 | Tracklist:
1. "Colorblind" – 3:36
2. "Showdown At P-Town" – 3:03
3. "Into The Night" – 3:48
4. "All My Friends" – 2:48
5. "Ants In My Pants" – 4:57
6. "The Ocean Liner Incident" – 2:39
7. "Mackdaddy" – 3:45
8. "Shameless" – 5:45
9. "That's That (Do What We Want)" – 3:23
10. "Resounding" – 4:19
11. "Rats" – 4:54
12. "(Dreaming Of) Manhattan" – 4:44
13. "Sure, Baby... Hold Back." – 4:46
14. "The Last Great Punk Rock Song" – 3:59
15. "Where The Hurt Is" – 7:41
16. "All Choked Up" – 7:58
| Ranking: #174 for 2001 | |
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On 9 Lists
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| Summary: As a blueprint for greatness it succeeds, but as a respectable release it simply can't get off the ground. This is Say Anything's "Baseball," and the band would rather you not know of its existence. |
7 of 7 thought this review was well written
Oh Max Bemis, you crass yet lovable bastard, how I’ve grown accustomed to your booze fueled debauchery and sleazy escapades. With …Is A Real Boy, you and your cohorts showed me your brand of coarse and endearing pop-punk, which was later expanded beyond imagination with In Defense of the Genre. However, these were not the very beginnings of Say Anything, as there was a decidedly different band that started one of today’s most critically lauded pop-punk acts. This was a beginning that the band has been trying to bury; an album near unrecognizable by those who’ve loved the band over the years. Said album is Baseball, and it could best be described as the skeleton in Say Anything’s closet.
Perhaps the most profound thing that can be said about Baseball is that the band itself does not recognize its existence, claiming their first release to have been …Is A Real Boy. And while this seems like a bit of a slimy thing to do, it’s tough to blame them, as Baseball simply isn’t up to Say Anything standard. It’s rough, immature, and staggeringly unrefined. Max Bemis isn’t that guy you love to be repelled by, but instead he plays the part of the loud asshole that causes people to leave parties. He lacks lyrical finesse, belting out lines in a tremendously vapid fashion. The writing is silly and heavy-handed, rather than clever and cute.
But the real failing of Baseball is its stunningly poor musicianship. Oh it’s rough around the edges for sure, with the most unflattering production doing a surprising amount of damage. Power chords and predictable percussion work only add more nails to the coffin, with the members unabashedly playing overly simplistic music that does no favors to the uninteresting songs themselves. Songs blend together, with each hackneyed pop-punk tune sounding just like the one before it. This is exacerbated by the confounding runtime of seventy minutes. The album drags and drags, giving the same feeling of exhaustion felt after a marathon. Length typically isn’t an issue for Say Anything, as the band usually has enough stellar content to fill multiple discs (literally), but Baseball is so dry and forgettable that it feels twice as long as it actually is.
Getting past Max Bemis’ lackluster vocal delivery and lyrical content, as well as the band’s poor performance overall, it’s still difficult to find an endearing album here. The very core is flawed, with poor musicianship and songwriting simply destroying any and all possibilities of a solid record. Yet as a stepping stone it succeeds in many respects. It’s like a rough blueprint; a minor sketch of what would later become a fantastic product. Too bad said sketches are far too broken to rest on their own laurels.
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| Recent reviews by this author | | | |
Album Rating: 2
So this is the product of Eric's game. An attempt to get review-less albums, reviewed.
Digging: Suis La Lune - Riala Digging: Suis La Lune - Riala | | | Album Rating: 2
Great review, man. I can't help but agree; love the band, but the album's quite unimpressive.
Digging: Deaf Havana - It's Called The Easy Life Digging: Deaf Havana - It's Called The Easy Life | | |
in my mind this album doesn't even exist
| | | Album Rating: 2
I'm feeling that way too
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i could have sworn someone already reviewed this
Digging: Simian Mobile Disco - Unpatterns Digging: Simian Mobile Disco - Unpatterns
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I thought it had one too
Digging: Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030 Digging: Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030
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awesome negative write uo, i always feel like these are tougher to do and you did a nice job with it. think this is 3 of 10 in just 2 days awwwy yyyeeee
Digging: Spraynard - Funtitled Digging: Spraynard - Funtitled
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'Resounding' is pretty good though if I remember correctly, idk a girl i dated in like 9th grade made me a mixtape and that song was on it haha
| | | Album Rating: 2
Thanks man. Yeah I was shocked this didn't have one yet. I'm sure there was one at some point.
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this is not the say anything you're looking for *waves hand
Digging: Grimes - Visions Digging: Grimes - Visions
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yeah there used to be one
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I like Colorblind.
Digging: Jack White - Blunderbuss Digging: Jack White - Blunderbuss
| | | Album Rating: 2
I like Colorblind. [2]
| | | Album Rating: 4
Good review. I like it though, it's cool to see how much they grew between this and IARB.
Digging: Say Anything - Anarchy, My Dear Digging: Say Anything - Anarchy, My Dear | | |
Nice review, Xeno.
Guess, I'll stick to the usual albums then...
Digging: Swarms - Low Sun EP Digging: Swarms - Low Sun EP
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Chan, why is your title mod on the forum but staff on here?
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omg
Digging: Bjork - Vespertine Digging: Bjork - Vespertine
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Because chan is god and god is everywhere and everything
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Does this mean he's out of emeritirement?
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chan never retires, he simply waits in the shadows until the time is right
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