Customer Reviews

Punk Goes 80s

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

 

 

We have two options here.

Either I have grown too old and far removed from youth culture to understand what constitutes new "punk" these days, or 14 of the 15 bands who contributed songs to Fearless Record's Punk Goes 80's, the latest installment of their entertaining Punk Goes... series, have really missed the boat here.

God knows that we do not need another argument over what defines "true punk," so I'll do my best to steer clear of that debate. If I can, however, let me just quickly say that just a few years ago the word "punk" was still -more often than not- being used to describe relatively intense music featuring characteristics like aggressive guitar strumming, uptempo drumming, unpolished vocals and raw production. Given that fact, when I dropped $11.99 at one of the registers at the local record store (well these days it's more like the local corporate mega appliance monster mall) for a disc entitled PUNK Goes 80s, I was not expecting to hear what we were given here.

In my opinion, when a modern band takes a classic 80s song and reworks it to include their own special flavor all while keeping the song's basic backbone, it can be a really entertaining affair. I loved the older Vagrant Before You Were Punk records for this reason, and I will never grow tired of my Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies records. But I knew we were in trouble here when the first song on this disc, a cover of The Bangles' Manic Monday performed by Reliant K, started. Long story short, it sounds almost identical to the original. In fact, the same can be said for almost all of the tracks here. Sugarcult's version of I Melt With You, for example, does nothing. And what was Rufio thinking when they submitted their version of Don't You Forget About Me to Fearless? Out of all the bands here I at least expected them to give us an uptempo version of one of the biggest hits of the 80s. Instead, they just plod through the song as if they were playing a wedding reception. Nu emo superstars, Midtown, simply added a techno intro to their standard performance of The Outfield's Your Love. Lame.

To add insult to injury, most of the bands who did choose to rework their song choices to fit their style actually chose to take a more pretentious mellow approach. While it would maybe be interesting to hear The Early November do a really slow totally accoustic version of Huey Lewis' big hit Power Of Love on one of their own records, it's probably not what I or anyone else who would happen to buy this record would expect to find in this setting. The same goes for the Jamison Parker track. Who would have ever thought that it would be possible for a "punk" record to present a version of Everyone Wants To Rule The World that actually sounds whimpier than the Tears For Fears version? Amazing.

Earlier in this review I mentioned that at least one of the 15 bands here got the point of a punk cover album. That band provides the one bright spot on this otherwise forgetable disc. The last track, a cover of the popular song Video Killed The Radio Star performed by Amber Pacific, is the only track on Punk Goes 80s that actually bears some of the "punk" characteristics I mentioned above. It's fast, somewhat raw, maintains the integrity of the original, and provides us with the fun we have come to expect from "punk" covers over the years.

I hate writing negative reviews. I really do. Unfortunately, this disappointing compilation left me with no choice. Punk Goes Pop and Punk Goes Metal were both tons of fun. This one, however, is disposable. Sorry folks.

First off, in this day & age...anything titled "punk" is not the 70's rebellion most want it to be. Nowadays, punk is anything with a distortion in the amp. But you know what? Get over it...times change. It's all about the music, not the label.

Moving on, standout's on this CD are the Gatsby cover of "Just Like Heaven" (although the TBS cover found online is better); "Straight Up" by Halifax & "Manic Monday" by Relient K. All songs bring something to the original while at the same time staying true to the band that made the songs famous.

The CD, as a whole, is satisfying if your into this type of music. If your not, then it's going to blow...obviously.

I don't have high expectations or am i looking for ''ground breaking''. These bands did fine with these songs and i am happy they picked these songs to cover . Emery pulls through with their stamp (lead singers great screams) , sugarcult did a far better job with their cover than anyother punk revival band has and the early november puts their touch on ''Power Of Love''.

The cd brings some newer bands that are floating around out there ''Amber Pacific , Gatsbys American Dream etc.''

Brazil covered ''Wrapped Around Your Finger'' beautifully.

These punk revival bands show they can keep up and you know you like to sing along to these songs ...

Early 80's kids will understand ...

It's an all around fun cd and i give it 5 stars .

Okay, even if you arent' totally into punk or haven't heard of many of the artists on Punk Goes The 80's I guarantee that you will enjoy this CD this summer. How often is it that you purchase a CD and you know the words to all of the songs? The CD opens up with Relient K's version of "Maniac Monday." This is a very good cover of this song. It's followed up by Hidden In Plain View's cover of "I Ran" by Flock of Seagulls. this is a very good cover of this song. It's awesome. Popular punk act Sugarcult take on "I Melt With You," this is an equally impressive cover. The group Midtown remade "Your Love" which was originally recorded by the outfield. This cover has a techno/computer sound to it in the beginning and then starts to rock out. This is a really good song. Rufio take on "Don't You Forget About Me," the theme song from The Breakfast Club,

Gatbys American Dream decided to remake "Just Like Heaven." this song has been covered so many times even by Dinosaur Jr, it would have been nice if maybe they would have tackled a less covered cure song...They put a nice spin on the song and make it unique. The best remakes on the CD are the ones that are the most similar to the style or melodies of the original song, that being said, The Early November's version of "Power of Love," has none of the power or energy of the original song. It's a slow acoustic song, its pretty, its just not the driving song that the original was. Halifax rock out "Straight Up." This is another song that is nothing like the original. It's a good song though, would be great for a soundtrack.

