitars and strong song writing get me. I've learned that while I have 3,000 tapes and 1,000 cds and I love going to them as a library and listen from JOHN MCLAUGHLIN to RAW POWER (the great Italian HC band) what my ordinary musical comfort zone is is SUPERCHUNK. I'm convinced on their albums they put their highest quality songs on first and then go right down to the least best ones each album. I own 20 SUPERCHUNK CD's, the video and the DVD. I've got 5 favorite albums and this is number 2. The others are, in order: incidental music 1991-95, indoor living, on the mouth and no pocky for kitty. If I were to make a greatest hits of them I'd pick the first 5 songs off this album. The older I get the more I find it's the song writing that is fundamental to a band being great or not, similar to a screenplay being crucial to most movies being high quality or not. These guys use driving guitar with a nice vocal and a great belief in the power of 2 guitars. I saw them live in 92 or so and it reminded me of the great punk shows of the old days with it's honest energy. Saw them again about 1998 and was less impressed but it was still lovely. chrisbct@hotmail.com