HATE YOUR FRIENDS
Year: 1987
Genre: Hardcore Punk/Pop Punk
Label: Taang! Records
Tracks: 13
Length: 24 Minutes
My Rating: 6/8
The Lemonheads are a punk band that was formed in 1985 in Boston, Massachussetts by Evan Dando, Jesse Peretz, and Ben Deily. The first record they released was a 7" E.P. in 1986, but their first L.P. was called "Hate Your Friends", and it was recorded over various sessions in the band's formative years. The early style of the Lemonheads can be described as a catchy, pop form of punk rock with streaks of hardcore fury and loudness. Anyways, this is an album. And they released it. And shit.
1. I Don't Wanna
ALL MY FRIENDS HAVE GONE AWAY! GONE AWAY FOR A LONG STAY! Evan sings on this song. The intro is kinda Black Flag-ish (R.I.P. Greg Ginn's penis) and the song is pretty angry, yet it's also really catchy. Evan is a good singer. Reminds me of Bob Mould from Husker Du a bit.
2. 3-9-4
This is one's really good too. Ben (Deily/Daily/Daisy/Dairy/Dally/Dolly/Doly/Doby/Doberman/Dickface) sings on this song. I really love the part that begins around 30 seconds... that bassline is very nice.
3. Nothing True
This one also sounds like Husker Du. Evan on vocals here. His voice is more deep as opposed to Ben's more yelly type voice. POPCOLOREMOTIONTHRASHMUSIC. WHAT?
4. Second Chance
This is one's about having girlfriend problems and breaking up. This one's got a very catchy chorus. Total pop. ALL YOU EVER DID WAS MAKE ME CRY! BOOO HOOO HOOOOO
5. Sneakyville
I can't even live near deserts... this is a fast straight-up angry hardcore 'tune! FAST AND PISSED, JUST LIKE WE LIKE IT! OI OI OI OI OI OI OI... gee whizzles, this Blitz record sure is good. Wait a minute... FUCK YOU!! Ohhh deary... anyways, this song kicks fucking ass. Puts a smile on muh face.
6. Amazing Grace
Yep, this is a cover of that old hymn anyone who went to church (or maybe even didn't) as a child knows word-for-word! Hell, I have some vague memories of singing this song when I was really little for some church talent show or something like that... that had to have been well over a decade ago... yep, I'm still pretty damn young. Anyways, about this Lemonheads version... it's got some nice little twangy guitar licks over it and it's pretty straightfoward for what you'd expect a punk rock version of this song to sound like.
7. Belt
Excellent verse guitar riff... something about it fires up the soul. Evan can sing "nicely" and he can growl and scream like a motherfucker. Like a PUZZLED PANTHER (did you know that Thurston Moore, Kira Roessler, Mike D, and David Markey formed a one-off band called that that recorded a cover of a Germs song??), y'know what I'm saying? The song collapses into fiery hellish confusion like a boiled toad amongst the demons. Or a toad going to see the Butthole Surfers live in the '80s. End of Side A.
8. Hate Your Friends
Who doesn't hate their own friends once in awhile? Oh yeah, people who FUCKING SUCK ASS, MAN. Well maybe not everyone I dunno. Whatever. Hee-hee. This song's fast and it has an awesome buzz-saw like guitar tone to it. What more do you WANT?? Oh yeah, you want love 'cuz you are a hippy. You do drugs and you don't eat meat. You recycle and you don't wear shoes. HIPPIES ARE GAY HIPPIES ARE GAY HIPPIES ARE FUCKIN-- oh, wait, wrong band, there. Whew... so sorry about that.
9. Don't Tell Yourself
One of the also greatest songs on the album. I fucking love it. It's more slow-ish and it opens with a great but simple lead guitar solo... makes me think of cows and farms and fields... a nice happy cowfarm. Or maybe not since those cows are BEING FUCKING EXPLOITED FOR THEIR FLESH... AAAGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The guitar riff is very nice and I love the drum beat as well. Evan's vocals are pretty mellow. I just LOOOVE this nice song sooo much!!! The second lead guitarplay towards the end of the song is also very nice. It must be nice to be on those little daisyfields on a sunny day.
10. Uhhh
This is a nice song about wanting to be with a girl and stuff and not argue anymore and fight and all that worthless bullshit. I love the guitar chords and all that jazz. Benny sings this one. He sings so greatly on the chorus part.
11. Fed Up
The verse is kinda angry and rock n' rolly and the chorus is a bit more sad... I like sad songs. Reminds me a little bit of 'Don't Fall Down' by the 13th Floor Elevators for a few moments, actually... I like how deep-pitched and muddled the drums sound under the heat of the blazing geetar chords, there...
12. Rat Velvet
RAT VELVET. This one's also really fast and it has a real fucking awesome guitar riff. RAT VELVET. I don't know what rat velvet is. RAT VELVET. I wanna start a mosh pit now. RAT VELVET!!!!!
13. Fucked Up
This song's about, well, having fucked. It previously appeared on the band's first E.P. Ben sings a verse, then Evan sings a verse, then there's a cool mid-section, then they both sing together in harmony. AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN IS THAT ENOUGH ALREADY, MISTER???!!!!!!!!!!
So that is the first Lemonheads album. They were only about my age when they made this and considering that it's fucking awesome. Just the right amount of catchiness and hardness at the same time. It's ROCK & ROLL, MANG. The yellow sweet n' sour candy which was TOTALLY NAMED AFTER THE BAND is also pretty damn great as well. So yeah, there's my FUCKING SONOFABITCH REVIEW, MOTHERFUCKFACE. Hi Facundo!!!!!!!! HI!! HI!!!!
Top 3 Favorites:
1. Don't Tell Yourself
2. 3-9-4
3. Rat Velvet
MUSIC VIDEO FOR "SECOND CHANCE":
