Customer Reviews

Get the Picture

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Crankable!!! This CD is gonna wear out my deck!

I have to start by remarking: I am always amazed what the "critics" say. They have panned this CD for being simplistic and formulaic. But that's what's GREAT about it!! I don't want thought-provoking music when I'm bopping down the road on a fine summers' day. I write this review to say to those "musical elitists" -- don't waste YOUR time or my BANDWIDTH with your idiocy.

Simply put: Greg Camp knows how to write pop music that pleases and the band knows how to perform it. I saw them last year and was so impressed with Greg's mastery of the guitar (SM's songs are demanding and quick tempoed). I must say that I like Greg Camp's song structure, esp. his use of a bridge/break. I always look forward to hearing what surprises he has in store -- takes the listener to interesting places.

You can tell from this CD, that the guys have fun producing and performing and giving their audience the same experience. Can you imagine attending a local party with this guys as the Band!?

As I have listened to it several hundred times, my fav tracks have varied: Started with Ranking Roger spicing up N. Diamond's "You are my number one" (wish they had his lyrics in the jacket) and the pleasantly nostalgic awkward ballad "Seventh Grade Dance". Later it was "Whole Lotta Love" with a short but potent G. Camp guitar solo (2:00 into the track). Lately its been "Looking for a Wall"...they each have hook worth humming.

What I wanted more of...MUSIC, it was a short CD... and more Greg Camp guitar solo work -- let us hear some more of that tasty guitar playing.

OK, this wasn't my most technical review, but I just wanted to register my FIVE STARS for all to see. Thanks to Smash Mouth for turning out another crowd pleaser!! And between them and their "critics", who do you think is laughing all the way to the bank, hmmm....

I was going to buy this CD, but then I found it at my local music store in the used bin, but none the less, this CD was great.

Hang On: 5/5, Catchy and upbeat, really what you would expect from Smash Mouth
Always Get's Her Way: 5/5, nice guitar on this one, in a slightly different style than the other songs on the album, but still an excellent.
You Are My Number One: 4 and a half/5 good song, but the strange Jamacan guy who shows up periodically and than has a little bit where he sings weirded me out.
Whole Lotta Love: 3/5 i had to take points of for the serious over-use of the word "Baby," just to much for me
Space Man: 3/5 This song is odd, that's about all i can say about it.
Hot: 4/5 great song about driving fast, true Beach Boys tribute, i guess i'm just not a racing person
Looking For A Wall: 5/5 a truly good song, about the farthest from upbeat that they get on this album, which isn't very far, a bit moralistic, but that doesn't detract any.
Seventh Grade Dance: 10/5 without a doubt the BEST song on the album, hillarious but true and it's something most people can identify with. The chorus is especially good: "behind every cloud there's a big ball of burning sunshine, sometimes..."
105: 3/5, another song about cars, it grows on you if you listen to it enough, reminds me of "Weird Al" Yankovic's 'Trafic Jam,' maybe it's jsut me...
Fun: 5/5 the title says it all, but the first line "It's 2003, where do you wanna be?" is going to be out of date soon.
New Planet: 5/5 great song, but the opening line reminds you of things high school schince teachers say "We need a new planet, you were a rock but i took you for granite!" But besides that the song is excellent.
You Are my Number One (Radio Remix): It's allready on the album, but it's still a good song.

On the whole, i give "Get The Picture" a five out of five, it is a great album, pay full price (even though I didn't), actually it would be worth it if it was only 'Seventh Grade Dance'. Have fun listening!!

I've always loved Smash Mouth, and this album is no exception. Their music doesn't sound like much else in my music library, but I like that. Smash Mouth is what I pop in when I want to listen to fun, catchy tunes that don't take themselves too seriously. Smash Mouth has definitely perfected the fun-in-the-sun, beach-rock music. I like Get The Picture even more than any of their other albums. It just seems more polished and energetic than a lot of their other stuff. Don't get me wrong; I love all their albums, but everybody has a favorite, right? This is it for me. Another reason I love this album so much is that my 7-year old daughter loves it, too. It's music we can listen to together. She asks me to play it all the time. She knows the words to the opening track, 'Hang On', by heart, and I get a kick out of hearing her sing it. In fact, she loves the album so much that I got her her own copy to listen to whenever she wants. In short, this is a fun album by a fun band who make no apologies for their style of music. Kudos to Smash Mouth and here's wishing them much success and longevity.

As with their past albums, Smash Mouth has yet again taken their sound in a slightly new direction. For "Get the Picture", this can be looked at positively or negatively. In comparison to their other works, "Get the Picture" can best be described as somewhat of a concept album. Nearly every track makes some type of reference to cars, driving fast, or just driving. Two songs are specifically written on the subject, and the melodic line of one of these ("Hot", a song you'll most likely be hearing on Hot Wheels commercials) can be heard on other tracks such as "Space Man" and "Fun". Musically, most of the tracks sound similar in style to those of "Astrolounge" and "SmashMouth". However, as a complete work, one could argue that this album bears more in common with "Fush Yu Mang" for one reason: this album WILL put you in a good mood, whether you like it or not. Not one track on this album will leave you feeling down, unlike their last two works which featured more serious songs such as "Waste", "Disenchanted", and "Out of Sight". On the other hand, this leaves the CD with a lack of diversity, as the whole album has the same happy feel and easy going tempo, even when dealing with such issues as a highly possessive girlfriend or "why the planet's so upset". While there's nothing wrong with this, it doesn't take you on emotional up's and down's, sending you on the same sort of "trip" that the previous 2 albums do. The one song that may be the exception on this album is "Space Man", which would fit quite nicely on Astrolounge, but still has a touch of that melody from "Hot" which seemingly weaves the cd together. Overall, this album is generally less serious or thought provoking than its predecessors. However, it is a great feel-good album, and a great example of how the group can still deliver quality music. They've just taken a step in a slighty different direction, and there's nothing wrong with that. I would definately recommend adding this album to your collection.

