Fear of a Punk Planet (album)
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| Fear of a Punk Planet | ||
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| Studio album by The Vandals | ||
| Released | 1990, 2000 | |
| Genre | Punk Rock | |
| Length | original: ~32:38, re-release ~43:33 | |
| Label | Triple X Records, Kung Fu Records | |
| Producer(s) | Bob Casale | |
| Professional reviews | ||
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| The Vandals chronology | ||
| Slippery When Ill (1989) |
Fear of a Punk Planet (1990) |
Sweatin' to the Oldies: The Vandals Live (1991) |
Fear of a Punk Planet is a punk rock album by the southern California band The Vandals, originally released in 1990 by Triple X Records. It was their third full-length album and the first to feature the lineup of Dave Quackenbush, Warren Fitzgerald, Joe Escalante and Josh Freese, who would remain the band's stable lineup until the present day. For this reason it is considered by many fans as the first proper Vandals album, since their previous releases featured a revolving cast of other musicians (Joe now being the only true "original" member). The album returned the band to their punk rock sound, after having played mostly in a country style on their previous album Slippery When Ill. The band would stick with this formula throughout the rest of their career. The album's title called to mind the rap album Fear of a Black Planet by Public Enemy, released that same year. It featured guest appearances by Dweezil and Moon Unit Zappa, Scott Thunes and Kelsey Grammar. An independent music video was filmed for the album's first track, "Pizza Tran."
Fear of a Punk Planet was re-released in 2000 by the Vandals' own label Kung Fu Records in order to celebrate its tenth anniversary. The re-release featured four bonus tracks: "Shi'ite Punk" (from their 1989 album Slippery When Ill), "China Town," "Working for the Man," and a cover of the Beach Boys song "Kokomo."
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
- "Pizza Tran"
- "The Rodge"
- "Join Us for Pong"
- "Hey Holmes!"
- "Girls Turn 18 Every Day"
- "Kill My Tenant"
- "Summer Lovin' [originally from the musical Grease]
- "The Day Farrah Fawcett Died"
- "Anti"
- "Teenage Idol [originally performed by Ricky Nelson]"
- "Small Wonder"
- "Phone Machine"
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- Tracks 13-16 appear on the 2000 Kung Fu Records anniversary edition re-release only.
13. Shi'ite Punk
14. China Town
15. Working for the Man
16. Kokomo [originally performed by the Beach Boys]
[edit] Performers
- Dave Quackenbush - vocals
- Warren "Mutant Boy" Fitzgerald - guitar
- Joe Escalante - bass
- Josh Freese - drums
- Dweezil Zappa - lead guitar on "Hey Holmes!"
- Moon Unit Zappa - female vocals on "Summer Lovin'"
- Scott Thunes - bass on "Kill My Tenant"
- Kelsey Grammar - piano and vocals on "Phone Machine"
- DJ Gary - sampling on "The Rodge"
[edit] Album information
- Record label:
- original release: Triple X Records
- Anniversary Edition re-release: Kung Fu Records
- Recorded at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, California and Master Control in Burbank, California
- Mixed by Gary McGachan and Andrew Ballard at Master Control Assistants.
- Produced by Bob Casale
- Tracks 1 & 5 written by The Vandals. Tracks 2, 11 & 12 written by Joe Escalante, Warren Fitzgerald and Dave Quackenbush. Track 3 written by Joe Escalante and Warren Fitzgerald. Track 4 written by Joe Escalante, Warren Fitzgerald and Chris Lagerborg. Track 6 written by Joe Escalante and Dave Quackenbush. Track 7 written by Joe Escalante, Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Track 8 written by Joe Escalante. Track 9 written by Warren Fitzgerald and Dave Quackenbush. Track 10 written by Jack Lewis. Track 16 written by the Beach Boys.
