This review is part of a series looking back at significant albums on their anniversaries. Through the benefit of hindsight we will be viewing the album not just as it was released, but how it stands the test of time, as well as its place in the band’s discography and the genre in general.
Roadkill Records – ?? Dec 1988
Here’s a little context about when I first started listening to punk rock, which in a roundabout way, eventually leads to Screeching Weasel. I grew up in the ‘90s and started to get fully immersed into punk rock right before the 1994 explosion. My first real encounter with it, besides casually hearing the Ramones or The Clash, was when my brother brought home a Bad Religion CD, Recipe for Hate. I was in 7th grade. From there, though I don’t think I even knew it was called punk rock, I went on to explore other similar sounding bands on Epitaph and beyond. Eventually, like millions of other kids in the US, I saw Green Day‘s video of “Longview”, which I hated. Despite my distaste for the song, it still sucked me into listening to Dookie and earlier Green Day albums, especially after hearing my friend’s 8th grade band cover “Going to Pasalacqua.”
And from there, presumably like a lot of kids at the time, I worked my way backwards into the Lookout! Records catalog, eventually stumbling upon Screeching Weasel‘s Boogadaboogadaboogada! and buying the CD with the green cover. Upon first listen, I remember being a bit confused. I loved songs like “Dingbat”, “Love”, “Stupid Over You”, “Supermarket Fantasy” and “Hey Suburbia.” Those songs became staples of the many mixtapes I made to listen on my walkman while riding my bike around town. I wasn’t too sure about the 21 other songs on the CD. But somehow, I couldn’t stop praising the album to anyone who would listen. Think about that for a second. I thoroughly enjoyed a small handful of songs and merely tolerated over 75% of the rest of the album. Yet, for some reason, I viewed this as one of my favorite CDs in my collection.
And I’ve never really thought about why until recently. Listening back after all these years, I’ve come to two realizations. Firstly, I’ve learned to appreciate a lot of those songs that I skipped over in my youth. When I thought about songs like “My Right”, “I Hate Led Zeppelin”, “Nicaragua”, and “I Love to Hate” in the context of when they were originally released in December 1988, a time when American hardcore and pop-punk melodies were colliding, it made a lot more sense. This is why the album seems simultaneously cohesive and divisive. And secondly, I realized that the album sounds extremely primitive. This seems like an obvious statement considering the times and the budget, but I guess this wasn’t so obvious to my teenage self. The vocals are sometimes off key and often lack melody. The rhythm guitar tones sound muddy. The lead guitar tones are ear piercingly annoying. And the song structures are pretty basic. But this is why I loved it then and this is why I love it now. Songs like these make 14 year old kids want to start a punk band. It’s a bit cliche, but that’s basically how it went down for me. I can’t say that Screeching Weasel was the reason. But I can definitely say that Boogadaboogadaboogada! was one of the albums that convinced me that I, too, could start a shitty punk band. My first band, Layman’s Terms, even covered “Supermarket Fantasy.”
This still really doesn’t explain the somewhat mythical status of this record. It may be a bold assumption, but I think it’s pretty safe to say that most people would agree that Boogada… is not their best work. That title seems to rest with My Brain Hurts, an album that many people, including Lookout! founder Larry Livermore, consider to be perfect. According to Livermore, Boogada…, despite being mostly inferior, continually outsold the other Weasel albums. He attributes this a bit to timing, but mostly he attributes it to the classic Weasel logo. It’s simple but effective and easily recognizable. When I think of them, this is the first album that comes to mind, the first cover that I picture. This is one of the albums that reminds me of what it means to be young, what it means to be in a punk band.
Through numerous lineup and label changes, many albums have come and gone since my first introduction to the band, some notable, some forgettable. And the argument can be made that their recent two releases outshine all of their previous albums. The songs on these two records are well-written, well-played, and well-polished. These albums are mixed perfectly and people seem to really enjoy ‘em. But for me, this isn’t the Screeching Weasel that I love. These records aren’t crude enough. They’re not erratic enough. They don’t capture the spark that I remember when I first popped in that CD back in the early ‘90s. And this is why Boogadaboogadaboogada! will always remain my favorite Screeching Weasel album.
Pete Vincelli is the guitarist and lead vocalist of Burntmill Ghosts, punk rock band from the Jersey Shore. SBÄM Records (Europe) and Double Helix Records (USA) just released their double digital single in September called Innocence Lost, featuring the songs “Maple Place” and “Tulsa Heat”. Burntmill Ghosts will be releasing the full length, Old Records, via SBAM and Double Helix in March 2024.
