That's It! - Really?

Name: That's It
Album: Really?
Year: 1991
Style: Alternative, Folk-Punk
Similar Bands: Animal Bag, Frank Zappa
"One-Word" Review: Forced Punk Evolution
Based Out Of: Los Angeles, CA
Label: Better Youth Organization (BYO) Records

 Cover, Record, Lyric Sheet

Lyric Sheet, Record, Back

Really? (1991)

1. What's So New About the New World Order 3:25
2. Who's Life Is It Anyway? 2:33 (single)
3. Think It Over 4:10
4. Sometimes 2:28
5. Getting Somewhere By Going Nowhere 3:34
6. What Are You Willing To Die For? 3:44 /
7. Ego 3:00
8. Disconnect 4:01
9. Good Men 3:21
10. Too Bad 2:44
11. Hole In My Head 4:07
12. Mother 2:44

Album Rating (1-10): 6.0

Members & Other Bands:

• Andy Hadel - Bass, Vox
• Mark Phillips - Guitar, Vox (Down By Law, Cheater)
• Shawn Stern - Vox, Guitar, Sundry Noises, Producer (Extremes, The Brigade, Youth Brigade, 7 Seconds)
• Tommy Withers - Lead Drums, Vox, Producer (Brass Wolf, Frankfurter, Phume, Scorpio, Stupids, Tom & Tom, Tongue, Klute, Dr. Know, Forensic, Mean Tom, Override, Supertouch, Spectre, Tommy Stupid)
• Anne Holmes - Guest Vox
• Ezroy Cameron - Some Screams and Vox
• David Leahey - Cello
• Andy Kaulkin - Organ (Young Caucasians, Very Nice Plants, Coal Porters, Billy Boy Arnold, I Love You, Johnny Dyer, Wiliam Clarke, Rocket From the Crypt, Claw Hammer, Humpers, Red Aunts, Pietasters, Orange County Supertones, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Roy Gaines, Rick Holmstrom, RL Burnside, Hepcat, King Ernest, Merle Haggard, Lifesavas, Mannish Boys)
• Chris Prettyman - Special Thx
• Donnell Cameron - Recording & Engineering
• Thom Wilson - Mixing
• Adam Stern - Cover Painting & Logo (Youth Brigade)
• Jamie Stern - That's It Photo
• Mark Stern - Design & Layout (Youth Brigade, Royal Crown Revue)

Unknown-ness: Never heard of this band, but by the Midwestern style art work, and band photo on the back combined with the CA addresses and year, I imagine this is a band mimicking the RH Chili Peppers, mixing rap/funk and spastic performances with rock. I don't expect this to be good.

Album Review: Well, i was wrong about the style of the band. Many of the members and folks that helped in production have a long history (back to 1980) in the LA punk scene. Shawn Stern and his brother Mark Stern are the founders of BYO Records, created to have a voice away from corporate rock machines to show the positive side to punk back in '82, initially for their band Youth Brigade. And organist Andy Kaulkin is the founder & president of Anti- records since '98, which has put out albums by Tom Waits, Man Man, Tricky, Promise Ring, and hundreds of other bands. The album is kind of all over the place with discordant stumbling time signatures, samples and tv/film clips overlaid ("Getting Somewhere By Going Nowhere" & "What Are You Willing to Die For"). And I'm just not a fan of the vocals, as they seem either forced, or pulled in unnecessary directions and are overly emotive. "Disconnect" is a decent song, with a great powerpop intro and a catchy pop-punk jump. The vocals are well used, if only a little cringey when it gets to the chorus.

Stand Out Track: Disconnect

Links:
Discogs
Allmusic
Shawn Stern interview
BYO Wiki