- Art direction:
- original release: Steve Martinez
- re-release: Sergie
- Cover art by Rudolph Schwarzkogler, courtesy of the Gallery Krinzinger in Vienna
- Photographs by Mollye Moore, assisted by Elena Ray and Melody
- All songs published by Puppety Frenchman publishing SESAC except "Teenage Idol" by Nelson Music ASCAP, "Summer Lovin'" by Edwin H. Morris Music ASCAP, and "Kokomo" by Buena Vista Music Co., Clairaudient Music Corp., Daywin Music Inc. & Spirit One Music.
[edit] Song information
- All information listed here is derived from song lyrics, album liner notes, and band member interviews and commentary (particularly those in the video Sweatin' to the Oldies: The Vandals Live).
Pizza Tran (The Vandals)
This song is the story of a Vietnamese girl named Tran who delivers pizza in Orange County. The narrator in the song has a crush on her.
The Rodge (Joe Escalante, Warren Fitzgerald & Dave Quackenbush)
The song describes a dance move named after Roger Thomas.
Join Us for Pong (Joe Escalante & Warren Fitzgerald)
This song is about the home video game Pong, and compares playing it to an act of rebellion.
Hey Holmes! (Joe Escalante, Warren Fitzgerald & Chris Lagerborg)
The song plays on rap and gang slang words.
Girls Turn 18 Every Day (The Vandals)
This song tells of a man's troubles with his girlfriends, but that he is encouraged by the fact that more girls are turning 18 (the legal age of consent) each day.
Kill My Tenant (Joe Escalante & Dave Quackenbush)
This song tells of a landlord's headaches with his lazy tenants.
Summer Lovin' (Joe Escalante, Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey)
A parody of a song from the musical Grease. In the original version, John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John's characters tell conflicting stories of their summer relationship. While the woman's story tells of a sweet and innocent romance, the man's version is much steamier and full of machismo as he attempts to impress his friends. Underneath, however, it is obvious that they are both infatuated with each other. The Vandals version begins with the "he said/she said" male/female vocal tradeoff of the original, but then the man's voice takes over and tells his friends how he slept with the girl and then left her. He also tells of other sexual conquests and how he gives the girls a fake telephone number and address. In the end, though, the woman has the last laugh as the man seems to have found someone he generally cares for, but then she leaves him for someone else.
The Day Farrah Fawcett Died (Joe Escalante)
A fictional tale of the death of model and TV actress Farrah Fawcett. In the song several explanations for the actress' death are given, but the singer suspects a conspiracy and theorizes several other explanations for her demise. In reality Farrah Fawcett, who was extremely popular in the 1970s, is still alive and continues to act on television and in movies.
Anti (Warren Fitzgerald & Dave Quackenbush)
This song uses a lot of wordplay with the pro- and anti- prefixes and declares many things that the singer supports and disapproves of.
Teenage Idol (Jack Lewis)
A cover of a song originally performed by Ricky Nelson, who was himself a television and music star and teen idol. It tells of the difficulties of being a young person in the spotlight.
Small Wonder (Joe Escalante, Warren Fitzgerald & Dave Quackenbush)
A tale of a robotic girlfriend that the singer has created, which runs amok at night with programmed lust.
Phone Machine (Joe Escalante, Warren Fitzgerald & Dave Quackenbush)
A humorous answering machine message beginning with a mellow piano tune and a polite greeting by Kelsey Grammar, which then launches into a loud and angry message telling off the singer's boss, his school and anyone else who might be calling him. It gets polite again, however, when he addresses his grandmother. The song ends with an actual humorous answering machine message left by Dave Quackenbush's grandmother.
Shi'ite Punk (Dave Quackenbush & Jan Nils Ackermann)
This song tells of an extremist punk who uses terrorism to achieve moral, political and musical goals.
China Town (The Vandals)
This song describes the many amazing things which can be found in the Chinatown section of downtown.
Working for the Man (The Vandals)
A tongue-in-cheek call for worker solidarity.
Kokomo (The Beach Boys)
A cover of a hit song originally performed by the Beach Boys. It tells of a small island in the Caribbean that is a popular couples destination, as well as several other exotic island locales.
