Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Outta the dresser and into the rotation, April 21, 2005
When "Got You (Where I Want You)" hit the airwaves, a lot of people went out and bought Holiday Man, listened to it maybe twice (at best) and put it in their bedroom drawer to forever be forgotten. That's understandable; "Got You" is by far the best song on here, and the lead singer's vocals sound like they are continuously being put through a synthesizer. So I'll admit it, even though I found "She's So Huge" to be a not-so-close-behind but respectable second best to their hit single, I pretty much forget about this album. But recently, on a 'remembering one-hit wonders' binge, I gave this album another try. And although I didn't fall in love with it by any means, I was able to find a couple more notable tracks to talk about.
Sadly, even after a number of listens recently, there are still some really bad songs on Holiday Man: "Give You My Car" and "Superfly". Nothing just seems to flow in either track, and no lyrics really jump out at you. "Girls Are The Cruelest" is a rather boring track as well, with lyrics that are hardly a step up from tragically cliché. Next there are two songs that are vastly different from anything else on the album: "The Family" and "Sexual Sandwich". If you don't like Paskowitz's voice in the other ten songs, you might love it here (or, possibly, hate it even more). I like "Sexual Sandwich" as a sexy, almost laughable closer that starts with a Marvin Gaye-like 'this one's for the ladies' quote and carries on with 'do what you do / when you do' chants. "The Family" uses the same type of voice to give thanks to everybody involved with making The Flys so infamous. Neither "Take U There", with its weird, rapping choruses, nor "Afraid", with its catawampus catchiness are really that bad. But on the other hand, they aren't that great either. Take 'em or leave 'em, I guess. "Gods Of Basketball" is a song I have come to enjoy more this time around. The heavy guitars and shouts of 'they'll be sorry when you're gone' are actually quite good; and might actually make the song a hidden gem. But the true, *timeless* gems are "Holiday Man" and "Groove Is Where You Find It". I love the way "Holiday Man" jumps right into things with 'everybody wants to be seen / everybody's eyes are all all-agleam'. If there's a track where the synthesized voice works wonders, it is certainly the title track. The way it finishes is equally as impressive. So if you've shoved this album aside, I do suggest you put it back in your CD-player for three minutes for that song alone (if nothing else). "Groove Is Where You Find It" is in the same vein as "Got You", with a slow groovyness and nostalgic buildup that doesn't exactly get you excited, but keeps you listening.
At long last, Holiday Man is still not a great CD. But it's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. However, there is about a 40% chance you might actually hate most or all of the album, even if you absolutely loved "Got You (Where I Want You)". After all, before this week, "Got You" was my 41st favorite song of all-time, while at the same time this CD sat-whether gracelessly or not--in my dresser, covered by unpaid bills and basketball cards. But after a new found liking and respect for such treasures as "Holiday Man", "She's So Huge", "Groove Is Where You Find It", "The Gods Of Basketball" and even "Sexual Sandwich", I was able to find a place for The Flys (between Finger Eleven and Ben Folds) within my discriminatorily-chosen CDs in my CD tower.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
something i didnt expect, June 15, 2004
I have been reluctant to buy this album ever since the hit "Got You (Where I want You) which alone makes up for 3 stars of the 4 star rating. I finally decided to shell out a few bucks at a used cd store to get it. I thought maybe some of the songs would be like the smash hit, but not really. Almost a complete mixed bag of altered and drugged up music w/ distorted lushed up ozzie like vocalist. I do understand after reading the few reviews that this is a great Cali party beach band maybe, but just something I didn't expect after "Hey You." There's sparks from "Girls are the Cruelest" and the disco like "The Family". Of course "Got You" is the best song by far. Other than that, I find it hard to really get what the band was trying to do in most of the songs. I will admit I do like the cd after several listens. It's something different from the usual hard rock stuff I like, and The Flys is a unique sound all in itself. What's great about the album is I don't think the band really cares what people think about it. They cater to themselves and the fans who know what to expect form them. They seemed to have fun making this album, and even though I don't have any other The Flys albums, I might reconsider that after I start to appreciate the sound more than what I began. But damn, this is one psyched out blurred album w/ some crazy sounding songs. Oh well, just have to enjoy it when it makes its way to the cd player. For now, 3 stars for "Got You" and 1 for the cleverness of the band.
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Really great CD, February 9, 2001
After hearing Adam Paskowitz, lead singer, perform on the "Bathead Soup" Ozzy Osbourne Tribute a few months ago, I decided to give the Flys a try. So, I bought their latest CD, "Outta My Way". I really liked this CD, so I soon picked up "Holiday Man". After hearing "Holiday Man", I can now say that the Flys are one of my favorite bands. This CD is great, and I like all but one song. Still, eleven out of twelve is pretty good. This CD mixes a lot of types of music, from slow songs like "Girls Are the Cruelest" to more upbeat songs such as "Holiday Man". Some of my favorite tracks include "Got You (Where I Want You)", "Afraid", "Holiday Man" and "Groove is Where You Find It". If you like the Flys, or want to try something new, you should check out this CD.
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by The Flys 
