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97 of 100 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply timeless. Transcends categorization., April 7, 2004
This review is from: Operation Ivy (Audio CD)
Some albums are a nexus and a microcosm all their own. This is one of them. This little collection of tunes will still be kicked around speakers and radio stations fifty years from now. I have no doubt of it. This album never fails to animate and invigorate the souls of those who hear it, it's a virus in the classic Burroughsian sense, but a virus that fortifies and awakens those who are lucky enough to catch it: This music is passion in its rawest and most vitriolic form. I'm sure you remember where you were when you first heard Op Ivy. I'm sure that, like me, you got it then and still get it now, you felt like you had discovered something so unbelievable and exceptional- you wanted to share it with everyone important to you. I put this on and remember for a second what it was to be young and venomous, what it was like to believe that music could change the course of human destiny... For so many of us, coming of age in the early 90's- Op Ivy was our Clash, or perhaps one of those bands that caught their torch and ran with it. All of which is to say, my affectations and bellicose meanderings aside: this is not a CD. This is the file in the cupcake. They had the balls to sneak it into your cell. The rest is up to you.
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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Inspiring, April 2, 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Operation Ivy (Audio CD)
I'm not a "punk", and guess that my life is actuially made up of some of the things Operation Ivy rails against most fervently, but I wanted to testify on behalf of this album, which is one of the best, most vital, and inspiring records I own. I listen to it probably two or three times a day at work while poring over financial data, after work at the gym, and at home on headphones. The music itself is much more sophisticated than most of the stuff that passes for punk, but what really blows me away are the lyrics, which are poetic and insightful--especially mind-blowing considering the band members, and Jesse Michaels, were like nineteen years old when they wrote the album--and tackle real life issues and choices at street level, such as the phoniness of the 9 to 5, the phoniness of a macho, "tough guy" attitude, the inhumanity of violence and insensitivity, the crassness of overconsumption, and the need to break through destructive, self-imposed, conformist patterns in your life.
All of this, plus an obvious joy and reverence for music-making and music-listening as paths to freedom, and identifiable, skeptical, well-formed politics. And sung in such a way that it's all intelligible, so you don't have to read the lyrics to know what the songs are driving at. To me, it's one of few, rare albums that mix politics, catchiness, and the positivity that people need to feed off of to change their lives, live ethically, honestly, and thoughtfully. Not a lot of other bands/groups spring to mind when I say that: the Clash, Blackalicious, Anti-Flag, Bright Eyes, Minor Threat, Neil Young, Nas (Illmatic) a few others. Anyway... Have also heard a few Common Rider songs on some the Plea for Peace compilations, and am anxious to check them out more in-depth. Now's the time, at least in my life, that I want conscience, consciousness, and positivity in the music I pump into my head twelve hours a day, and Operation Ivy delivers all of that and more.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's beautiful, I would say, I wouldnt have it any other way, June 27, 2004
This review is from: Operation Ivy (Audio CD)
After listening to Rancid, I decided that Lint (AKA Tim Armstrong) has no talent as a song writer whatsoever. Then I discovered Operation Ivy and found out just how wrong I was. Energy Ranks alongside fresh fruit for rotting vegetables, The clash's debut and other great punk rock albums as simply one of the greatest albums ever. Even if you dont like ska, you'll probably like this, it's not all ska anyway, there are several straight up punk rock songs. Every song on this album is good, there is not one average song on here. Lint is a good guitarist, Matt McCall is a brilliant bassist, Dave Mello's drumming is a little more creative than the usual generic drum beat and Jesse Micheals is quite simply one of the best vocalists ever and is even better at writing lyrics than he is at singing. Just look at the lyrics to Jaded, Big City or most of the songs on here. The highlights of this album are Jaded, Sound system, Big city, Knowledge and caution, but every song on here is so brilliant, you'd almost think it was a greatest hits collection. You cant really call yourself either a punk, a ska fan, or just someone who enjoys good music untill you have this CD. The only criticisms I have are that a few songs sound a little similar to one another and that Operation Ivy never released anything other than this. And what the hell are all these people complaining about regarding the sound quality. It's not bad at all. It's far better than some other recordings I have heard. Maybe those reviewers never listen to any other underground music, because the quality here isnt worse than your average punk album.
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