Review Summary: Good debut for a good band
For a band that doesn't take themselves seriously, this album actually came out very well. The album is easy to listen to in its entirety, from the opening drum beats of Beards, Cats, and the Feebee Stash, to the final moans of Silly Serenade. My only complaint is that the singing could be a little better, but overall it does not ruin the "experience" of the band. Some songs on the album certainly could be a lot better if the band had bothered to put a little more time into production, but that's okay, the album provides a garage-like feel this way. The high points on this album are definitely Beards, Cats and the Feebee Stash, Bagpipe Woman, I Hate Love, and Can You Smell the Napalm, with all of those songs providing a variety of sounds including a bass solo, keyboard solo, and even a bagpipe intro. All of the songs feature catchy if not anthemic choruses, which leave you going back for more. If you were to listen to any of the songs off this album, the aforementioned songs would be your best bet. Other decent songs on this album include Industrial Revolution (In Your Bedroom), with its obvious, sex-driven lyrics, Big Forehead, an odd song about a creepy forehead fetish, and Silly Serenade, a more serious track, with haunting vocals. The weaker songs on this album are definitely the ones that the band could've spent more time on. Those tracks are Uncertainty and Too Many Tears, which can be discouraging for listeners as they lisen to Under the CD Tree for the first time, but I urge those listeners to keep listening, it does get better. Overall, this is a pretty solid debut for the George Jacobs Experience, I suggest looking them up on YouTube at the very least, and I can only hope that their next album is equally as good.
