Album #100

Top 100 Albums FAQ

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100. Fight the System by Squad Five-O (Bulletproof Records, 1998)

There are three things that make this album worthy of number 100: gang vocals, great bass lines, and a great production and engineering  job by Aaron Sprinkle. So many of the songs on Fight the System have an anthem-like quality (the gang vocals don't hurt)-- songs like the title track, "Fight Back," and "Kids of the World Unite." While the album today borders on a guilty pleasure, I have so many high school memories related to this album and still enjoy popping it in from time to time. While some might consider Squad Five-O's sophomore release a poor man's Operation Ivy, I believe that they achieve far more Operation Ivy does because the lyrical content was pertinent (and still is sometimes). The band's raw power is tethered nicely by former Poor Old Lu member and Christian indie rock idol, Aaron Sprinkle (who makes a few guest appearances on the album). The vocals still rip through the  speakers and the distorted guitar is just dirty enough.

Some other great songs on the album include "California" and "Tie That Binds Us," but all songs pale in comparison to "Time Goes By," from the opening (and very catchy) bass riff to the calm winding down of the song, the song is great lyrically, dynamically, and it still makes me bounce up in down in my seat, reminding me of a time when I was young and naive, but alas, time goes by.

After this album, Squad Five-O made a great mistake in straying from their punk-ska roots. Like so many bands before and after, their sophomore release was a musical pinnacle for them. I miss the times that this album brings back to my memory.