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Turn the Radio Off

 
Album Review: Turn the Radio Off

  • Artist: Reel Big Fish
  • Rating: StarStarStarStarHalf Star
  • Release Date: August 13, 1996
  • Total Time: 42:37
  • Type: Contains explicit content, Lyrics are included with the album
  • Genre: Rock

Review

"I'll never be a rock and roll star," Reel Big Fish's Aaron Barrett sweetly sings out in frustration at his band's inability to reach pin-up proportions on "I'll Never Be." Ah, but that song was written long before the group decided to "Sell Out," and promptly garner the attention Barrett so craved. Their timing was impeccable, for ska was then terminally "Trendy," and the Big Fish were ready to be reeled into the big time. So Turn the Radio Off, because their songs sound better coming out of the stereo minus the annoying DJ and ads that interrupt the party. This is the band's first album for Mojo, but some fans will already be familiar with many of the songs within, as nearly half the set features tracks from their self- released debut Everything Sucks. However, they've all been fabulously re-cut (as newcomers would discover for themselves once Mojo reissued Sucks in 2000). The group's lineup underwent numerous changes in between the two recordings, but Fish's sarky and snarky attitude remained the same, as such new songs as "Sell Out" and the hilarious "She Has a Girlfriend Now" well prove. That latter number boasts Save Ferris' Monique Powell on vocals, and she's just one of a bevy of guest stars found within. "Girlfriend" is ska at its most irresistible, and equally good are the re-recorded "Trendy," "Beer" and "Join the Club," alongside a slew of new numbers including the instrumental "241," the brass meets ska-core "All I Want Is More," and the storming "Nothin'." The Fish are now swimming in a much bigger pond, but they've grown to shark-like proportions along the way, and this sleek set of infectious songs, flashy arrangements, finely honed playing, and huge sound courtesy of the excellent production, is proof positive that the Fish are minnows no longer. ~ Jo-Ann Greene, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Sell Out (Lyrics) Aaron Barrett, Scott Klopfenstein Reel Big Fish (3:47)
Trendy (Lyrics) Matt Wong, Aaron Barrett, Grant Barry Reel Big Fish (2:23)
Join the Club (Lyrics) Tavis Werts, Aaron Barrett Reel Big Fish (3:26)
She Has a Girlfriend Now (Lyrics) Aaron Barrett, Scott Klopfenstein Reel Big Fish (3:05)
Snoop Dog, Baby (Lyrics) Tavis Werts, Aaron Barrett, Adam Polakoff, Andrew Gonzales, Robert Quimby Reel Big Fish (3:26)
Beer (Lyrics) Aaron Barrett, Adam Polakoff, Robert Quimby Reel Big Fish (3:30)
241 (Lyrics) Reel Big Fish, Aaron Barrett Reel Big Fish (2:40)
Everything Sucks (Lyrics) Reel Big Fish, Tavis Werts, Aaron Barrett, Scott Klopfenstein Reel Big Fish (2:41)
S. R. Aaron Barrett Reel Big Fish (1:26)
Skatanic (Lyrics) Tavis Werts, Matt Wong, Aaron Barrett, Andrew Gonzales Reel Big Fish (3:15)
All I Want Is More (Lyrics) Matt Wong, Aaron Barrett, Adam Polakoff Reel Big Fish (3:03)
Nothin' (Lyrics) Aaron Barrett Reel Big Fish (2:21)
Say "Ten" Aaron Barrett Reel Big Fish (2:11)
I'll Never Be (Lyrics) Aaron Barrett, Adam Polakoff, Andrew Gonzales Reel Big Fish (3:14)
Alternative, Baby Aaron Barrett, Adam Polakoff, Andrew Gonzales, Robert Quimby Reel Big Fish (2:57)
Off Reel Big Fish (3:57)

