Top 100 Albums FAQ
95. Fun and Games by The Huntingtons(Flying Tart Records, 1997)
For me, this album is the perfect synthesis of bubblegum pop and punk rock. It is a great summertime CD and a great CD to listen to in the car with the windows rolled down. Each song is incredibly sing-a-long-able. This album comes before Mikey was trying too hard to sing like Joey Ramone and the Huntingtons started marketing themselves like the Ramones. Now, don't get me wrong, I love the Ramones, but the Huntingtons seemed to have their own originality in the beginning.
A great album should lead off with a zinger, and "Allison's the Bomb" doesn't disappoint. The second track is probably the most "bubblegum" track on the album, and fittingly so, since it is called "Bubblegum Girl." Some of my other favorites include the slower "The Only One," beach anthem "Huntingtons at the Beach," and "Leaving Home." The last track, a cover of Richie Valens' "Come On Let's Go" is a little indulgent and completely unnecessary to the album. Had "Leaving Home" remained the final track, the album would be more cohesive.
I also appreciate the sense of humor with the excerpts from a fake interview, seeming to me to come from a cross between a fake Ozzy Osborne(which I never would have realized without my wife saying something just the other day) and Nigel from Spinal Tap.
This album preserves just enough of an original sound to make the list. While the Huntingtons were always a blast live. They never layed anything down in the studio of this caliber throughout the remainder of their career, deciding to basically convert to a Ramones cover band that played Huntingtons songs. Nevertheless, this album remains as one of my faves.
What I find most interesting about this review is that you were able to get your wife to listen to the Huntingtons. Good on ya' for that!
ReplyDeleteIt's just because it was in teh CD player in my car.
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