Ya know, you'll have to forgive my purchase of this disc. I was young. I liked the Operation Ivy tape I had bought. I saw this, and thought to myself "Hey! I like Op Ivy! and I like The Blue Meanies and Reel Big Fish! I'll like this!". Was I ever wrong. This disc, while having a couple of saving graces, is for the most part a total waste of time. Lets do the ever-popular track by track deal.
1. Home Grown - "Bombshell" - At least they get the worst cover over with early. "Bombshell" is one of my least favorite OpIvy songs anyway, but Home Grown do a really weak version of it, losing all the energy of the original. Ugh.
2. Reel Big Fish - "Unity" - I don't hate this cover, though I think RBF could have done better. The song sounds rushed, and while the loose, raw sound works for some bands, RBF don't pull it off very well. Not a bad track, though maybe not worthy of a tribute album as much as it is a contender for a RBF B-sides disc.
3. My Superhero - "Big City" - To be fair, this song is done pretty well. My Superhero put a different spin on the song. Still, not even close to Jesse and Lint. Sounds like a lo-fi Hippos.
4. Pocket Lent - "Bankshot" - What is this? I mean, Pocket Lent play well and all, but this song was not meant to be played like circus/surf/ska/whatever. It loses any resemblance to the original in parts, and while its cool to do it in an original manner, Pocket Lent just butcher the song.
5. The Blue Meanies - "Yellin' In My Ear" - One of the best covers on this thing. The Blue Meanies seem to realize that simply playing a corny 3rd wave ska version of the song is not the best way to tribute the band. They do this song in true Blue Meanies style, slow with lots of bizarre organ sounds and Billy Spunke's characteristic Biafra-esqe wail. They manage to give this song a new life, which is what a tribute album should strive to do.
6. Cherry Poppin' Daddies - "Sound System" - Nothing against CPD, but I don't think they ruin this song. It's cool that Steve Perry is a fan of OpIvy and all, but for some reason, CPD can't get it together on this song. Again, it just sounds rushed.
7. Teen Heroes - "Smiling" - Awful. Just awful. No energy, just bland pop-punk. Ugh.
8. The Long Beach Dub Allstars - "Take Warning" - I don't like this rehashed version of Sublime very much, but they do a decent job with this song. I don't really need to describe this for you - if you don't know what this band sounds like by now...
9. Jefferies Fan Club - "Healthy Body" - Not badly done, but pretty much pointless. Not much energy in the lyrics at all, and really no innovation in the music. It could be worse, but it's not the most inspired cover ever.
10. The Hippos - "Freeze Up" - Belive it or not, the Hippos actually come pretty close to the original sound, while still maintaining their signature sound. It's a decent track, and I have actually thrown it on a couple of mixed tapes.
11. Longfellow - "The Crowd" - They do alright with the song. Basically, it's just skate-punk, like any number of Fat and Epitaph bands, but it is a welcome addition to this disc. I saw them do this cover live, with a lot of energy and praising of OpIvy, so I would guess that this cover was done with love.
12. Marshall Arts - "Bad Town" - Oh Lord. This sounds like a ska version of TLC. The girl vocals on the chorus are provided courtesy of the great ska band Ocean 11, but the horrible rapping is just too much to bear. AWFUL SONG.
13. The Aquabats! - "Knowledge" - Hysterical. While this song kind of undermines the passion of the lyrics, by turning it into a campfire singalong, its damn funny.
This compilation really sucks. I would suggest downloading the tracks you want off the internet or something, and just forgetting you ever heard the rest. The few good songs on this are far outweighed by the terrible tracks. Stay far away from this.