...finally
...finally | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1996 | |||
Studio | Water Music, Hoboken, New Jersey | |||
Genre | Alternative rock | |||
Label | Discovery Records/Warner Bros. Records[1] | |||
Producer | William Wittman | |||
Too Much Joy chronology | ||||
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...finally is an album by the American alternative rock band Too Much Joy, released in 1996.[2][3] Its first single was "The Kids Don't Understand".[4]
Production
The album was produced by William Wittman, who had joined Too Much Joy after producing the band's previous album, Mutiny.[5]
The band used a sample of Alan Arkin remarking "uh, oh, too much joy," from the movie Simon; although both the album and the film were produced for Warner Bros., the corporation charged the band to use the sample.[6][7]
The cover of the album, by artist Doug Allen, depicts a cartoon rendering of a man and woman moments after engaging in sex.[8] A second cover was used to obscure the image for retail.[9]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Boston Herald | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
San Antonio Express-News | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Trouser Press thought that "the overpowering, sometimes nearly generic music obscures the progress, but ...finally benefits from an organic focus not found on the others."[14] The Virginian-Pilot called the album "angst-driven rock 'n' roll, but with a catch ... The music is loud, but not angry."[15] The Columbus Dispatch considered that "like most sophomoric acts, Joy flounders when it aims for seriousness ... but the group's Ramones-ish pop/punk carries the day."[16] The San Antonio Express-News stated that "instead of the quirky rock that has served it well, Too Much Joy gives us an entire album's worth of imitation pop-punk in general and Green Day in particular."[13]
The Houston Press determined that "the immediate tone is grumpy and sarcastic, but less typical is the hopelessness often evident underneath."[17] The Delaware County Daily Times concluded that the "subject matter veers from preachy, to political and pointless ... But through it all, the music's rambunctious, deliriously catchy style wins out."[18] The Boston Herald warned: "Too Much Joy is threatening to become the Replacements of the '90s: a group so dedicated to planned adolescence that it just might seal its own doom."[11]
AllMusic wrote that "the group are rejuvenated here, replacing the production gloss of their last couple of albums with the sort of punk-inflected buzzsaw guitar pop that had enlivened 1989's Son of Sam I Am, only with a better sense of melody."[10] MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide opined that frontman Tim Quirk "downplays humor for rebellious introspection—like James Taylor fronting a punk band or something."[19]
Track listing
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "You Will" | |
2. | "Weak" | |
3. | "Poison Your Mind" | |
4. | "Mrs. Now" | |
5. | "The Kids Don't Understand" | |
6. | "Different Galaxies" | |
7. | "I Believe in Something" | |
8. | "How to Be Happy" | |
9. | "Half Life" | |
10. | "I'm Your Wallet" | |
11. | "Skyline" | |
12. | "A New England" | |
13. | "Underneath a Jersey Sky" |
References
- ^ Stewart, Allison (Apr 1996). "Reviews". CMJ New Music Monthly (32): 44.
- ^ "Too Much Joy Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ Borzillo, Carrie (Jan 20, 1996). "Discovery Records finds alternative". Billboard. 108 (3): 1.
- ^ Sullivan, Jim (25 Mar 1996). "Joy: prickly punk pop even a mom could love". The Boston Globe. ARTS & FILM. p. 45.
- ^ Marsh, Steven P. (3 May 1996). "JOY, NUDITY, AND NEWT". The Record. LIFESTYLE/PREVIEWS. p. 4.
- ^ Young, James O. (June 11, 2020). "Radically Rethinking Copyright in the Arts: A Philosophical Approach". Routledge – via Google Books.
- ^ McLeod, Kembrew (December 27, 2007). "Freedom of Expression: Resistance and Repression in the Age of Intellectual Property". U of Minnesota Press – via Google Books.
- ^ Dickinson, Chris (25 Apr 1996). "TOO MUCH TO BE LEGAL: PUNK GROUP ROCKS THE BOUNDARIES OF SOUND -- AND OBSCENITY LAWS". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Get Out. p. 7.
- ^ Rollins, Ron (5 May 1996). "TOO MUCH: THE JOY OF THIS BAND IS THAT IT DEFIES CATEGORIZATION". Dayton Daily News. p. 3C.
- ^ a b "Finally - Too Much Joy | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ a b Johnson, Dean (March 22, 1996). "Discs". Boston Herald. p. S6.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 212.
- ^ a b Johnson, Robert (March 24, 1996). "...finally Too Much Joy". San Antonio Express-News. Records.
- ^ "Too Much Joy". Trouser Press. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
- ^ Harper, John (May 19, 1996). "TOO MUCH JOY HAS NEWT GINGRICH AS A FAN". The Virginia Pilot. Carolina Coast. p. 20.
- ^ "Joyous WWCD fest". The Columbus Dispatch. Weekender. April 4, 1996. p. 8.
- ^ Rowland, Hobart (April 18, 1996). "Having Some Nasty Fun - Too Much Joy cowers in the mouth of adulthood". Houston Press. Music.
- ^ D'Addono, Beth (May 17, 1996). "Rock fans can't have Too Much Joy". Delaware County Daily Times. News.
- ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 1156.