THE ALBUM OF THE DAY IS… THE DICKIES, IDJIT SAVANT
This 1995 release is still one of the best pop-punk albums of all time; people who think American Idiot was great rock n’ roll could learn a thing or two from The Dickies, who have managed to stay together and recording since 1979. Leonard Phillips’ nasal-yet-melodic vocals are goofy – perhaps delibertately so – but, tonally speaking, that more than works for an album that contains an ode to a Troma d-movie hero (“Toxic Avenger”), a lament about the increasing weight gain of the greatest actor of all time (“I’m Stuck In A Condo (With Marlon Brando),” featuring the lyrics “He’s heavy and he’s hairy/Yeah he’s really, really scary”), and song called, simply, “I’m On Crack.” This is rock that you can dance to (“Just Say Yes,” which is catchy as fuck) and laugh with (“Make it So” is, indeed, about Star Trek: The Next Generation captain Jean-Luc Picard), and that’s pretty special in and of itself.
Odd, then, that the best song on the album ends up being “Pretty Ballerina,” a semi-ballad that features a simple but undeniably infectious solo by lead guitarist Stan Lee (not to be confused with creator of Spider-Man). Then again, maybe it’s not surprising: the thing about The Dickies is that they’re super talented, they just choose not to take themselves too seriously. And there’s nothing wrong with that; after all, in the middle of the angsty grunge movement, just before the dawn of belly-aching nu-metal, they ended up making what may very well be the feel good album of the 90’s.
-AR
Buy Idjit Savant
