Is it really 10 years since ‘Have A Ball’? Blimey…I remember rocking out to this record in my first year of university way back in the day – way to make me feel old! Me First, for me, were at their best when they covered the older material and it’s no surprise that when I go to alternative clubs it’s the ‘Have A Ball’ era Gimmes that I hear. So the band have dusted off the original tunes and busted out another album taken from those original sessions 10 years ago. The result is an absolute riot and 12 glorious cover versions done in a way only the Gimmes could do.
John Denver, Elton John and Hall and Oates are all covered. There’s even plenty of the band’s trademarked ‘yeahs’. Some of these songs have been heard before – ‘Country Roads’ for instance – and some are fresh for your listening pleasure. The end result is an absolute riot – it’s a real blast from the past and a hell of a lot of fun, in typical Me First style. The riffs are overblown and wild, the speed cranked up two or three notches too. Spike Slawson’s vocals are as good as ever and it’s all delivered with tongue firmly in cheek.
The best songs? ‘Country Roads’, obviously, ‘You’ve Got A Friend’, ‘Only The Good Die Young’ and the classic ‘Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me’. To be fair there isn’t really a bad song and this is arguably the band’s most consistent release. It’s amazing to think this punk rock supergroup have been going for 10 years now – it wouldn’t surprise me if they’re still doing this in 2018…