Considering this is Fall Out Boy's first ever record, I suppose I should cut them some slack with this. Fall Out Boy rose to fame quickly in 2003, and it probably wouldn't have happened without this record. That being said, it doesn't sound that great.
Usually, I am a sucker for a band's first records. Blink-182's
Cheshire Cat, Green Day's
Kerplunk!, Alkaline Trio's
Maybe I'll Catch Fire. These albums all sound amazing to me. The raw production value of those albums fit perfectly with the band's songs. Sadly, Fall Out Boy's debut release disappointed me.
Fall Out Boy really do sound better with polished tracks and perfectly recorded harmonies. This album, even though it's 9 songs long, is hard to get into. It's difficult to listen through the songs because they sound so similar to every generic band that followed FOB.
That being said, there are some amazing songs on here. All the oldies are here: "The World's Not Waiting (For Five Tired Boys And A Broken Down Van)", "Pretty In Punk" and "Honorable Mention" all sound quite good and, as badly recorded as they are, the typical Fall Out Boy style kicks in and you find yourself bobbing along with the infectious riffs.
The band have actually told fans to download this CD. It's recently been re-released by the band's former label for some reason, most likely a cash-in on the band's success. I don't mind, I downloaded that too.
This is the kind of CD you'd buy if you were trying to collect everything Fall Out Boy brought out in CD or vinyl form. It's nothing to write home about. The production is shoddy, and doesn't show off the band's amazing ability to release anthem after anthem well at all. Patrick's vocals sound very average as well, which really makes the song for me.
Buy this if you are an avid FOB fan, if not, just download it.
