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| Operation IvyOperation Ivy [reissue]2007 Hellcat ![Operation Ivy - Operation Ivy [reissue] (Cover Artwork)](/images/covers/operation_ivy-operation_ivy.jpg)
 Review by: Ben See others by this writer ![[staff]](/images/icons/staffsticker.gif){kind=icon}
Hellcat Records (link) Only registered users can post comments 
 
Published on November 6th 2007
There are two certainties as to what what would happen if there were a debate on the most important punk albums of the last 20 years. The first is that it would be a shitstorm. The second is that the short list would most certainly include Operation Ivy's groundbreaking album, Energy.
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one of my favorite punk ska albums ever. I'm going to disagree on the idea that this album has "held up well" over the years. Undoubtedly one of the most influential albums in my collection. didn't even know it was rereleased. amazing album. one of the 10 best punk albums ever. absolutely essential. I just listened to this and I'm changing my rating from 3 stars to 4. I might have even bumped it up to 4.5 if 5-10 songs had been cut. Not that any of them are noteably bad, just that there is a bit too much of the same. Room Without A Window Artificial Life. BEST OPERATION IVY SONG GO! Not only did we find sweet and delicious BBQ success, we also rocked - totally - the fuck out. See Ben...this album was the key to our BBQ success. On the way down to Florida I couldn't find it in the car, and we stuck with that shitty mustard-based BBQ sauce place in the white power place in South Carolina. Yet on the way back, I find it and we find heavenly vinegar-based sauce in NC at Smithfield. Anything less than a 10 isn't fair. I'm not going to say this is the best album to come out in the past 20 years, but it is definitely among both the highest quality and most influential. Regardless of anything, its hard to deny that OP Ivy was one of the bigger contributing factors to the third wave of ska, even though they weren't technically part of it I don't think. I thought I liked this album a good deal, but all this hype hasnt even made me want to listen to my current copy. I'm not too sure their influence was as widespread as people like to make it out to be, either. There aren't many bands you can argue were influenced by OPIV that you can't equally or superiorly argue were influenced by The Clash (who, by the way, were a monster influence for OPIV). And saying bands that were influenced by Green Day were therefore influenced by OPIV is like saying Green Day was influenced by The Clash. My point, brave soul who is still reading this, is that The Clash rock. Score is for them. Operation Ivy gets a 6. i never really got ska. i mean i like some of it a lot actually, but as a genre, it all sounds too similar to me. that being said, this album is pretty good, but i couldn't listen to it all the time or anything. I remember talking with people from Lookout in 1997 about the possibility of releasing the Downfall stuff and rereleasing Isocracy and they pretty much told me that it wasn't going to happen. Who knows what that means now. You'd have to ask the band. Probably something along the lines of "if they'd wanted to release it originally, they'd have released it." Jesse- a friend gave that album to me as a christmas gift 1995.Itīs still one of my favorite records ever. Quick recap: Just wanted to share my favorite ska-punk band of this year: www.myspace.com/havenotsboston I can see buying this if you've never owned it before or if your current version is scratched to hell and is bordering on being unplayable. I am all for a better version being out there for those who do not have it. But is there really a good argument for someone who has a copy of the Lookout release in good condition to buy this release? Whether or not there are bands "on this site with members that have never even heard Operation Ivy" is irrelevant. One merely has to live in a world that has been influenced by Operation Ivy. They could listen to bands that listen to Operation Ivy or like 1990s melodic punk or 3rd wave ska without actually listening to this album or even knowing it exists. Influenced almost ever band on this site? Really? anyone else see the ad in the new ap? i found it funny that there is a thing saying to pick it up at hot topic for only 9.99 or whatever, then something else telling you to look for their full line of op ivy shirts or whatever. just seems very much against everything i had always thought the band stood for An album that really does deserve 10/10. I can't imagine the lengths i would go to to see them play a live show. I heard they were amazing You rated the original album. Rate the reissue. Considering there's nothing new, I'm sure it would get a 6 or below. "To the dude who said