The Mad Caddies are a real guilty pleasure of mine; when I was first introduced to them and Reel Big Fish in 1998 I was quite a big ska fan, but while my music tastes have moved on slightly I can still pick up a Caddies record and enjoy it. While the last couple of albums haven’t really done it for me, ‘Quality Softcore’ is still one of my favourite albums and so this album was certainly a welcome addition to the CD collection. ‘Songs In The Key Of Eh’ was recorded live in Toronto and is a reasonably fair retrospective look at what the band have done over the years, with new and old songs performed with vigour and flair.
There’s really something for everyone on this disc. ‘Days Away’ is a track which shows the band’s more emotional side, ‘Weird Beard’ and ‘All American Badass’ are pirate-core while ‘Road Rash’ and ‘Macho Nachos’ rock extremely hard. Then of course there is the insanity of ‘Monkeys’, an old-skool four-song medley and fast and furious versions of ‘Preppie Girl’ and ‘The Gentlemen’. Even the production and sound comes off well, often a gripe with live albums. The mix is spot on too, although Angus Cooke (Bad Astronaut, The Ataris) is at the helm, so I guess you would expect that.
If you’re a Caddies fan then this record is absolutely essential and will make you even more eager to see them live next month. Chuck’s vocals are bang on and ska fans will lap this up as it does offer a good insight into what makes the Caddies tick – the set list is pretty fair and reflective of what the band do. This is well worth picking up.
www.madcaddies.com
Fat Wreck
Paul