Credits

John Avila (Producer), Stephen Marcussen (Mastering), Dan Regan (Trombone), Dan Regan (Vocals (Background)), Jay Rifkin (Producer), Reel Big Fish (Main Performer), Michael Shaw (Vocals (Background)), Slamm Andrews (Engineer), Efren Santana (Saxophone), Kevin Globerman (Vocals (Background)), Kevin Globerman (Engineer), Tavis Werts (Trumpet), Tavis Werts (Vocals (Background)), Matt Wong (Bass), Matt Wong (Vocals (Background)), Aaron Barrett (Guitar), Aaron Barrett (Vocals), Aaron Barrett (Vocals (Background)), Aaron Barrett (Cover Art Concept), Grant Barry (Trombone), Grant Barry (Vocals (Background)), Scott Klopfenstein (Trumpet), Scott Klopfenstein (Vocals), Scott Klopfenstein (Vocals (Background)), Sheryl Nields (Photography), Isaiah Owens (Keyboards), Jesse Wilder (Vocals (Background)), R.B.F. Wilder (Vocals (Background)), Carla Yacenda (Model), Vince Pileggi (Vocals (Background)), Vince Pileggi (Cover Art Concept), Monique Powell (Vocals), Reggie Casagrande (Assistant), Reggie Casagrande (Photo Assistance), Andrew Gonzales (Drums), Andrew Gonzales (Vocals (Background)), Patrick McDowell (A&R), Jed The Fish (Model)
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Wikipedia: Turn the Radio Off
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Turn the Radio Off
Studio album by Reel Big Fish
Released August 13, 1996
Recorded April - May 1996 at Media Ventures, Santa Monica, California
Genre Ska punk
Length 42:37
Label Mojo, Jive
Producer Reel Big Fish, Jay Rifkin, John Avila
Professional reviews
Reel Big Fish chronology
Everything Sucks
(1995)
Turn the Radio Off
(1996)
Keep Your Receipt EP
(1997)

Turn the Radio Off is the second full-length album by ska punk band Reel Big Fish. It was released in the U.S. in 1996 on Mojo Records.

The single "Sell Out" received radio airplay and was a minor success during that year. "Sell Out" also appeared on the soundtrack to the video games FIFA 2000, Aggressive Inline, and Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure. KROQ air personality Jed The Fish appears on the album cover with a gun in his face held by Aaron's (then-) girlfriend. The album has been certified gold.

Reel Big Fish later released a song titled "Turn the Radio Off" on their album We're Not Happy 'Til You're Not Happy, named after this album.

Contents

Track listing

  1. "Sell Out" (Aaron Barrett, Scott Klopfenstein) – 3:47
  2. "Trendy" (Barrett, Matt Wong, Grant Barry) – 2:23
  3. "Join the Club" (Barrett, Tavis Werts) – 3:26
  4. "She Has a Girlfriend Now" (Barrett, Klopfenstein) - 3:05 (An instrumental version of the song was later released)
  5. "Snoop Dog, Baby" (Barrett, Andrew Gonzales, Werts) – 3:26
  6. "Beer" (Barrett) – 3:30 (Later rerecorded on We're Not Happy 'Til You're Not Happy An instrumental version of the song was later released as well)
  7. "241" (Reel Big Fish) – 2:40
  8. "Everything Sucks" (Barrett, Werts, Klopfenstein) – 2:41
  9. "S.R." (Barrett) – 1:26
  10. "Skatanic" (Barrett, Gonzales, Werts, Wong) – 3:15
  11. "All I Want Is More" (Barrett, Wong, Adam Polakoff) – 3:03
  12. "Nothin'" (Barrett) – 2:21
  13. "Say 'Ten'" (Barrett) – 2:11
  14. "I'll Never Be..." (Barrett, Gonzales, Polakoff) – 3:15
  15. "Alternative, Baby" (Barrett, Robert Quimby, Gonzales, Polakoff) – 2:57
  16. Hidden Track – 3:57
    • Begins with 2:00 of silence. Last 1:57 is a rough acoustic rendition of "I'm Cool", a song from their first album, Everything Sucks.
    • Sometimes referred to as "Off" or "Cool Ending"

Songs From Everything Sucks

Over half of the songs are re-recorded versions of songs from RBF's first album Everything Sucks:

  • "Cool Ending" (an acoustic version of "I'm Cool")
  • "Join the Club"
  • "I'll Never Be"
  • "Trendy"
  • "Skatanic"
  • "Say Ten"
  • "Beer"
  • "All I Want is More" (originally titled "Fuck Yourself")
  • "Snoop Dog, Baby"
  • "S.R." (appeared on the original pressing of Everything Sucks, but not the Mojo re-release)

Oddly, the song "Everything Sucks" was not on the album Everything Sucks and may have been written after Everything Sucks was released. Similarly, a song titled "Turn The Radio Off" would appear on the band's 2005 album, We're Not Happy 'Til You're Not Happy. Aaron Barrett has stated that he had planned to have a song on each album named for the previously released album. He claims that this idea eventually fell apart.[citation needed]

Personnel

Reel Big Fish

Guest Musicians

Production

Notes

  • The album lists the song "In The Pit" under the Writer's credits section, although "In The Pit" is not on the album. This song would later appear on the Teen Beef split 7" with Goldfinger and later on Why Do They Rock So Hard? as "Thank You For Not Moshing" with some minor lyrical changes.
  • The cover of a "clean" version of the album is a blank white field with just the band's name, the name of the album and the text of the First Amendment, incorrectly identified as "Article I".[1]
  • Popular Radio Disc Jockey Jed The Fish (KROQ) is on the cover of this album.

 
 

 

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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
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Turn the Radio Off" Read more