Band History
Formed in November of 1999, Amityville, NY's Taking Back Sunday completed its lineup in December of 2000, when Adam Lazzara took over vocals and Shaun Cooper was added on bass. Taking its melodic hardcore sound from originators like Lifetime, Endpoint, and Sunny Day Real Estate, as well as guitarist Ed Reyes' emo band Movielife, Taking Back Sunday recorded its first demo, a five-song CD, which was released in February of 2001.
After a year of self-promotion and touring, including shows with At the Drive-In and the Alkaline Trio, Taking Back Sunday was signed to Victory Records. The band immediately went into New Jersey's Big Blue Meanie Recording Studios, with producer Sal Villanueva and engineer Tim Gilles, to record their full-length debut. The album, Tell All Your Friends, layers emotional vocals, Reyes and John Nolan's dual-guitar assault, Cooper's rhythms, and Mark O'Connell's backbeat for a classic hardcore sound with pop-songwriting components. It was released on Victory in March of 2002.
Taking Back Sunday is...
Adam Lazzara – lead vocals
John Nolan – guitar, vocals
Eddie Reyes – guitar
Mark O’Connell – drums
Matt Rubano – bass
Song Reviews
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You Know How Do - So sick so sick of being tired, so tired so tired of being sick, that's the first thing you hear in front of crazy drum rolls and soft guitar. This is the beginning of what will become, Taking Back Sunday. This is a very strong first track, it's filled with energy. Then the song completely changes in the middle. This is where Adam and John show off some of their best duel vocal work. Great song.
9/10
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Bike Scene - This is another fast song that is filled with energy. It has really good drums like the song before it. The bridge is what makes the song though. You think the song will stay all slow, and there's some pretty good vocals sang by a girl. Then before you know it, it jams back into the songs original pace.
8/10
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Cute Without The "E" - This is my favorite TBS song ever. It's about being under stress and thoughts of suicide. This song is like a gigantic adrenaline rush. It's amazing. But what makes it even better are the great lyrics. Oh, and one more thing. The song also changes in the middle to something completely different. The change of pace is really amazing. This is one of the only TBS songs that has substance. Meaningful lyrics and great music give this song a...
10/10
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There's No I In Team - This is the first song I ever heard from the band. It's really good and it's the only song with duel vocals throughout the whole song. The lyrics are about bad friendships. The singing is really depressing, Adam is talking soft and John is half screaming. It's incredible. The song actually makes you feel bad for one of the singers. Depends whether you would forgive Adam for something unmentioned or John for being a victim of something.
10/10
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Great Romances Of The 20th Century - This song starts off with slow guitar and goes into a really fast and thrashy song. The song is okay but it is not one of my favorites. It has nothing on the last four tracks. Still it's a good song but doesn't compare to the ones before it.
7/10
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Ghost Man On Third - This is another meaningful song on the album along with 'There's No I In Team'. I'm guessing that it's about death for the title and the lyrics are once again, Adam soft and John in a half scream. The song is a big lead up to a huge outbreak, which then slows down. Then goes back to it's normal pace. Good and meaningful song.
8/10
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Timberwolves At New Jersey - This song is really energetic and starts off with a cool synthesizer effect. Then it goes into a really cool chorus with the phrase, “This is what dreams are made of". But before you know, the song goes into thoughts of suicide. I would have liked it more until it goes all deathly on me. I was hoping for another happy song but I still can't get it.
8/10
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The Blue Channel - This song starts off with a cool piano entrance, and then throws you into a fast song. The duel singing is also really good here. I don't really know what the song is about, but it is still catchy as hell. It's almost addictive. This is one of my favorite songs but I will try hard not to be biased and tell you that it's one of the best because it isn't.
8/10
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You're So Last Summer - This song starts off slow and it's really mellow. This is one of the best songs on the album and it was a single. After the mellowness is over and it goes into the bridge it has a really cool repeating lyric. Then it goes into duel vocals and ends. This song is one of my favorites from TBS. I have it on my MySpace home page and everything. It's really one of the highlights of the album.
10/10
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Head Club - This song has a really cool intro filled with crazy drum rolls and good singing. Then it goes into the ordinary TBS formula. This is a really cool closing song to a really good album. But the song is way too short and I expected way more.
7/10
In Conclusion
This album is really cool and is a very good start for this band. This was also recognized as "Rock Album Of The Year" by a few sources. Go out and buy it due to its good lyrics. duel vocals, and good drums.
PROS
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+ Cool Duel Vocals
+ Great Lyrics
+ Drums Are A Standout
+ A Lot Of Really Good Songs
CONS
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- Repetitive Songs
- Only 10 Songs!
Recommended Songs
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Cute Without The "E"
There's No I In Team
You're So Last Summer
You Know How I Do
*If You Liked My Review Please Say It Was Helpful :)
