After their debut "Fush Yu Mang", pop rock band Smash Mouth left the spotlight for a time. They reemerged when the movie Mystery Men debuted. The movie featured a song by the group the infectiously catchy and wildly popular "All Star." The song became an instant hit on pop radio and was given heavy airplay on MTV. This song was eventually found on their sophomore album, "Astro Lounge." The album was a bigger commercial success than the debut and spawned three singles on of which was a cover of a song by ? And the Mysterians. Smash Mouth was at the time of recording:
Steve Harwell-Vocals
Greg Camp-Guitar/Vocals
Paul DeLisle-Bass/Vocals
Kevin Coleman-Drums
Additional Instrumentals
Michael Klooster-Keyboards
Mark Camp-Sci-Fi Stylings
John Gove-Trombone
Dana Pfeffer-Xylophone
Eric Valentine-Additonal keyboards and vibes
DJ Homicide appears on Stoned
Pros
-Catchy
-Some solid instrumentals
-Singles
Cons
-Lots of filler
-Some generic instrumentals
-Harwell"s voice can get annoying
The Individual Tracks
Who"s There-This song is about aliens landing on Earth. It is a decent opener, although the lyrics are a little corny because of the subject matter. Harwell"s voice works well with this song, but behind him the music is simple and doesn"t add much to the song beyond foundation. It contains a small solo feature after the second chorus nothing mind blowing but nice to break up the overall sameness of the song. A decent way to start the album, but not the best choice for the job. 2.5/5
Diggin" Your Scene-The next song features a nice opening guitar riff, and then the verse begins and the guitar leaves only to come in subtle hits. The song has a more poppy feel to it than who"s there, because of the synthesizers added. The guitar comes back in during the verse playing the catchy riff. During the bridge vocals become a little stretched with Harwell trying something out of his comfort zone and it doesn"t work for him. The third verse and chorus come in and finish out the song. 2.5/5
I Just Wanna See-One of the albums better songs. It has a laid back feel, with nice backing by the band for Harwell"s vocals. The song just has a fun feel, especially during the catchy chorus. The chorus picks up the pace then mellows out for the verse. The guitar solo in the song fits it and is mellow. The chorus comes back and then the band goes on a long instrumental break to the end. 4/5
Waste-Back when I first got this album, I bought it for the catchy singles, and this song was skipped every time it came up. However now that I listen to it again, I find it is actually a decent song, especially the acoustic guitar in the opening verse which while simple is effective. The vocals get better after the drums and bass join the song. Another guitar solo in the lower register comes in then moves up and is a nice touch. The bridge vocals are done by Paul and Greg and sound good. The third verse has the vocals with the same sound as verse one then the song ends with some effects. 4/5
All Star-The super catchy single is not as good now as it was then. The vocals are up to par with the other tracks, but the instrumentals are not, providing just a foundation and not adding any significant flair to the song. The song still is just as catchy as it was years ago. I won"t say much else since everyone knows this song. 3/5
Satellite-This song grew on me the more I listened to the album. I still love the Latin feel at the beginning of the song. I however, do not like the vocals, the sound that the producer used just annoys me. The song plays off of the "Astro Lounge" vibe a bit with it"s spacey lyrics about getting a girl. The song has some nice touches by the band, but overall isn"t anything special. The solo is a nice touch and the best part of the song, especially since it keeps the Latin feel of the song. There is another spacey verse and then the chorus to end the song. 2.5/5
Radio-Another track that grew on me as I listened more. The song starts with the feeling of a rocker, then quickly gets back into its pop groove. The bass underneath has some neat lines, but it is hard to hear unless you really listen for it. The chorus has a nice guitar line in it when the vocals stop. Vocals have a more produced sound on this track and are easier to listen to. Lyrics are corny and at times clich". The song is a decent song but like most of the non-single tracks makes for nothing more than decent filler. 3/5
Stoned-This song is just more filler. The lyrics are about being stoned as the title suggests, and how he feels. The verse has a reggae feel, and then the chorus brings in the rock feel. The song is not as good as some of the other filler tracks, and is usually a skip for me. There is an effect riddled guitar solo which helps the song get past that sameness but overall the song is not worth listening to. 2/5
Then The Morning Comes-The second infectious pop single off the album. The guitar riff is cool the first time, but not anything special. The guitar drops for the verses, favoring instead the drums, bass, vibes, and synthesizer. The chorus has a subdued guitar line behind it, afterwards the guitar restates the riff. The bridge is a nice way to change the feel of the song, and then a solo follows, which works as a call and response, between the guitars high and low register. The chorus comes back in and then we have another single. 3/5
Road Man-The song has a reggae feel to it, and is a fun listen. The song discusses a driver who hauls a band"s equipment (not sure if the story is about these guys or not). Listen to the song if you want to hear the story. The vocals are good, and Harwell adapts rather well to the style. The song has a very nice trombone solo in it which would make jazzers proud. The band keeps the work simple and the groove maxed out. A good track, and worth hearing for the trombone solo. 3.5/4
Fallen Horses-This song opens up with a nice solo on the guitar. The vocals are well done by Harwell, with lyrics about finding answers to the tough questions and eventually freedom. The band again, keeps it simple but grooves. The song builds into a louder bridge section, which features Harwell singing over top. The guitar has another solo like riff that brings in the third verse. The chorus repeats some more to end the track. 3/5
Defeat You-I love the opening riff and you will swear you have heard it before. The song is however a pop song and that is apparent once the verse begins so the riff is really only there for a little bit of rock (to keep them a pop rock band). The vocals are nothing special, decent but not amazing. The band is a little more apparent but except for the opening guitar riff, nothing special. The bridge features a synthesizer riff, and then moves into the guitar riff, and then verse three. The chorus repeats out to the end. 2.5/3
Come On Come On-Another one of the fast pop songs. The band gives this song a great groove, playing simple lines. The song has a semi swing feel to it which is cool. The chorus contains a neat vocal stop that is cool to hear, of course later the band changes things a bit and keeps the song interesting. The synthesizer has a solo which is nice, but I would prefer a guitar solo considering the importance it had earlier in the song. After that, the third verse and chorus comes in. However the song ends in a bad place, when it shouldn"t be over. 3/5
Home-Another of the more mellow and spacey songs on the album. Harwell"s vocal performance leaves something to be desired in this song. He uses a different accent/sound it"s hard to explain but it is different, and it isn"t better than his normal voice. The use of the synthesizer and turntables are a little more apparent here than in the other songs. The song just doesn"t feel like more than filler, and the spacey feel isn"t that great. Towards the end there is a guitar solo, but overall the song is a skip. 2/5
Can"t Get Enough Of You Baby-The cover on the album, and another single. This song also became popular, more so than "Then The Morning Comes." The band does their synthpop thing on this cover (similar to the synthpop feel on their cover of Neil Diamond"s I"m A Believe). The song has a solid groove to it, but it isn"t special. It is a fun track to listen to, but isn"t spectacular especially since a lot of the synthesizer stuff sounds like it was pasted from other tracks. The synthesizer solo however is nice. This is an average song on an average album. 3/5
Download
-I Just Wanna See
-Waste
-Road Man
Overall
This may have been a popular album back in the day, but it wasn"t ever anything more than radio friendly pop rock. It is only worth buying if you are a huge fan of Smash Mouth and believe they can do no wrong.
3/5
