The best No Use For a Name post, ever

Well, I haven't went WAY out there for anything for a while,
and came across these while looking for
Nebula on the "N" shelf......haven't listened to these much for a few years, gonna hafta carpet-bomb a few selections, but fear not, I really liked these guys back when I had em in semi-regular rotation, here is some decent, evolving punk/pop here.

They released a self titled EP in 1988, have never it (friends? anyone?)and after its release, the old vocalist was replaced by Tony Sly who became the "mastermind" of the operation, and the most identifiable member. There was another EP, "Let Em Out", with Sly, but which I ALSO haven't heard, their history for me begins with the really pretty decent "Incognito" album....maybe a blend of the Ramones and the Dickies, with a bit of the California hardcore sound tossed in, some good songs here, "Record Thieves", "Power Bitch", and a cover of the Police's"Truth Hits Everybody"

We see growth right away with the next full length, "Don't Miss the Train".....snappy, punchy tunes like "Born Addicted" and the title track make this one of their more enjoyable works. Next LP was "Leche Con Carne", after which the band supported the Offspring on tour, and a good matching it was, NUFAN's skate-brat style punk was a perfect lead in for the Offspring.....this album includes some good numbers as well, "Justified Black Eye" and "Couch Boy" come to mind, as well as the closing nine minute cover medley "Exit" which couldn't be much more bizarre, a BUNCH of snips of some unrelated tunes strung together ("Hit Me With Your Best Shot", "Walk This Way", "Space Oddity" and LOTS more, this is one STRANGE track)

I'm guessing the next abum "Making Friends" is supposed to contain some oddball "concept" or something, with it's sampled film dialouge segments, Goddamn if my stroke-addled brain can figure it out though, this is probably my least favorite disc. Punks trying to be "smart" rarely works, and couple the rest of it with an 11 minute cover of "Fields of Athenry" and you'll see exactly what I mean.

The band WAS becomming smarter as well as more melodic, though, and "More Betterness" shows
this in a sort-of comeback that is quite good, actually......"Not Your Saviour", "Always Carrie" and several others are goodsmrt pop-punk, actually quite charming......I'd have guessed these guys would have been bigger than they were, you simply just NEVER know.....


"Live In a Dive" may be thier most enjoyable album.....sounds as though they had a great time on stage, much like Green Day, and they through a fine setlist covering most of their surprisingly long career....."Not Your Saviour", "Don't Miss the Train", "Justified Black Eye".....there are a few I'd wish they'd included, and I could live without ever hearing a live version of the goofball "Exit", but there's always shit like that.....even included here is a self-explanatory track entitled "Gene and Paul, I Hate You Most of All, and Ace, You're the Ace, And Peter You're the Cat"......nighty night now.

2002 saw the release of "Hard Rock Bottom", honestly, the songwriting and performing continued to mature, the formula remaining the same, short, punchy numbers with often clever lyrics, "Dumb Reminders" and "Pre Medicated Murders" are fine, and they continue their penchant for covering seemingly odd performers (Sinead OConner in this case)....

By the time of "Keep Them Confused", things were winding down......"For Fiona" is a touching song about Tony Sly's daughter, but the freshnes and originality were starting to sound like boredom and punching the clock. Not bad, but just not the top of the heap. They released another "The Feel Good Record of the Year", as though Queens of the Stone Age had never existed......Sly would pass away a couple years later and the group would disband.

There is a fine "Best of" collection, "All the Best Songs", which is well-chosen and quite
representative, I recommend it for newbies wishing for an indoctrination. All the highlights from the albums up to I think "Keep Them Confused" are here, if you want but one, I think I advise you towards this one....it also contains two previously unreleased numbers, "History Defeats" and "Stunt Double"

Rest In Peace Tony Sly, you gave it a hell of a run. Often I am confused why some bands make it and some don't, this is one of those cases......I thought they were in a market ripe for their brand of skateboard punk, but they just didn't get very big. Anyway, there is some good stuff here, should you be so inclined to check it out......

A Happy Thanksgiving to you all......please honor the holiday as it is INTENDED (NOT just turkey and football and "Black Friday (ugggh)".....but about being THANKFUL for what we do have. We spend so much time bitching about what we are lacking, but I am still rattled from that stroke I had in September, scared the shit out of me, and I am really quite thankful still to be above ground, to have a wonderful wife and son, a job, a home, and lots of CD's that I am thankful for the opportunity to share with the rest of the world. Peace to you all and have a great day!