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Question the Answers

 
Album Review: Question the Answers

Review

Once tagged neatly as ska-core, over the years the Mighty Mighty Bosstones have not merely defined and refined this genre, they've moved beyond it as well, as their fourth full-length Question the Answers amply illustrates. Of course, the Beantown heroes still kick out a mighty big sound, but there's so much more to their music nowadays. Take the "A Dollar and a Dream," with its thick late-night-in-a-dive-atmospheres that swell in and out of the jazzy, grungy chorus. Or the set opener "Kinder Words," that begins with a techno beat, powers up into '70s rock, then gleefully slides into a knees-up, anthemic skanker. And best of all "Toxic Toast," which skitters between glowing piano passages and scorching rock'n'reggae. The Bosstones excel at such startling musical shifts, thumbing their noses at conventional arrangements and genre specification, their sound as slippery as greased pigs, and never more so than on this set. But for all its wild abandon, the songs are tightly constructed, the instrumentation dense, and the textures full and fleshy with a myriad of moods and music. Thus, Question is one of those glorious albums that demands repeat playings, the only way to really to grasp all the wonderful things going on within, but for all its busy-ness, it never sounds cluttered or chaotic (well, yeah sometimes, but that's intentional). And there's still the hooks, the grand choruses, and the fabulous lyrics, which range from the swaggering compliments of "Hell of a Hat," an ode to a particularly notable piece of headware, to the horrifying portrait of a child bullied and beaten into oblivion. In between these two thematic extremes, there's plenty of meaty numbers for fans to get their teeth into, and more than enough rockers and skankers to sate the masses. A sensational set. ~ Jo-Ann Greene, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Kinder Words (Lyrics) The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (3:06)
Sad Silence The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (3:57)
Hell of a Hat (Lyrics) The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (3:54)
Pictures to Prove It (Lyrics) The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (3:16)
We Should Talk (Lyrics) The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (3:11)
Dollar and a Dream The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (3:18)
Stand Off (Lyrics) The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (3:22)
365 Days The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (3:10)
Toxic Toast (Lyrics) The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (3:47)
Bronzing the Garbage (Lyrics) The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (2:27)
Dogs and Chaplains (Lyrics) The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (3:01)
Jump Through the Hoops (Lyrics) The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (4:11)

Credits

Ross Humphrey (Mixing), David Cook (Engineer), Joe Sirois (?), Beth Enloe (Vocals (Background)), Dennis Brockenborough (?), Nate Albert (?), Joe Nicolo (Producer), The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (Producer), Dicky Barrett (Artwork), Joe Nicolo (Mixing), Joe Nicolo (Engineer), Dan McLaughlin (Assistant Engineer), Ben Carr (?), Ross Humphrey (Producer), Brian Dwyer (Trumpet), Joe Gittleman (?), David Cook (Mixing), Dicky Barrett (Concept), Paul Q. Kolderie (Mixing), Paul Q. Kolderie (Engineer), Phil Nicolo (Mixing), Tim Burton (?), Carl Plaster (Assistant Engineer), Kevin Lenear (?), Johnny Goetchius (Piano), Klotz (Director), Phil Nicolo (Producer), Johnny Goetchius (Organ), Paul Q. Kolderie (Producer), Phil Nicolo (Engineer), Beth Enloe (Assistant Engineer)
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Wikipedia: Question the Answers
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Question the Answers
Studio album by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Released October 4, 1994
Recorded 1994 at Studio 4, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; The Outpost, Stoughton, Massachusetts; Dreamland, West Hurley, New York; Fort Apache, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Genre Ska punk
Length 40:42
Label Mercury
Producer Joe Nicolo, Phil Nicolo, Paul Q. Kolderie, Ross Humphrey
Professional reviews
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones chronology
Don't Know How to Party
(1993)
Question the Answers
(1994)
Let's Face It
(1997)
Singles from Question the Answers
  1. "Kinder Words"
    Released: 1994
  2. "Pictures to Prove It"
    Released: 1994
  3. "Hell of a Hat"
    Released: 1995

Question the Answers is the fourth album by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, released on October 4, 1994 (see 1994 in music).

Contents

Track listing

  1. "Kinder Words" – 3:06
  2. "A Sad Silence" – 3:57
  3. "Hell of a Hat" – 3:54
  4. "Pictures to Prove It" – 3:16
  5. "We Should Talk" – 3:11
  6. "Dollar and a Dream" – 3:18
  7. "Stand Off" – 3:22
  8. "365 Days" – 3:10
  9. "Toxic Toast" – 3:47
  10. "Bronzing the Garbage" – 2:27
  11. "Dogs and Chaplains" – 3:01
  12. "Jump Through the Hoops" – 4:11

Big Rig 10" Double Vinyl bonus track

  1. "Pirate Ship" - 3:01

Japan CD bonus tracks

  1. "Chocolate Pudding" - 3:02
    • Previously available as a B-Side to the "Kinder Words" single.
  2. "Patricia (New Version)" - 2:44
    • Previously available as a B-Side to the "Pictures to Prove It" single.
    • Original version appears on their debut album, 1989's Devil's Night Out.

Personnel

  • Brian Dwyer – trumpet
  • Johnny Goetchius – organ, piano
  • Beth Enloe – backup vocals, assistant engineer
  • Klotz – director
  • Ross Humphrey – producer, mixing
  • Paul Q. Kolderie – producer, engineer, mixing
  • Joe Nicolo – producer, engineer, mixing
  • Phil Nicolo – producer, engineer, mixing
  • David Cook – engineer, mixing
  • Dan McLaughlin – assistant engineer
  • Carl Plaster – assistant engineer

Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

Year Chart Position
1994 Heatseekers 4
1994 The Billboard 200 138

 
 

 

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Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
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