It would make sense that Reel Big Fish's long-time fans may very well be at the age where a refresher course in `80s pop would be quite the nostalgia trip. Perhaps this is why it makes perfect sense for the band to follow several years later on their "Take on Me" cover with the partially-collaborative release Duet All Night Long, which finds the band trading off `80s covers with synth-pop wunderkinds Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer.

Duet All Night Long is a little shorter than an episode of "I Love the '80s," and thankfully, since anything longer might start to wear on the nerves -- just like the show. The collaborations themselves however are admittedly memorable, well done and enjoyable for their 20-minute duration. Aaron and crew manage to inject melodies into your head the way they did on the early RBF records, while Rachel Minton of Zolof R 'n R provides an occasionally sassy spark to her otherwise sweetly flowing vocals, as she does in her destined cover of "Dress You Up," which is zested up with intentionally cheesy, over-the-top `80s metal solos. The goofy "Lyin' Ass Bitch" is vintage (third wave) ska-punk; I'd think this was actually some Save Ferris outtake if not for the rambled, group-vocal chorus. The brash chorus in the keyboard-heavy "Don't You Want Me" is one of the most arena-worthy moments you'll hear either band do in their careers, likely (despite some argument from the bitter fan base of the Fish, I'm sure). "It's Not Easy" is pleasantly bouncy but it's also where things get a little over-cutesy; after all, it's a song from the movie "Pete's Dragon" -- and it's a lot like what I'd imagine the Terrible Twos' album to sound like.

I'll have to agree with one of the great thinkers of our time in that the lasting value of Duet All Night Long is surely questionable, but it's hardly void of its moments. Covers cannot be taken in anything more than small doses and in that sense Duet All Night Long is a perfect little pill.

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Duet All Night Long on either Reel Big Fish or Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer's Punknews.org Profiles