Today is the day that the long-anticipated Operation Ivy tribute Mooorree Than Just Another Comp is released. Sell the Heart Records and Lavasock Records kindly sent TGEFM a promo copy which we dove into for another of our track-by-track discussions. We continue our discussion with the next eleven songs on the comp. Part 1 and part 2 are already up, and now we finish out the comp, along with our final thoughts.
First off… the comp!
(note- we have very little control which track starts first in the embed… that’s a Bandcamp thing)
23) Sad Girlz Club – “Yellin’ in My Ear”
Julie – Country and ska? Sure, why not. Although, it’s not so much that Sad Girlz Club added in a touch of country twang to the tail end of the song so much as that they recognized how much the original song’s main riff sounds like a country riff and just ran with it. Still, up until those last few moments, the cover stays pretty straightforward. But then, I can see the temptation to just play this song straight since the original is so much fun.
Dan – This is great, who would have thought country and ska go together. Now that Julie mentioned it, the original does have a country feel to the guitar that I never really thought of.
Jeff – I get more of that kind of folk/western music feel, akin to some of the peppier songs by The Kingston Trio, but I see what your saying.
Mike – I think SGC knocked the traditional cover out of the park, but as an eternal Blue Meanies superfan I gotta shout out to Billy Spunke. That being said, this entire compilation has been a lot of fun.
24) Middle-Aged Queers – “Sleep Long”
Julie – I’ve been mulling this over for a while now because I want to like this song because I adore Middle-Aged Queers, but I feel like there’s so much more that could have been done with this. And the insertion of a line from Suicidal Tendencies was jarring to say the least. I know I said before that it’s unfair to compare these covers to other covers of the same song but I’m going to do exactly that anyway: Mad Caddies showed how good a cover of this song can be on their covers album Punk Rocksteady. I would even call that cover better than the original. But this one, I guess they take some liberties, but not as many as I was hoping for. A weird thing I’ve noticed on this comp is that my favorite bands on here (except for Catbite) have been surprisingly disappointing and all the bands I’ve never heard of before are turning in the best covers.
Dan – Like Julie said this is good, but nothing too special and pretty straight forward. I’m not sure how I feel about the Pepsi line from Suicidal Tendencies, is that a Pepsi generation call back to “Artificial Life”?
Julie – I did recently interview Middle-Aged Queers for a different site and Shaun told me that he sometimes puts lyrics from other songs in demos as placeholders and every now and then he leaves them in there. If you listen very closely to their song “Patience Worth,” you’ll hear the lyrics to “Dammit” by Blink-182. So maybe something similar happened here with the Suicidal Tendencies reference.
Jeff – I live fairly close to MAQ now so I’d better not talk shit or they’ll beat me up when I see them at a show. (laughter)
Seriously, though, I don’t have problems with this. It’s a bit more straight-forward (no pun untended) except for the added Pepsi reference, but there’s a bit of an altered delivery in the backing vocals for the “sleep long / sleep well” part that I really dig. Also, the band has proven themselves not averse to messing with their covers a bit, and the Suicidal/Pepsi gag landed a lot better with me than Sweet Gloom’s Green Day addition, if only because wanting a Pepsi is timeless, while Green Day post-Kerplunk! is just generic pop rock. (laughter)
Mike – I don’t have a lot to add given the comments from the other contributors, I like the production a lot. Most modern punk guitar tone is lost to distortion, but MAQ turned the gain down tastefully enough to hear the springs in the amp. The Pepsi thing is weird… Connecting too many 80’s punk communities into an Op Ivy comp, meh.
25) Catbite – “Healthy Body”
Julie – I have a bias towards Catbite, especially after just having seen them put on an amazing live show (see my review that I’m sure will be up by the time this is up). But Catbite…well, they made “Healthy Body” into a Catbite song. The finished product follows the basic structure of the original but, true to Catbite, there’s a touch of surf added into their ska mix. It’s a little safe compared to some of the more experimental and daring covers on here, but after listening to the comp all the way through, this was the first song I went back to listen to again.how-offs.
