NOFX formed in Los Angeles in 1983. They had been around for quite a while when they released So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes in 1997. On this album, they tried to mix it up a bit. Along with the pop-punk/punk songs we’re used to from NOFX, they messed around with ska quite a bit, and shortened the length of most of the songs. Clocking in at around 33 minutes, the average length of the songs on So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes is slightly above 2 minutes (and even that’s been fluffed up by the silence leading to a hidden track at the end of the album), so it goes by fairly quickly for a 16-track album. Now, onto the review!
NOFX is:
Fat Mike – lead vocals, bass
Eric Melvin – guitar, backing vocals
El Hefe – guitar, backing vocals, trumpet
Smelly – drums
1. It’s My Job to Keep Punk Rock Elite
NOFX starts out the album with a bang. Melvin pumps out some heavily distorted power chords in the intro, quickly to be joined by the rest of the band. Not much changes instrumentally as Fat Mike expresses his desire for punk rock to stay in the underground. Feedback takes us into the next track. A rather short song at 1:20, but still a highlight. 4.5/5
2. Kids of the K-Hole
The feedback at the end of the first track cuts out into a repeated bass note with the guitars playing little bursts of chords accompanied by Smelly on drums. This builds up nicely to the verses, in which Fat Mike sings over power chords, a standard punk drumbeat, and the occasional series of octaves on guitar. Melvin (I believe it’s Melvin on lead, I could be wrong) throws in a nice, wailing fill every once in a while. All in all, a great song. 4/5
3. Murder the Government
A happy, upbeat song about destroying the government? I couldn’t really see any other band writing songs like this. Some strumming of distorted major chords and lines of obliterating various symbols or factions of the government make this song unique at the very least. About halfway through, the major chords turn into power chords, but it still has a rather joyful sound. It’s over before it really begins, though, so I can’t rate it that high. 3/5
4. Monosyllabic Girl
A song about Fat Mike’s love for a girl with a limited vocabulary. One thing I love about NOFX is that they can stick a song like this in between two fairly political numbers. It shows how diverse Fat Mike is as a songwriter. Nothing spectacular going on with the instruments, more or less just a four-chord progression and traditional punk drumming, but it sounds good together. Another extremely short song at only 54 seconds, however this one feels like it should be a short song, unlike Murder the Government, which felt like it was ended prematurely. 4/5
5. 180 Degrees
Another highlight. 180 Degrees opens with a hardcore sounding guitar riff similar to “It’s My Job…” at the beginning of the album, then kicks unexpectedly into a ska beat. Fat Mike gets a chance to show off his skill as a bass player on these ska parts when he doesn’t tag along with Melvin or Hefe. This is one of the more political tracks on the album, and one of the best. 4.5/5
6. All His Suits Are Torn
A slower song that features palm-muted chords in the verses and somewhat quiet vocals from Fat Mike. This creates a dampened mood to the song, which seems to be about a man who worked hard to get somewhere, then threw it away. Not all that fond of this song. 3/5
7. All Outta Angst
This is your standard ska song. It features Hefe on horns during the breaks of singing. I really don’t like ska, but Fat Mike’s walking bass line makes this song for me. However, I still feel it’s one of the weaker songs on the album. But if you enjoy ska, you’ll more than likely enjoy this. 2.5/5
8. I’m Telling Tim
I’m Telling Tim starts out with a simple chord progression that’s built upon by the second guitar and drums. In the verse, Fat Mike and Melvin trade lines over some standard NOFX instrumentation and randomly scattered pick slides. Nothing really special to be found here. 3/5
9. Les Champs Elysées
This song opens up with some power chords in the intro before it bounces into a guitar-less verse, a rarity for NOFX. Fat Mike then flexes his bilingual muscles by singing in French. I don’t speak French so I have no idea what he’s singing about, but I think I heard a bonjour in there somewhere. Some nice horns in the chorus. 4/5
10. Dad’s Bad News
Some bass begins Dad’s Bad News before octave chords join it. The palm muting in the verse gives this song a darker feel than most NOFX songs. It seems to be about a father telling his son about a family curse. Decent track but not something you’ll be skipping other songs to get to it. 3.5/5
11. Kill Rock Stars
A song about crazy feminists who just hate men. A lot. It starts with a call-and-answer between a guitar and synthesizer. Then it goes into a normal NOFX song. Energetic and punchy. However, it sounds generic and I can never remember what it sounds like unless I actually go listen to it. 3/5
12. Eat the Meek
Here we are. The masterpiece of the album. Eat the Meek doesn’t sound like any other NOFX song I’ve heard up to this point. This is a reggae song, with a fabulous bass line. This bass line is my favorite part of the album. The whiny harmonies in the chorus actually seem to add to the song. This could very well be my favorite NOFX song. I feel it tops the “45 or 46 Songs” version. 5/5
13. The Desperation’s Gone
This song enters the song with a bass line that slowly is accompanied by the other instruments before it explodes into the verse. Fat Mike sings about how radio rock sounds all the same without any variation. Goes by a lot quicker than it’s 2:24 time would suggest (Yes, I realize how ridiculous that sounds). 4/5
14. Flossing a Dead Horse
A NOFX instrumental. This features Hefe on trumpet. There’s also a nice walking bass line. Fat Mike shows that when he’s not following the guitars he can write some damn good lines. The guitar slowly builds throughout, starting by strumming some clean chords, and finally kicking on the distortion to pick up the beat near the end. 4/5
15. Quart in Session
A nice little song about how boring soberness is. The guitar in the chorus sounds a lot like the guitar in I’m Telling Tim. This song uses a guitar heavily under the influence of some heavy effects at near the end. Either that or a keyboard, and I couldn’t really see NOFX using a keyboard. 3.5/5
16. Falling in Love
The closer of the album starts with a soft little riff accompanied by drums with a dampened effect on them to make them sound far away. Distortion, another guitar, and bass come in to give it more force. Then this all cuts out leaving Fat Mike singing about a plane crash that doesn’t seem so bad because he’s with his love. Fat Mike shows that he can write romantic lyrics and not just ones about lesbians and crabs and stuff. The short length hurts this song. I feel this could have been around the level of Eat the Meek if it was stretched to at least 3 minutes. However, it’s still an excellent end to an excellent album. 4.5/5
There is a hidden track after Falling in Love. It’s part of the Howard Stern Show in which one of the King of All Media’s DJ’s plays “Drugs Are Good”. Stern quickly shows his displeasure with the song choice and re-names the band “No Talent”. Good stuff.
All in all, this is a very solid release by NOFX. Although there is a ton of variation, some songs do sound alike. I’d recommend this to fans of pop-punk and ska, and certainly a NOFX fan.
Recommended Tracks:
It’s My Job to Keep Punk Rock Elite
180 Degrees
Eat the Meek
Falling in Love
Keep in mind this is my first review, so try not to be too harsh on it. Any constructive criticism is welcomed. Thank you for reading.