Brazil remade the classic Oingo Boingo song, "Dead Mans Party," and it's a great song. BRazil took on the Police classic "Wrapped Around Your Finger," another grouat remake/ Jamison Parkers version of Everyone Wants To Rule the world is.....different. It's okay but it lost the magic of the original song. the album closes with Amber Pacific's version of "Video Killed The Radio Star." This is another curious remake. It was just covered by Presidents of the United States for the wedding singer soundtrack in 1998 and that version was much better. This one isn't bad, but ther ewere just so many other songs they could have covered. This is a really great album and everyone should rock out to this album this summer. I hope that Fearless Records produces a part 2.

I think most people get it wrong when reviewing this album. What they say are the standouts really aren't.

The best covers:

Emery's "Holding Out For a Hero," they really revelled the concept of the album. They realized the humor of it and did a straight up version and buttoned the song off by changing things up completely. This band is so very overlooked.

The Early November's "Power of Love" is arguably the best track they've recorded ever. What a great solo at the end.

Halifax's "Straight Up" is excellent, this and Emery's song surpass the original singer's vocal performance simply because they have better voices but also because they completely made it their own.

Jamison Parker's "Everybody Wants To Rule the World," is great. If you're looking for the guitar solo let me warn you, it's not there. But this is one of the best covers on the album. Comparisons to Postal Service are abound.

Other notable songs?

Relient K's "Manic Monday," Midtown's "Your Love," Hidden In Plain View's "I Ran" are all good. Nothing special with these covers but they certainly aren't poor. They're still enjoyable. I bring some attention to Brazil's "Wrapped Around Your Finger," the vocals are great but the guitar part just isn't there. You've gotta have a lot of guts to sing something Sting originated and he stepped to the plate and hit a long ball. I'm just not crazy about the rest of it. And Gatsby's American Dream does a good cover of "Like Heaven." Though these are good versions they don't really bring anything new to the table. They're still enjoyable, they're good, just nothing groundbreaking.

To be honest the rest is a slight disappointment. Sugarcult changed a lyric and took a couple things out that made the original so good without putting something of their own in to make their "I Melt With You" a better song. They took a step back with this one. Rufio's "Don't You Forget About Me" in all honesty doesn't add up to the original vocally. If you want a good cover of "Video Killed the Radio Star," I'd still go with The President's of the United State's version. This one sounds muddled and thrown together.

highly recommended to people who love remakes of crappy old songs. RELIENT K, RUFIO, Sugarcult and SO THEY SAY offer the best covers. well worth the 12 bucks I dropped on it.

fun fun fun!

I bought this album for my girlfriend at the time because she's a fan of the 80s music. She enjoyed the album, but thought that the original 80s songs were better. I disagreed with her. Either way, I think the album is a solid set of cover songs and you can't really go wrong with an album that has artists like Relient K, Amber Pacific, Motion City Soundtrack, and The Early November. It's an album worth buying. Good day !

I purchased the MP3 download months ago and it is still the most listened to disc in my car. I love 80's music and I am very happy to see covers done so well! Power of love was incredible! Keep them coming!

I loved the 80's. BUT THESE BANDS ALONG WITH THE REST OF THE PUNK GOES CRAP ARE NOT PUNK!

The 80's were memorable to say the least; in fact, it had an air all it's own. The music has stood the test of time, and still holds fond memories for those who lived through the decade. Apparently, the bands who appear on this album grew up in the 80's, and are covering their favorite songs, for better or for worse.

Not surprisingly, Relient K brings the best work on the album with a true cover of "Manic Monday" that keeps the original spirit of the song, while still keeping the Relient K sound we all know and love. So if the highlight comes first, does that mean it's all downhill from there? Not exactly, as Hidden In Plain View, Sugarcult, Midtown and Motion City Soundtrack all put up worthy covers sure to appeal to any pop punk fan. Whether or not they're good covers is a different argument altogether. They're just good songs. Emery brings out their big guns next with "Holding Out For A Hero," which is a very good song up until the last minute when the song puts all its breaks on, and suddenly switches to a scremo-fest. Now, I may not be the biggest scremo fan in the world, but the sudden switch in the direction confuses me, and for me at least, ruins a perfectly good cover.

For most of the second half of the album, we're treated to a variety of songs which range from the snooze-fest that is The Early November's "Power of Love," to the pleasing rock-fest of So They Say's "Forever Young." However, most of the tracks in-between just aren't memorable enough for any critique. But then I came across the California duo of JamisonParker's fresh new spin on "Everybody Wants To Rule The World." It's a techno ballad that's far away from the light Tears For Fears classic and one that is made the band's own with very good results. Amber Pacific then takes us out with a true punk reworking of the MTV classic "Video Killed the Radio Star."

While no ground is exactly broken here, there is certainly something here for most everyone. Whether you're a nostalgic 80's fan, a pop punk fan, a fan of cover songs, or just a fan of any artist around here, you'll find something that'll float your boat, at least for awhile. Because even though you'll still come back to your favorite tracks, the album doesn't hold much of a lasting value. So get it for a nostalgic summer, or if you just need that one Relient K track, otherwise, pass this one up.