Customer Reviews

And Out Come The Wolves...

5 star:		(206)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Several years ago I was a huge fan of punk music but over the years my interest in the music quickly diminished because I got fed up with the holier-than-thou attitudes from the Maximum Rock 'N Roll crowds and hearing the same ol' song be rehashed over and over. One of my favorite cds from those days was "And Out Comes the Wolves". There was something edgy to the music that is sorely lacking in the garbage I am hearing nowadays (i.e Good Charlotte). Unfortunately Rancid was subjected to endless comparisons to the legendary punk band The Clash and to a certain extent you can hear The Clash in songs like the reggae-influenced "Time Bomb" and "Roots Radical". I must admit that I bought this cd (back in the mid-'90s) when I would hear songs like "Ruby Soho" and "Roots Radicals" over and over. I almost forgot just how good "And Out Comes the Wolves" until I threw the disc in this evening. It is an album just chockful of melodic yet blistering punk music. There isn't one song on this album that I didn't like. Of all the songs on this cd, I must say that "As Wicked" is my favorite non-single track on the album. The production by Jerry Finn is the perfect example how punk albums should be produced...loose and raw. Bands such as Good Charlotte and Blink 182 are nothing more than boy bands with guitars and wearing clothes from the Goodwill. Their music is overly polished and lacks the edginess that bands like Rancid and The Clash has/had. "And Out Come the Wolves" is a masterpiece.

I don't care how often they are compared to the Clash - Rancid are one of the all-time great punk bands. Album after album, they've delivered tight songs with caustic melodies that you can't stop playing over and over. And of all those albums, guess which one is the best? ...and out come the wolves! I'm not the only one here who says so - just look at some of the other reviews. Try not to enjoy "Roots Radicals", "Olympia", or "Journey to the End of the East Bay". How about "She's Automatic"? The songs are infectious, the lyrics insightful and conjuring up vivid images in your mind during almost every song - can't you just see the guys on that city bus during "Roots Radicals"? Listen to "The War's End" and "You Don't Care Nothin'", and then try to tell me you don't want this album? If you already have it, I'm sure your sentiments are pretty much the same as mine. One of my all-time favorite albums.

"And out come the Wolves" is one of the most powerful albums of all time. It possesses raw energy and positivity, each song carries a message to take to heart. "Maxwell Murder" opens up the album..or should I say kick starts the album. It has a furious bass solo and a relentless beat to it. "Roots Radicals" is a classic punk rock anthem with the classic lyric "Give em the boot, the roots radicals...give em the boot, ya know Im a radical" and the infectuous first single "Time Bomb" which accidently caught on in the mainstream.

"And Out come the Wolves" accomplished so much with so little that Madonna attempted to sign Rancid onto her label...but staying true to themselves, they opted to stay with Epitaph. This made them heroes within the punk community. But enough about useless facts..the album speaks louder than that.

It covers topics ranging from homeless/socialist issues in "As Wicked" and racial barriers as found in "Avenues and Alleyways" which has the positive message "Hes a different colour, but we're the same kid...ill treat him like my brother and he will treat me like his" or the powerful "The inner cities screaming black and blue..the power and the passion of a million youth"

With 19 songs, there is almost too much material. Rancid is an intelligent group with open minds..something lacking nowadays in music. They dare to experiment at times, and it always turns out great. One listen to "And Out come the Wolves" (punk fan or not) will inspire you to think for yourself. Anyone who seriously claims they are musically informed should own this album. It is THAT good.

Despite the mohawks, the fake Brittish accents, the tattoos, the sneering and the corny lyrics you nonetheless still have the foundation for a good rock band.

It is easy to analyze Rancid in that they have effectively stole all of the essential elements from the 1970's punk bands. The aching vocals of the Clash, the crunch of the Sex Pistols, the bottom heavy sound of the Jam, the thick-toned ska of Madness and the sneer of Generation X to make a gumbo of the ingredients from the best of the past.

Is it a rip off? Maybe.

But, on the other hand, most music is derivative. If you consider punk a serious and historical form of music then it has to have an influence on other artists 30 years later.

Most or all of the great punk bands burned themselves out. With the exception of the Clash, none of them had any longitivity.

Rancid took the best elements of this coveted music and, essentially, did it better. They applied better songwriting, better musicianship, better production, more substance in the songwriting, etc.

It is silly to call it punk. Punk from the 70's was a reaction to the "fat" in the music business and lean times for the economic period. There are no poltical issues to substantially affect them.

I find this to be a good and enduring work. There are a lot of songs on this disc with a variety of styles. So much keeps on coming at you, song or after song.

Not everything is great but there are some quality, I mean killer, tunes here."Maxwell Murder" has a killer bass solo. "Roots Radicals" falls into a throbbing groove. "Time Bomb" is great and musically muscular ska rune. "Olympia WA" employs heartfelt and crackling voclas. "Lock Step" sounds like an amped up gospel song with it's call and response chorus. "Ruby, Soho" is a bit of power pop, the most commercial sounding song on the cd.