I'm no stranger to Smash Mouth. Way back in '97, they caught my attention with their sonically-innovative Walking on the Sun off of Fush Yu Mang. In defiance of the trend for a newly-popular band to try and duplicate its initial success, Smash Mouth has adopted a policy of continued innovation. With each subsequent release, they have allowed new albums to take on new flavors.

Smash Mouth has done it yet again with Get the Picture. Thematically, the album it most resembles is their sophomore release - Astro Lounge. But, even on my first listen, I could tell that Get the Picture was an entirely different ball of wax. This album has a smattering of tracks that will undoubtedly be remembered as Smash Mouth classics.

Hang On, Always Gets Her Way, Hot, Looking for a Wall, 105, Fun and New Planet show that while Smash Mouth can crank out hit after fun hit, they're certainly no one-trick pony. My only complaint is that at approximately 37 minutes of running time, this album is over too fast. Still, though, there's nothing in this material to disappoint. I highly reccommend this album to not only Smash Mouth fans, but to anyone who wants a decent alternative to the mass over overworked industry-driven technopop crowding the airwaves. All in all, I rate this album as a high 9 out of 10. MORE, MORE, MORE!!!!!

When I found out Smash Mouth was coming out with a new album, I was psyched! I got it, and was pleasantly surprised. When I first heard "You Are My Number One," I was worried the whole album would sound like that. To my relief, I found it a great pop rock album. I thought "Space Man," was similar to Astrolounge (same thing with parts of "105" and "Fun"), but most of the songs were different from anything I had heard from Smash Mouth.

1. Hang On-4/5 A decent opening song, a perfect example of Smash Mouth's new style.
2. Always Gets Her way-5/5 Great Song. I liked the guitar.
3. You Are My Number One-3/5 I didn't like this song very much. I wish their singles were more Rock music. It was too reggae for my taste, but it is kind of fun.
4. Whole Lotta Love-4/5 Good song.
5. Space Man-4/5 This song reminded me of "Satellite", on Astrolounge.
6. Hot-5/5 This song had me banging my head to the fast beat. Give us another guitar solo, Greg!
7. Looking For A Wall-4/5 I liked this song. It starts great, then gets a little too Muzak for a while, but picks up again.
8. Seventh Grade Dance-5/5 A great song. You can't call it much else.
9. 105-5/5 The best song on the album! Great Beat!
10. Fun-5/5 The most thought-provoking song on the album. Steve sings about the less than perfect state of the world today. Greg gives us another guitar solo! yay!
11. New Planet-4/5 Good song. Lyrics on the first verse are a bit like "Fun," but then I kind of lost where the song was going.
12. You Are My Number One (Radio Remix)-3/5 Why did they put this on the album? It's the same song as "You Are My Number One," with a few more effects added.

Overall, it is a really good album. I would recommend this to anybody who likes Smash Mouth or other alternative-pop-rock bands.

I don't regret buying this cd, yet I wish the overall tempo was a bit faster. The first track "Hang On" is, in my opinion, the best song I have ever heard in my life. Yet being the first song, it served to set my expectations a tinsy bit high for the rest of the album. The semi-sluggish songs like Looking for a Wall, 7th Grade Dance and especially Space Man slow down the cd's momentum. This album doesn't produce that same energy-boost that I still get from listening to Astro Lounge. Nevertheless, the rest of the cd is great; worthy of the SmashMouth name. Track one, Hang On, rocks!

When I first got this cd I didn't like it, but then I heard "looking for a wall". The rest of the songs kinda grew on me. I heard their smash hit "all star" which is from their second cd,I think. And I decided to "get the picture".

Again, Smash mouth has proven their exceptional talent, knowledge, and skill. I was eagerly awaiting this CD and am looking forward to the next one.

Smash Mouth fans who were expecting another album of upbeat tempos like those of <i>Smash Mouth</i>'s "Holiday in My Head," have another thing coming. For an album touted for "summer fun," _Get the Picture?_ delivers sedate and mellow tunes. In their fourth album, Smash Mouth manages to create fresh new songs, all the while maintaining that familar Smash Mouth flavor. Although they're not all sing-along crusin' music, _Get the Picture?_ delivers classics of its own. "Hang On," "Always Gets Her Way," and "Looking for a Wall" are the gems of this album; I'm looking foward to knowing them by heart. I have to admit, though, that I feel _one_ version of "You Are My Number One" is plenty - I'd rather have another "Nervous in the Alley" or "Come on Come on." Although it wasn't what I was expecting, I found _Get the Picture?_ to be a welcome addition to my album collection. I recommed it to any Smash Mouth fan who found _Smash Mouth_ living in their CD player as much as I did.