Band : Me First And The Gimme Gimmes
Album title : Have Another Ball!
Label : Fat Wreck Chords
Distributor : Sonic Rendezvous
Release date : 08/07/2008
Release : CD

This Punk Rock supergroup and covers band was formed in 1995, its members (Swinging Utters bassist Spike Slawson as the singer; guitarist Chris Shiflett – now replaced by Foo Fighters' Jackson; Lagwagon singer/ guitarist Joey Cape on the second guitar; Fat Wreck Chords owner and NOFX frontman Fat Mike Burkett on the bass; and drummer Dave Raun, formerly of Rich Kids On LSD also currently with Lagwagon) drawn together by their mutual love for music from the '60s and '70s. Originally, they had no intention of releasing albums, but then the guys started to release singles titled after the artist they'd "Punkified". Thus, 7-inch singles Billy (as in Joel), Diamond (as in Neil), Paul (as in Simon of Simon And Garfunkel), Denver (Paul), Barry (Manilow), Shannon (Del), Stevens (Cat), and Elton (John) eventually saw the light of day through Fat Wreck Chords.

A first full-length came with 1997's Have A Ball, and consequent albums all revolved around a common theme (show tunes on 1999's Are A Drag, '60s classics on 2001's Blow In The Wind, R&B hits on 2003's Take A Break, a Bar Mizvah – with music going from covers by REO Speedwagon, Styx and The Beatles to the band's own version of "Hava Nagila" – for 2005's Ruin Johnny's Bar Mitzvah, and County And Western on 2007's Love Their Country). The band also toured their material, of course, events during which (due to other engagements) some of the members were not always available. Thus Brian Baker (of Minor Threat and Bad Religion) filled in for Shiflett in 2006. Shiflett was again replaced during the band's most recent tours by his brother Scott (also a member of Face To Face and Viva Death)...and Fat Mike was replaced during the 2007 Eurotour and 2008 Oztour ("Oz" being an affectionate synonym for Australia) by NOFX guitarist Eric Melvin.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of their debut album, MFatGG decided to release the songs that were missing on Have A Ball. Huh? Well, you know, originally that album should've been a double-LP release compiling all 8 singles the band had released...but eventually such an album was deemed to possibly be too much on the unsuspecting Punk Rock lover to swallow! So, here are those B-sides at last, a total of 12 crazy Punkified classics from the likes of John Denver ("Country Roads"), Hall And Oates ("Rich Girl"), Neil Diamond, Elton John, Del Shannon (actually  the song "Mahogany" he'd written for Diana Ross), Billy Joel ("Only The Good Die Young"), Simon And Garfunkel ("The Boxer") and more. Anyways, if you're into the whole Fat Wreck Chords kind Punk Rock, there's no reason why you wouldn't already have bought this album by now. If, by miraculous twist of fate, you never heard any of the bands on that label, you need to go check out myspace.com/gimmegimmes and the two songs posted there asap!

Now when it comes to rating this album, I feel a bit torn, because as a rule I do not rate compilation albums, and how else can one interprete an album by a band covering hit songs by other artists? You know what, I'll stick to my principles by not rating the album, then tell you that in spite of that Have Another Ball WILL be featured in my year-lists! This way, I don't have to break any principles or bend my own rules...schweeeet!

Tony.