Customer Reviews

Incredible Shrinking Dickies (Dig)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I dare you to play this album and not feel like a teenager in a fun park.

I was thirteen when I first bought this record in '79, back in punks riotous heyday, it struck us then that something elevated this work from its contemporaries. Behind the marvel comic inspired tom-foolery of L.G.Phillips's lyrics it can be easy to overlook the sheer sonic quality of this album and what a tight if not insane musical unit the Dickies actually were. Take the lavish guitar work on 'You Drive Me Ape' - the layered vocal harmonies on 'Give It Back', the machine gun percussion on 'Shake & Bake' And simply the best covers of 'Paranoid' and 'The Banana Splits' ever recorded.

Not your average seventies punk combo fare here - a punk album with Production! This is what Greenday would aspire to if they lightened up. An album as fresh and eye opening today as it was then.

Classic, three minute, feel good, B movie - pop punk at its very best. I simply don't understand why these guys were not HUGE.

My face is red. Here I am, a cultivated person who reads Montaigne and adores Bach, yet I like the Dickies. There, I've said it. Yes, their lyrics are puerile. Yes, the lead singer spews those lyrics in a blitzkrieg of nearly incomprehensible mock-schoolboy babble. Yes, the songs are so short, they're often over before you realize what hit you.

What hits you is a kind of power-pop punk reminiscent of the Ramones, only with more production. And the production on tracks like "Give it Back" is glorious, with crisp backing vocals and frenetic snippets of piano accenting the roiling guitar chords. And though the songs say nothing, with most of them clocking in at under two minutes, at least they don't take too long to say it.

You should realize the Dickies, like many punk bands, are decidedly NOT politically correct. Normally, this does not concern me. However, I do have reservations about the blatant if cartoon-like racism in the lyrics of "Shadow Man." This for me comes close to emptying the dance floor if not entirely spoiling the party. Unfortunate for an album that otherwise ranks very high on the Fun Scale, the top rungs of which are occupied by albums like X-Ray Spex "Germfree Adolescents," and the self-titled debut of the B-52s.

How dare you call yourself a punk rock fan if you don't own(or have heard) The Incredible Shrinking Dickies. It's very sad these punk veterans are virtually unknown in the music world, coz I'm sure more people would love them if they knew about them. They really stand out amongst the other punk bands of their day. While most punk bands were throwing politics and anger in your face, The Dickies gave punk rock a much needed humor transplant. The Dickies used the punk genre to make fun of things and spread silliness. They also used some strange sounds and instruments that weren't common to punk rock. Don't be fooled by how juvenile they may act-there was some real talent here. The music is just as fast and furious as any other punk band, and the group is extremely tight. Leonard's vocals seem to be the major complaint amongst critics of the group, but if you think about it, his voice is perfect for their kind of sound. Punk singers usually have a tendency to be kind of whiny and irritating, and Leonard is an overexaggerated, cartoony version of the average punk singer. That makes sense considering they like to do covers of cartoon theme songs(The Banana Splits being this album's cartoon cover). If you're big into the late 70s/early 80s punk bands, this one is a must for your collection-If you don't already have it, that is.

Somewhat akin to LA's version of The Ramones, The Dickies combine a revved up punk sound, a humorous take on life, and a tasty selection in covers and come up with nothing more or nothing less than simple, fun entertainment. Don't go looking for any messages within these grooves, not with originals with titles like "You Drive Me Ape (You Big Gorilla)," "Poodle Party" and "Curb Job," or hyperdrive covers of "Paranoid," "Eve Of Destruction," "Silent Night," "Sounds Of Silence" and in a stroke of brilliance, "The Banana Splits" theme. Tremendous...

Yes! The dickies, with this superb album are what so called punk rockers, Green Day always should have been. Fantastic catchy, sparkly, jangly power punk anthems, all under 3 minutes long (theres no flies on these boys) Yes you can have your 'American idiot', by all means have your 'Dookie', but do not overlook 'The Incredible Shrinking Dickies' in your quest to collect a back catalogue of 70s & early 80s punk/new wave must have top 100 albums. Dont think im getting carried away here. Its no all time classic. Nevertheless it has its place in american late 70's new wave.

I once had the great pleasure of watching The Dickies, play live, as they toured to promote this very album. I remember we had to wait past 1.00 am untill they came onstage. Their live act was so fast(faster even than the album) that they had played thier entire repetoire, including The Banana splits song, twice, all before the clock reached 1.40 am! Nevertheless a good time was had by all, and they certainly put their all into the performance of this album. I wonder if they have reformed like so many of those bands of that period ? Might be worth a look see ?

I still have a copy of this somewhere on yellow vinyl, and I nearly wore that one flat over the years! The album is too much fun, and coupled with "Dawn of the Dickies" forms one of the most sadly neglected bodies of extremely thoughtful pop craziness the world will ever see.