Dan – I listened to this track before I had the complete comp as it was released early and it got me pretty excited to hear the rest of the songs. Like Julie, I’m a bit bias as I’m really into Catbite right now and I like the original song so even though this is just a Catbite version of the song and doesn’t take many risks, I still really enjoyed it. I think it would have been a cool touch to open the song with “Britt the king (or queen) of ska” but maybe they haven’t heard the Lint version. Either way, I will also go back and listen to this version again.
Mike – I’m obviously preaching to the choir with how terrific this cover is. The natural reverb springs and heavy ping-ride mix is such a great homage to the original recording, and while I will sequester myself to poser jail after admitting, Suicide Machines’ Jay Navarro mentioned to me in an interview back in 2019 that Catbite was the future of ska-punk, yet this is the first time I have taken the time to listen. Instant regret, powerhouse fucking band, and a gigantic high moment of the compilation.
Julie – I don’t know if I’d call Catbite the future of ska-punk but only because I think they’d be the first to admit they’re closer to two-tone-revival than ska-punk. But point taken, nonetheless.
Dan – I think Lloyd Dobler would say Catbite is the ska of the future!
Jeff – (laughter)
26) American Television – “Officer”
Mike – A necessity to an Op Ivy cover has two prerequisites: a snotty vocal delivery, and a killer bassist. American Television showcase both qualities effortlessly with “26 Officers” in just under two minutes, and at a very easy time to agree that there are serious, fundamental problems in every US police department.
Julie – I feel like we have to issue a disclaimer on this one because TGEFM’s own Jerred Lazar is in American Television. I’m guessing that the label decided to offset our bias by turning down the volume on this song so it comes in quieter than any other song on the comp. Just kidding, I’m sure it’s a coincidence, but it is quieter than the rest of the comp for some unknown reason.
As much as I love Jerred, this is one of those songs that just sounds like the original with better production quality. Nothing really stood out to me on this one as a really creative take on the song. I agree with Mikey that the message remains relevant all these years later, but I really wanted something that was a twist on the original.
One thing that I never understood about The Hippos’ version is why they didn’t change the year in the lyrics from 1989 to the year that they recorded it. Why not? Show that it’s still a relevant song! Omnigone does something interesting: the first time the chorus comes up they say “1989” and the second time they say “2022.” I love that because it further demonstrates the similarities in the bleak political climates of both time periods and how timeless Jesse Michaels’ lyrics are.
Dan – Yes this didn’t deviate much from the original but as this was a previously released cover and not done specifically for this tribute I’ll give them some slack. The vocal delivery was spot on as well as the bass track as Mikey mentioned. I enjoyed the cover and also agree the lyrics are still relevant. I hope if I get to see American Television play live this summer they put this on the set list.
27) Jay Levy & The – “I Got No”
Julie – I’m absolutely here for all the really weird covers on this comp, and turning “I Got No” into an Antarctigo Vespucci-esque, lo-fi synth pop tune with random video game sound effects definitely qualifies as a weird cover. I love this kind of music and it’s such a bizarre yet fun and patently adorable take on the Operation Ivy classic.
This song is the final track from the self-titled Operation Ivy CD, which means everything after this point will be covers of lesser-known songs that didn’t even make the CD release. I’m interested to see how these are handled.
Dan – I went and checked out some other Jay Levy & The songs and although they are a little corky, they are not to this level of weirdness. I’m glad they went for it on this one. I also love how this is very bizarre, but yet not so bizarre that it’s hard to listen too. It might not be one that you will jam out to in the car, but you can enjoy it for it’s pure uniqueness. I bet they have a great live show.
Jeff – This is way out there and, of all the chip-tune-y songs, makes me feel the most like I’m playing an actual video game (probably exclusive to the Sega Genesis…). It’s awesome.
Mike – Jeff, my man. You spelled Master System wrong! This is exactly what I am looking for in a compilation celebrating a classic punk rock band. Big fan of this rendition, and now this band.
Jeff – I know you must be drunk, because those sounds are too good for the Master System.
