NOFX greatest hits recieves four stars from Sceneitall.net.
Rating: 4 Stars
Of all the legendary punk bands that have ever graced the stage, NOFX are one of the longest running with a 21-year (and counting) career under their belt. These guys are like the Rolling Stones of punk, but the beautiful thing about them is they are actually good. NOFX has not gotten old, they haven't gotten washed up, and they've never "soul doubt". This retrospective of their career has been long-time coming and is much deserved and much desired for their many fans. Epitaph has collaborated NOFX's entire library and formed together twenty-six previously released tracks and one brand new one entitled "Wore Out The Soles Of My Party Boots". If a solid hour of old school punk rock sounds appealing to you in the slightest way, then this cd is going to be perfect for you.
The album immediately gets into the fun-loving musical style NOFX has always had. "Dinosaurs Will Die" has enough melody to make all of girl scout retreat 15 get out of their booster seats and dance around like the spoiled brats they are. The musicianship is seen so clearly with their guitar solos, rivotingly fast drum lines, and their intelligent lyrics. It's funny to think of NOFX as the skillful songwriters they are because of the comedic persona they portray, but in all seriousness they truly are an amazing band with myriads of talent. "The Seperation Of Church & Skate" is another solid track and has an awesome pace throughout. You've got to love a good political punk song, and this one is as good as any with its blazing fast tempo. The cool thing about NOFX is that they cover pretty serious topics but they do so in a somewhat jovial way making it much more comfortable to listen to.
"Bleeding Heart Disease" has a really cool sounding intro to it, and in fact the entire song is really good. The vocals sound very crisp and very defined giving it an all around solid sound. "Party Enema" is a nice little anthem track that will stick in your mind like peanut butter in your mouth (And that really sucks). The first half of the album is golden in every way, and you'll be pulling a double take on your watch when you realize how much time has gone by. "Reeko" is a slower track with a kind of bluesy feel to it and is the perfect chill song for those lazy days when it's hot outside and you just got done mowing the lawn. Oh wait, the song was a wolf in sheep's clothing, and will in fact blast you back into the punk rock realm halfway through, but that's alright because that's what you want anyways.
"Stickin' In My Eye" has a really smooth intro guitar riff and leads right into a series of faster play then punk vocals. I really love this track and it may be my favorite, but it's hard to tell. NOFX are basically like Lays potato chips, you can't have just one and it's a good thing that Epitaph gave us twenty-seven otherwise we'd be left wanting more. "The Idiots Are Taking Over" totally rocks, and the musicianship shines like the backside of a quarter. After you've heard an hour's worth of old NOFX you get their brand new track "Wore Out The Soles Of My Party Boots" which in all aspects is a quality tune. The fact that NOFX have as much energy after twenty-one years as The Stones did at their inception speaks volumes for these crazy dudes and the fact that they're not going anywhere.
One thing you can't ever accuse NOFX of being is boring, their music is always fun to listen to, and their lyrics are always funny and catchy as hell. They've been a band of substance for over twenty years and it's awesome to be able to look back and hear all of their classics completely re-mastered. When was the last time you could lie completely inactive for an hour and feel like you accomplished something? With this new greatest hits record, you can take a load off and just enjoy NOFX's love for music, and you won't regret it, in fact you'll be in a better mood afterwards. This is one of the best collection albums released in years, and definitely in punk rock. For all those losers who think punk is dead and are to busy propping their four-foot mohawks up with wood glue to know their ass from a hole in the wall, give this cd a listen and shut the hell up.
By Jonathan Carter
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