Love Their Country

Me First and The Gimme Gimmes | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 17, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Fat Wreck Chords
• ASIN: B000GRTQI4
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,652 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #11 in Music > Miscellaneous > Comedy > Comedic Music > Novelty Music
  • #55 in Music > Alternative Rock > Hardcore & Punk > Punk-Pop
  • #59 in Music > Alternative Rock > Hardcore & Punk > Punk Revival

Editorial Reviews

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, the cover band who have single handedly revitalized the careers of many long forgotten artists, are back with their 6th full length entitled Love Their Country. If their stylistic focus this time around isn't completely clear from the album title or the cover photo, then let me spell it our for you, C-O-U-N-T-R-Y (as in music). The Gimmes are set to breathe new life into this almost forgotten genre! With a curtsy and a tip of the old ten-gallon hat Me First tear through 13 of country music's most famous tunes. Songs by the likes of the Dixie Chicks, Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, and Kenny Rogers just to name a few. A supergroup of sorts, bringing together members from NOFX, Lagwagon, The Swingin' Utters, and the Foo Fighters, it's no wonder that Me First and the Gimme Gimmes pull off a country record flawlessly. If I didn't know better I'd think they wrote these tunes themselves. So mosey on up to some sort of cold beverage, and get yourself ready, because the hoedown's a fixin' to go down!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Above Average, But Not Their Best, October 21, 2006

By 

Brian Seiler (Tomball, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Love Their Country (Audio CD)

This CD is problematic. I am a Me First and the Gimme Gimmes fan, and I am a country music fan (I have the originals of a fair sampling of the material they've covered here), and this is probably the first time on any of their records that I can see some clear, distinct errors in judgment and execution on the band's part.

The plus side for the album is that it's a set of moderately effective punk rock covers of country songs of various popularity. While not ambitious, the music is generally well executed. It's not a CD I'm sorry I bought.

However, there are some problems with this album, particularly when compared with some of their earlier fare. For starters, the song selection here is incomprehensible. Annie's Song? I mean, John Denver showed up a lot on the country charts, but this is not one of the songs that gets a lot of radio play in a lot of markets. It's also not a song that's particularly friendly for conversion to the punk ruck genre, because it is, in its original form, essentially a vocal showcase for Denver with only a minor part for the backing instrumental parts. Country Roads would have been a good choice here (their cover of that song is more than adequate), and Thank God I'm A Country Boy would probably have been more in keeping with the feeling of the album.

Similarly, Lookin' for Love is not really the hallmark of Johnny Lee's career. Cherokee Fiddle would probably have converted better, and would have better allowed for performances from the band. The Hank Williams number selected (I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry) is adequate and one of the more creative and interesting on the record, but I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive might have been an easier sell and even Hey Good Lookin' might be more recognizable. Other songs just aren't very effective on the record (Ghost Riders - a song I have grown to hate in all its various forms, and Jolene - a song that uses the same word four times in a row to form the chorus and casts serious doubt on Dolly Pardon's abilities as a performer). East Bound and Down - which will be most recognizable to folks as the theme song to Smokey and the Bandit - is similarly not the best they could have done in Jerry Reed's catalog (Guitar Man might have worked better, or even Amos Moses).

Some songs, however, are gems. I don't much like any country music perpetrated after 1985, but Much Too Young and Goodbye Earl are probably as good as they could be. Sunday Morning Coming Down is very well done as well. Comparing this to Are A Drag and Blow In The Wind, however, you see where the CD has some tracks that you might conceivably just want to skip over, and given the album's 25 minute running time, that's a pretty big problem.

Mostly, I suppose I'm just disappointed with the end result they've got here, which shouldn't really be surprising. It's easier to shoehorn pop music into the punk rock formula than it is country, if only because the two genres share a lot more qualities. This is a noble effort for what it's worth, but one that ultimately disappoints.

Buying Recommendations: For fans of the band, this isn't really a matter of choice. There is a new record. You'll buy it. It's not as good as some of the earlier work, but it's good enough. For new listeners interested in the band, if you've only got the money for one or two CDs, I'd tend to steer you towards Are A Drag and Blow In The Wind before this record. For country music and punk music fans interested in hearing the mashup of styles, you should be satisfied, if not really deeply and fundamentally impressed.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At it again..., October 18, 2006

By 

Dr. Rock (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love Their Country (Audio CD)

This is exactly what I would expect from the punk supergroup we all know and love. Another fast CD with catchy covers and an expectedly short running time. Great stuff as usual.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Yippee-I-Yay Yippee-I-Yo, October 28, 2006

By 

Scooter McGavin (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Love Their Country (Audio CD)

When it comes to "Weird Al" Yankovic, it's always the parodies that get all the press, but for me, it's the polkas that make the album. The parodies are always hit are miss, but Al has never made a bad polka and can usually turn an unlistenable song, much like the Pussycat Dolls Don't Cha on his latest album, into thoroughly enjoyable medleys. If you are like me and find Al's polka medleys entertaining, here's a band for you: Me First and the Gimme Gimmes who take pop songs, but there genre of choice is punk. Comprised of members of NOFX and Foo Fighters, the band has been converting songs into punk since 1995 and you have not lived until you have heard their rendition of R. Kelly's I Believe I Can Fly.

After albums featuring songs from the 60's and 70's (Have a Ball), show tunes (Are a Drag), R&B (Take a Break), as well the live album Ruin Johnny's Bar Mitzvah which was recoded live at some dude named Johnny's actual Bar Mitzvah. But on Love Their Country, the boys naturally focus on country music. Now even if you are like me and avoid country like the plague, you will most likely still recognize most of the songs here like On the Road Again (Willie Nelson), I'm So Lonely I Could Cry (Hank Williams Sr.), Looking for Love (Johnny Lee). Also look out for other country artists that actually don't suck like Johnny Cash, Kenny Rogers (not to be confused with the cheating baseball player), John Denver, and The Eagles, and yes Desperado is basically a country song.

But the highlights of the album are their versions of Dolly Parton's Jolene and the Dixie Chick's Goodbye Earl if only it's extremely hilarious hearing a dude singing very female specific lyrics which they don't change at all. If there is one complaint it would be that the band chooses Garth Brooks Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old) with the begging to be mocked Friends in Low Places. Well that and the under a half an hour run time. Plus the album has the potential to get old real quick, but I'm just knit picking here.