28) Michael J. O’Connor – “Uncertain”
Julie – I had actually never heard the original version of this song as this part of the comp is getting into the lesser known Op Ivy tracks from the album Seedy that compiles outtakes and rarities. Now that I’ve heard it, I think Michael J. O’Connor chose the most appropriate way to cover this. The melodies from the original just sound like they’re begging for an acoustic cover.
Jeff – I mean, what can you say that’s negative about this? I mean, it could be that the original recording is of such a quality, but this sounds like a completely different song and, for once, I’m fine with that. It’s a beautiful rendition and a stand-out on a comp full of them. I wonder if it won’t get the recognition it deserves because it’s one of the more obscure songs being covered.
Mike – While the queens above are not incorrect, I have a chip on my shoulder for bands that take a stab at the legendary artist’s obscure, and hope that this case was intentional. I’ll never forget buying the Big Me single from a band called the Foo Fighters, knowing certainly well I wanted to hear the smash hit “Winnebago” that I had watched live on MTV. My (albeit musically knowledgeable) father said something along the lines of “Mike… I am not going to tell you what to purchase, but most of the time when a band cuts a song it is for a reason.”
I am so excited to smile at him at my daughter’s birthday party on Thursday, but my dad is so fucking wrong about b-sides.
Dan – There not much more I can add to what has been said. This folk punk version is great! Hope your daughter has a good birthday Mikey.
Julie – I’m sorry but I’m with Mikey’s dad on this one.
Jeff – (laughter)
29) Original Son – “Some Day”
Julie – Once you get into the songs that only appear on Seedy, having a cover that sounds just like the original but with better production means a lot more than it did on other songs because the production value on Seedy is just shit. Original Son take a song that’s borderline unlistenable and manage to make a much clearer and more palatable version of the song.
Jeff – I see what you’re saying. I think that maybe this is not just better production, but better guitar performance, as well? I think that Lint wasn’t always the best guitarist at the time, and Original Son bring a lot more heft to the six-strings here than was found in the original. But, yeah, better production definitely accounts for it, too.
Makes you wonder if you had millions of dollars to throw at OpIvy to go in and re-record their songs, would they be any better? Probably not, because the quality is part of the charm. But it still sounds nice to hear someone else take some of these “lost” tracks and put a fresh coat of paint on them.
Mike – Julie and Jeff are dead-on, Tim ultimately traded his ability to speak clearly with his ability to play guitar in both realms. The peaking instrumentals of Original Son’s take on the classic give it that perfect oomph of grit, without deducting the authenticity of the original, and once again we are praised with a bass-player-talent-forward band. Crushed it.
30) Heater – “Plea for Peace”
Julie – This is another Seedy track where the production quality of the original song is absolute shit. There’s some beautiful melodies in the original that get lost in the poor production and Jesse Michael’s harsh singing voice. Heater does a fantastic job of resurrecting those melodies and making something better out of them.
Dan – I have this original on the East Bay EP and the quality is not great, or even good, but I feel that’s what gives it charm. Heater gave it a more folk-country-punk feel. They did a great job, but I think I still lean toward the original.
31) Allweather – “Hedgecore”
Mike – San Diego’s Allweather crunches into their rendition of “Hedgecore,” and the grimy sonic quality is a delightful breath of fresh air. It is notably when the classic punk rock greats are re-attempted that the vast improvements in digital audio engineering squeak and sparkle over the organic charm of the underground budget essence of the original, and they knocked it out of the park. Very fun song.
Julie – Again, I’d much rather listen to covers of the Seedy tracks than the originals. This one adds very little other than making it listenable, but it’s still miles ahead of the production on the original.
Dan – Once again the vocal delivery was great as well as the bass line. Some of the guitar riffs gave it a little more of a rock feel and did make it very fun.
32) Sad Snack – “Left Behind”
Julie – This one does a little more than just turn a song that originally sounded like it was recorded in a submarine on a Fisher Price tape recorder into something that’s not unlistenable. Sad Sack does a great job of taking their time with this song and letting it breathe. It doesn’t feel sloppy and rushed like the original. I also really appreciate the saxophone and jazz drumming in between verses.
