Me First and The Gimme Gimmes

Item: Take A Break
Rating: 7
Author: Scott Heisel

Take A Break (2003)

Scott Heisel

There's no point in reviewing this. I could say this is the worst thing to be released in an audio form ever, and you'd still buy it. So I'll try to keep this short.

If you've been living under a rock since 1997, let me fill you in - Me First and the Gimme Gimmes is a punk rock allstar cover band consisting of Fat Mike [NOFX], Joey Cape and Dave [Lagwagon], Chris Shiflett [No Use For A Name/Foo Fighters], and Spike Slawson [Swingin' Utters]. The band has three albums previously released, and each one has been themed [70s/Broadway/60s]. The band's newest album, Take A Break, has the common link of R&B songs from all decades.

Okay. So. Are these any good? Of course they are, these guys have the "punk rock cover song" formula down pat. Standouts on here include R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" as well as Boyz II Men's "End Of The Road" [amazingly, both are available for download directly below].

Okay, "End Of The Road" just came on my CD player, and I just want to say that Spike Slawson could make any girl melt in her Chucks by singing to her. Like woah.

Once again, the Gimme Gimmes keep up their tradition of kitschy packaging and hilarious liner notes, as well as creative intros to songs. Everything from Black Flag to the Cars is used on this album, and somehow they all segue into whatever R&B classic they're meant for. There is such a vast amount of talent in this band it's sickening.

My only real complaint is that the trademark vocals of Fat Mike and Joey Cape are scarcely found on this CD, whereas on past efforts you can almost always hear Mike crooning backup here and there. The song selection is somewhat lacking, too - these aren't all as easy recognizable to the naked eye [er, ear] as past efforts.

Not that it really matters, as you and your friends and your friends friends will all go buy this CD [or download it, whatever].

So in conclusion - it's not their best, but it's still fun. If you're new to the band, get "Have A Ball" first and see where it all started.