The Fury of the Aquabats! is second studio album by American band The Aquabats, released in October 1997 on Goldenvoice Records and Time Bomb Recordings.
[edit] Overview
The Fury of the Aquabats! proved to be the Aquabats' commercial breakthrough with the arrival of the third wave ska revival of the mid-1990s. At the peak of the band's success, the album reached number 172 on the Billboard 200[1] and the group toured internationally as part of the 1998 Warped Tour. The album's lead single, "Super Rad!", received heavy rotation on modern rock stations such as KROQ-FM, while a music video - directed by Bobcat Goldthwait[2] - regularly aired on MTV.
Musically, The Fury of the Aquabats! continues in the ska-rooted sound of the band's debut, though features an experimental bent the Aquabats would develop further on subsequent releases, making extensive use of outside instruments like sitars and synthesizers and including instrumental tracks, prominent surf guitar and genre experiments in tango and ragtime. This was also the first album to feature longtime keyboardist and saxophonist Jimmy the Robot and the only Aquabats release to include drummer Travis Barker (as "The Baron von Tito").
[edit] Reception
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic rated The Fury of the Aquabats! four stars out of five, saying that it "fulfills the promise of their debut, offering an infectious collection of ska-punk. Although the group's songwriting is a little uneven, and they have the tendency to wallow in sophomoric, 'wacky' humor, they have enough hooks and energy to satisfy ska junkies."[3]
[edit] Track listing
All tracks written by The Aquabats, except where noted.
| 1. |
"Super Rad!" |
3:02 |
| 2. |
"Red Sweater!" |
3:24 |
| 3. |
"Magic Chicken!" |
3:40 |
| 4. |
"Fight Song!" |
1:13 |
| 5. |
"Cat with 2 Heads!" |
3:01 |
| 6. |
"The Story of Nothing!" |
2:54 |
| 7. |
"Captain Hampton and the Midget Pirates!" |
4:03 |
| 8. |
"Martian Girl!" |
2:46 |
| 9. |
"Attacked by Snakes!" |
5:01 |
| 10. |
"Idiot Box!" (Creed Watkins, Parker Jacobs; originally performed by Gogo 13) |
2:00 |
| 11. |
"Powdered Milk Man!" |
3:04 |
| 12. |
"My Skateboard!" |
2:43 |
| 13. |
"Phantasma del Mar!" |
3:12 |
| 14. |
"Lobster Bucket!" |
2:42 |
| 15. |
"Theme Song!" |
1:48 |
| 16. |
"Playdough!" (hidden track) |
6:43 |
[edit] Personnel
[edit] The Aquabats
- The Bat Commander! – lead vocals
- Jaime the Robot! – alto, tenor and baritone saxophones, clarinet, piano, vocals, Clavinova, Mellotron, flute
- Chainsaw, The Prince of Karate! – electric and acoustic guitars, vocals, sampling, electric sitar
- Prince Adam! – trumpet, Roland Juno-106, vocals, programming, Farfisa, hand wind
- Crash McLarson! – bass guitar, organ, vocals
- Catboy! – trumpet, cornet, vocals, sousaphone, Hammond B3
- The Baron von Tito! – drums, percussion
- Ultra Kyu! – electric and acoustic guitars, finger cymbals, piano, banjo, EBow, violin, sitar, Mellotron, vocals, Moog synthesizer
[edit] Additional musicians
- Ikie Owens - keyboards
- Blake Handler - piano on "Lobster Bucket!"
- Parker Jacobs, Bill Hardie, Patrick McDonald - backing vocals
[edit] References