that Destruction By Definition does not hold up to Operation Ivy get your ears fucking checked." Another one lost in a fire a few months ago. So stoked for this re-release to finally come out. I'm happy to say I saw Rancid play some Op-Ivy last year when they came through South Florida. Two acoustic, two electric. Awesome. Half those kids had No Clue they were being Schooled. This is a classic. I fucking hate Rancid... But this stuff honestly slays. Bankshot gives me a woody. im kind of embarassed to say i dont have this. never could find it...and now i might buy it. score is for the review. To the dude who said that Destruction By Definition does not hold up to Operation Ivy get your ears fucking checked. For anyone wanting to check out old bootlegs, www.operationivy.com the cool think about this album was/is that you can put it on for anyone: stoners, punks, drunks, preps, jocks, etc. and everyone digs it. Has someone already put the "This band is so overrated that you all make Pitchfork look like naive, wide-eyed prepubescents at their first Fergie concert" comment up? "almost every band on this website that came after it." Dear Todd, (veggieska) I have a bootleg called "Unity: The Complete Collection" which is a sort of uber-bootleg; its got everything. There's 22 tracks, including the Gilman St. demos, Hectic outtakes and live tracks. Its all releases of stuff that was originally issued on vinyl with little notations about each release. Its great, way more than I could ever hope for in a boot. To the guys at "Berkeley Archive Records", thank you! You can still find Unreleased Energy, which contains pretty much the rest of their stuff. Its terrible sound quality but the songs are awesome. It's not easy to find, but i found it in a local punk record store so i'm sure it's in your city somewhere. I still don't understand why they couldn't have put on the Plea For Peace 7" or some of the other Gilman St demos and Hectic outtakes that have had pseudo-official release. The CD is only about 50 minutes--there's definitely room for more. whats the meaning behind the band name? does anyone know?: It was the name of a series of nuclear tests done by the US - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ivy schlong was amazing. i saw them open for the glowskulls in 95. if i remember right dave looked a lot like screech whats the meaning behind the band name? does anyone know? so we know what eveyone else did, what happened to dave mello? rerelease or not, destruction by definition is better. and although it can be argued that without op ivy there would be no suicide machines, i'm not really concerned with cause and effect or the foundations of modern ska punk. this was the first punk album i ever bought, ten years ago. i still love it every time i play it. one of the few albums i can say genuinely changed my life and opened an entirely new world to a pair of young ears that were desperate for music and a scene that reflected the way i looked at things. pure magic. so we know what eveyone else did, what happened to dave mello? so we know what eveyone else did, what happened to dave mello? in the defense of rereleases, try putting an OpIvy song on a mix cd with songs produced in the last ten years and you'll see a HUGE difference I Love this cd, however, why is everything seemingly being " re- released" with " new art work " or new " pictures" ..are these people just running out of good ideas?? or is this what music is coming too..lets re-release the same shit with new more fresh shit and get dumbasses to buy it?. The state of music sure is changing if this is what it has come to. And before all of ( or some of you rant) I agree that there is allot of good new stuff out there, but what has become of this sudden re- release craze that seems to have little purpose other than to cash in-oldpunker- One of the most important albums in my lifetime. I still get encouragement every time I hear "Unity"--which I can say--has been many, many times. I recently looked into picking up a copy of the Laytonville pressing of this album and was quite surprised to find copies going as cheap as they were. I guess it has something to do with the general saturation of the album...But kids are paying more for the Purple copies of Duh and that's odd. You're right, I don't know why I put 10. last 10 years? really? I thought I was the only one that liked side B more a near-perfect album... i think Side B is stronger than Side A (which drags a little with Take Warning), but overall its one of my favorite albums of all time wouldn't that be closer to the last 20 years, I have Energy on vinyl and the original of this on cd, doubt I need anymore. Great album though Great album but it was not originally released in the past 10 years, it was originally released in the late eighties (or maybe in 1990 as the were disbanding). |
