Warped Tour 2001, Various Artists
I love punk rock. With what other genre do you get 26 tracks of top quality music for just $6? And there are so many compilations to choose from too. There really is something for everyone. The Vans Warped Tour franchise has now jumped on the bandwagon, offering their fourth CD on this moniker, with mainly unreleased stuff from the bands featured on this years tour.
And it is pretty standard fare for a punk rock comp. Some is good, some is bad, some is just average. New Found Glory definitely fit into the first category. They are quite possibly the best band to have made it big in 2001. And their self-titled release will be hoping for some silverware at the end of year awards. 'So Many Ways' follows on from that success and is an absolute gem of a track. So far so good. I've never heard of Madcap before, but I'm quite impressed by 'Going On The Road,' which has a bit of a Bouncing Souls feel to it.
Bigwig, who I'm not that big a fan of, strike gold with the punktastic 'Sink Or Swim.' If the upcoming new album is as good as this, then we're in for a treat. Me First and The Gimme Gimmies do what they do best with a rousing version of Elton John's 'Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me' and whilst 'Get It Together' is not the greatest thing that Midtown have ever done, it's still pretty darn good.
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones add some gravely vocals to proceedings with the H2O sounding 'Providence Is...' but it has to be asked, where are the horns? Tsunami Bomb are another unfamiliar face, but their Fabulous Distaster style female-fronted punk is well worth a listen. And then its The Ataris. I love 'em, I really do. And whilst 'Looking Back On Today' is pure emo, it is fantastic. Not the best thing that Kris Roe has ever done, but it still shits on most punk bands from a very great height.
No Use For A Name constantly under-perform in my book, but they deliver a corker with 'Enjoy The Silence.' C'mon boys, make an enire CD as good as this...I dare ya. For The Living End see No Use, with 'Sleep On It' one of the Aussie trio's better tracks. The jury is still out on Sum 41, it's debatable as to whether this Canadian foursome are punk or not. But with 'Tables Have Turned' they sure do sound like a punk band. And a good one at that.
So, to the not-so-good stuff. Rancid produce pretty average fare with 'Sick, Sick World,' and The Bouncing Souls are average anyway, so to expect anything else would probably be asking a little too much. AFI have a nice sound but I despise Davey Havok's whiny vocals. Sorry dude, the critics might love your band, but I don't. H2O's 'Unwind' isn't that bad, it's just a bit uninspiring, but 'SWM' by The Vandals is an absolute joke. Live this band rock. On CD, they're useless. Please do something good again soon. Please...
Irish punk rock? Yep, it is as absurd as it sounds. Flogging Molly need flogging themselves. It is absolute cack. Kill Your Idols sound very, very promising with some kick-ass drums, but the singer spoils it by opening his mouth. And the less said about The Casualties the better.
So there you have it. Better than average punk rock compilation which does have something for everyone. Just be warned, there's some killer and some filler.
Paul Savage