If the image of the band was that of just 4 normal looking poeple, I feel that the music would have received more accolades.

It is a quality work from a good band. Musically, theiy are doing a lot more here than even their 1970's muses. This is far from perfect but definitely a keeper!

Rancid has come out with uncompromising punk music, from harder streetier stuff like on Rancid 2000, to laid back experimental ska on Life Won't Wait. ...And Out Come the Wolves is a classic anthemic mix of those two extremes, with straight-up modern punk to please the Let's Go fans. The brilliance of ...And Out Come the Wolves is that all Rancid fans can enjoy it, whether they're into poppy melodies, harder punk, or ska and reggae.

Some highlight tracks for me include Roots Radicals, Time Bomb, Ruby Soho, Olympia WA, Lock Step and Gone, and Old Friend.

Roots Radicals is an anthemic punk song, kind of like Radio on Let's Go. Matt Freeman has an irresistable bass line during the chorus.

Time Bomb is a catchy skaish reggaeish tune, sounds minor in the verses, and then reverts to a fun chorus.

Ruby Soho is slower and calmer in the verses and loud and bombastic during the repetitive chorus of just "DESTINATION UNKNOWN!!! RUBY RUBY RUBY RUBY SOHO!!!" Very catchy

Ok that's all the song descriptions I'm gonna do

If you only buy one Rancid album, let this be it.

First, I want it known I am not a fan of the Epitaph roster. I find it to be full of poseur bands and I hate NOFX, but I'll give props when it is due. Rancid are a great punk pop band the way the Descendents are. Tim Armstrong writes perfect songs that owe as much to the Clash as the Subhumans. And his ska songs are some of the best in the genre. But make no mistake, Rancid definitely have a sound of their own, and they prove it on this album.

Forget if they are true punks or not?
If they are trying to be the Clash or not?

I bought this album having seen some of their videos on TV.
This is a great CD, much better than I had expected.
There is not a bad song on the whole Album.
So they were influenced by The Clash is that a bad thing?
No way.
What do you want? Influenced by Michael Bolton.

Go buy it NOW!

Why?

First, whoever said that Tim Armstrong can't write songs is an idiot. THIS IS PUNK!!! You don't have to have the greatest lyrics. Of course it helps, (Greg Graffin and Mr. Brett from Bad Religion) but is not needed.

Second, Matt is amazing on the bass. He's probably the best bassist I've heard. A lot of bands nowadays just have the bassist play the same notes as the rhythm guitarist, and that gets boring. You can almost forget about the bass in those songs. Matt even SOLOS!! The solo in Maxwell Murder is the coolest thing I have heard in a punk rock song. Also a lot of bands have the volume on the bass turned down but you can clearly hear the bass in every song on this CD.

Third, the dual vocals are very, very cool. They help the CD not get old. It's cool not hearing the same voice on every song. This especially evident on songs like Roots Radicals, As Wicked, and Avenues and Alleyways where they switch in the middle of the song.

Fourth, the great punk feel to this album. I pop this album into my CD player and it makes me feel happy to be punk. It makes me want to get up and jump around. Sometimes I do (heh heh). Almost every song is fast, upbeat, and great. I would call this one of my favorite albums.

While the first CDs I ever got were Throwing Copper by Live, Smash by The Offspring, and Vitalogy by Pearl Jam, I never actually knew what the hell punk was. Sure, like everybody else, I knew songs like "I Wanna Be Sedated", but I didn't know about punk at all until fall last year. Then I was introduced to big time punk bands like Dropkick Murphys, Bad Religion, and RANCID. The very first time I heard the CD, I found myself singing along to "Roots, Radicals", doing all those uniquely masculine motions known as air guitar to every song, and realizing that Limp Bacon is not a real musical band, just like N*Sync.... Wes Borland, I'll take Lars Frederiksen any day!

This album is easily the crowning achievement of Rancid's career. After all, it's sold something like 8 million copies...for punk? Eesh! That's like superstardom! But it is deserved stardom. With great ska-punk hooks, very catchy lyrics, and songs that don't express mindless rage like the aggro rap-rock... scene does these days, ...And Out Come the Wolves is far and away my favorite sing-along punk experience. Buy this CD (or burn it...it's cheaper!) now, plug in and enjoy. I guarantee even non-punk fans will love this, and possibly be converted to the "other side" as I was.

*If you're already an established punker, then check out Lars Frederiksen ... another addicting album.*

This album is by far the dominant punk-pop (notice I put punk first) album of the mid nineties. While 'Dookie' might have ruled the airwaves and Billboard charts, this album is superior in every way shape and form. Energetic songs, great songwriting, and amazing bass lines. If you don't own this album, you should.