The 'Gimme Gimmes stepped it up a notch in '01. Releasing their third full-length album, it was clear that the karaoke-specialists were here to stay. Deciding to set the theme for
Blow In The Wind as '60s Pop, the line-up of the original artists is yet again littered with stars.
Dusty Springfield,
Bob Dylan and even the enigmatic Cat Stevens are not spared the wrath of the famous 'Gimme Gimmes Pop-Punk rendering. Arguably the strongest offering to date from the comical cover band, this is possibly the 'Gimmes Gimmes' most sophisticated album, and - at the time - certainly their most accomplished.
Most Punk fans will immediately identify with the opening seconds of the almost-title track,
Blowin' In The Wind, as Fat Mike revisits the closing moments of the much fêted
NOFX album
Punk In Drublic, with the opening “
How” reminiscent of NOFX's '
Perfect Government'. The comedy takes about nine seconds to get going, with Fat Mike professing that the song “
goes like this”, and fittingly the song gets rockin' in uncompromising fashion. The Dylan classic is reworked with tight arrangement and a cameo appearance of barbershop vocals in a rigorous 90-second salvo. Although a typically rockin' and thoroughly enjoyable opening, it is lacking some substance, a sentiment somewhat carried into the cover of the
Beach Boys classic
Sloop John B. However, this track builds admirably into the flowing verse and powerful chorus, paying due respect to the original. The piercing snare drum throughout the verses contrasts markedly with the meandering choruses and the backing vocals during the final chorus are a feature and symptomatic of the coming tracks.
The highlight of the album and definitely one of the strongest songs the 'Gimme Gimmes have ever recorded,
Wild World is as tight and dexterous as the band can be. Spike Slawson's vocals suit this cover flawlessly as they glide over the engaging guitar work effortlessly. The guitar fills and spotless palm-muting complement the typical flowing beat expertly, all leading to the unforgettable hook “
Ooh baby baby, It's a wild world”. If any track is going to get you singing along and tapping your toe, this is the one. Having said that,
Who Put The Bomp (In The Bomp, Bomp, Bomp) may give
Wild World a run for its money with its early Beach Boys-like vocals and barbershop-quartet ambience. Originally written as a parody itself, the 'Gimme Gimmes' adaptation provides Slawson's vocal highlight of the album; while not astounding it does showcase his range and variation. The backing vocals - provided by Fat Mike (NOFX), Chris Schiflett (
Foo Fighters) and Joey Cape (
Lagwagon) - are again faultless. That's one of the benefits of having three prominent bands' lead singers all in the one band. The energetic flow - carried out at breakneck speed - combine with soaring harmonies to make one of the most likeable tracks on the album.
Continuing the now infamous tradition of using other bands' riffs in some of their songs, the 'Gimme Gimmes kick off
Elenor with
The Clash's classic '
London Calling'. Repeatedly using the
London Calling riff seems to be the highlight of this track though, as the verses are just too dull to attract any attention and the chorus - while at times interesting - feels strained and awkward. The hilarity is taken to a new level with
My Boyfriend's Back as the lads cover the 1961 hit from all-girl group
The Angels, and the quality of the backing vocals again comes to the fore. Some of the 'Gimme Gimmes' greatest comedic value comes from Slawson singing lyrics intended for a female singer. The opening line of
Stand By Your Man is perhaps the funniest moment of the album, with Slawson proclaiming “
Sometimes it's hard to be a woman”. The comedy continues with Slawson's edit on the lead lyrics with the hilarious: "
Sometimes it's hard to be a Gimme, Giving all your love to just one band. But if you love them, Then don't make fun of them, 'Cause after all, We're just a band." However, this middle section is musically the weakest of the album, only somewhat salvaged by the take on
The Beatles' classic
All My Loving.
The lead riff from
Bad Religion's '
Stranger Than Fiction' features in
San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair) in what is an unnecessarily short one minute and forty-seven seconds. The unhurried cover of the Dusty Springfield hit
I Only Want To Be With You shows some variety in the 'Gimme Gimmes' repertoire, but again it is solid yet unremarkable. Of the closing tracks, the intros to
Runaway and
Different Drum are highlights, as is the charismatic hook of
Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?.
The overriding shortcoming of this album is that many of the tracks are unremarkable and interchangeable. The highlights are some of the most enjoyable Pop-Punk going around, yet undermining the potential of the album is the blandness of much of the rest. However, despite at times lacking variety and depth, there are no outright poor songs and overall the album is 27 minutes of unambiguous rockin' '60s tunes. I can't recommend the highlights of this highly enough, so definitely check out
Blowin' In The Wind,
Wild World and
Who Put The Bomp (In The Bomp, Bomp, Bomp).
Three-point-five out of a possible five.