This album contains the definitive cover of 'Paranoid', injecting it with enough sugar and caffeine to make a horse do handstands, all the while staying almost magically note-for-note true to the original!

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.

I'm also given to understand that the cd contains a bunch of singles as well, including the Banana Splits Theme/Got It At The Store and others. Priceless. The Dickies are the only band that can do songs as wonderfully silly as these and make it sound cool! Other bands have tried, but when you hear these, you'll realize that the bar was raised REALLY high a long time ago!

A timeless gem from the days when 'punk' was fun, musical and unpredictable.

This San Diego band continued in some different lineups over the years, but the original was the greatest both on stage and in the studio - quite a compliment, given they've generated more fun music than just about all of their peers. This album remains their statement, with quick, funny songs and clever lyrics. Barely 30 minutes in length, it does the rare feat of pouring on the buzzy energy while delivering on memorable songs. Their debut is generally thought to be a classic.

This recording has a special significance for fans. In their early career, live performances were miraculous mirror copies of their record, showing a tightness and control unequaled by their peers. Whether as a record of a certain period in punk, or as thrilling music, The Incredible Shrinking Dickies has a reputation that doesn't shrink with age.

I can't believe Gigantor isn't on this album. I stumbled on it around 1980 and it blew my mind. Tight, funny, fast, inventive and like nothing, as it turns out, before or since. Gigantor could be my favorite song ever maybe besides Ack, Ack, Ack by the Urinals or Wasted by Black Flag or I've Got the World Up My... by the Circle Jerks. I've played Gigantor for kids over the years and they typically beg me to play it over and over. The yellow vinyl of the album also made this a terrific record. I prized it for years. Finally, the transition to cd happened and the magic of vinyl faded. Sure, I don't miss the cracks and pops that commonly increase with more plays but the size of the album and the stark color of the yellow made this one of my favorite albums. The fact that some guys could use their brains to crank out this energy and fast pop punk got me again and again when I played it, consistently startled at how quick the songs went by and how the musical quality and intense fun just shot atcha, ready or not. If regular radio had ever been able to handle punk, even high quality pop punk like this, the Dickies and the Undertones would have become the massive stars the quality of their music called for. In the meantime, we're left to our own devices. Savor this album. The classic singles songs added as bonus tunes make this disc well worthwhile. I'm not sure I can think of a more consistently fun and funny punk band and this is their crowning glory tho now I'd take the Punk Singles Collection cd in a heartbeat too cuz that's what they were, punk pop hit makers who never made it beyond college radio stars (I'm assuming they did cuz college radio has played real hits like punk that should have been enjoyed by millions like DK's, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Discharge, more punk pop like the Buzzcocks and Undertones (first 2 albums: punk power pop), Bow Wow Wow (slick sorta punk), the Urinals/100 Flowers, the Mau Mau's (UK) - a group even under appreciated in punk land, the Ramones (ok, first 3 of 4 albums), DNA, 13:13 (Lydia Lunch), Bush Tetras (I know, I'm gettin' off the hardcore track, but still, quality punk/ish bands) Teenage Jesus and the Jerks (Lydia Lunch), early Poison Idea, lst 7" of Meat Puppets (only 7" I guess, incredible insane hc on there), Terveet Kadet, Rattus, Appendix (Finland), Rose Rose, Deathside, Brain Death, Systematic Death (late 80's Japan), the continually amazing and intense Fear who just won't fade away, God bless 'em, (saw 'em live about 2009 and Lee Ving and his young band whipped me so bad I flopped around like a fish outta water for virtually the whole set, whew!), the Jam (first 3 albums), the Clash (lst 3 albums), Sex Pistols (only album), the virtually unknown amazing American HC Hates from Houston who still thrive 30 years on, Battalion of Saints (lst 2 albums), War of Destruction, BGK, Cheetah Chrome M...s, Raw Power, Indigesti, Wretched (Italy), Manic Hispanic keepin' it incredibly alive live today. Well, I'm runnin' outta bands but when I go over the accumulated vinyl and cds I realize there's tons more high quality groups that the masses just never got a taste of. Oh well. We get to enjoy them and they live forever on the Internet. Thanks Incredible Shrinking Dickies. You brought me so much musical joy in the 80's and your tunes live on, your high voltage energy will live forever. On amazon. Who knew? chrisbct at hotmail, still punking at 55! Ha.

Be assured: the Dickies are somthing special. Even today I can put on this record and find myself jumping all over the house like a maniac. But what's up with the extra tracks? I don't seem to remember my Lp having Silent Night or the Sound of Silence. Oh, well, looks like I'll be shelling out a few extra bucks for the Cd.

in a word, this album is "fantastic." you gotta buy it! why? these songs are short, loud, and awesome. they're catchy as hell and the cover songs are hilarious. this is great music for a wedding or a children's birthday party. you will love this, man. it's so good! and i think it's good for you, too! excellent!