Jeff – What I found really interesting in this one is that they really let the vocals sit next to, or even behind, the instruments. The music is the driving force in this cover and, well, it’s put together damn nicely. Sad Snack for the win!
Mike – I have to agree with Jeff. The buried vocals give some sort of gang vocal feel to the piece, thus embodying the experience a die-hard fan would endure amongst the huge Ivy reunion that we have begged for for decades, all the while validating Julie’s nod to the types of toys I wish my six-year-old had access to instead of a crusty old iPhone. Very fun listen.
Dan – I listened to this complete comp twice before I started making comments and somehow I overlooked this gem until I got to the very end of this discussion. Wow, this is ska, jazzy, funky, full of sax, and just fantastic.
33) Freature – “Hangin’ Out”
Julie – The thing about putting these lesser known songs at the end of the comp is that it becomes hard to listen through to the end of the whole thing because it ends on songs that only the most hardcore fans know. Freature manages to make a really good cover out of the sloppy chaos that is the original version of this song. They also add some hardcore elements that the original didn’t have, particularly that overpowering bass on the chorus. It’s a good cover, but a weird way to end a great compilation.
Jeff – Agreed. “Hangin’ Out” is a great example to the point that even your heroes are fallible or, in this case, one of the most important bands ever can still make a crappy song. Freature really clean it up into something which is, frankly, a lot better than the original, and not just because of modern production but because it’s just done better.
As such, I think they do a great job of closing the book on this comp, and really take a largely unknown piece of music and nail it.
Mike – I stokedly embrace the cover of “Hangin’ Out,” as we are hearing Freature unlock the talent level that Op did not possess when they wrote the tune! Dave Mello was simply not at the capacity to keep ninety seconds of double-time. (Most greats weren’t in the 80’s so I mean no harm.) Freature’s drummer that is not listed on any of their social media should proudly reveal themselves.
Dan – I also agree it’s unfortunate this is not only a lesser known song but it’s at the very end of the album. I almost skipped it to have more time to write my final thoughts, but feel I need to give Freature some props as this a great cover, better than the original, I mean like Mikey said, the drumming is to die for.
Final Thoughts
Dan – Before I got this complete comp two songs had been released and after listening to both, I knew I was going to like this. I love Op Ivy so of course I would like it, even if the songs weren’t great. Well there are some great songs on this comp, some off the wall ones, and some that may not be great, but are still pretty good. It is great to see some newer/ younger bands on this project and see that not only are the lyrics still relevant, but Op Ivy still resonates with bands that weren’t even born when Op Ivy broke up. On that same note, the fact that some of the lyrics and messages are still relevant, is a little sad. Maybe some day my daughter will be in a band that covers Bad Optix and we won’t need to have songs about social justice anymore. Until then we have these kick ass songs!
Jeff – Operation Ivy may not be as well-known as the Rancid follow-up, but I think they are one of the most important bands that punk, or music in general, has ever produced. Their influence spans far and wide, and this comp is a great reminder of that. Musicians across multiple spectrums have turned up and turned in a collection of covers of wildly various styles– some hewing close to the source while others so wildly reimagined that you can barely recognized what it is adapted from.
This is the fifth track-by-track of a tribute album TGEFM has done, and is likely my favorite. There are some great songs on here, and nary a bad one. 2021’s double LP Silence is a Dangerous Sound – A Tribute to Fugazi (part 1, 2, and 3) comes a second close but, and I hate to be blunt, that one did have a few duds. Here we have thirty-three tracks that, even if they aren’t of your preferred genre, are pretty damn tight, well done and, importantly, feel like they were done with love and respect to the institution of Operation Ivy, and their lasting legacy on the scene as a whole.
Tribute albums can be hit or miss. This one has definitely been a hit. Kudos to all involved.
Julie – I write this today as the news of the new Tim Armstrong/Jesse Michaels band Bad Optix was just announced yesterday (and since renamed Doom Reglator – ed.), meaning we just got news of what’s likely to be the closest thing to an Operation Ivy reunion any of us will ever see. It’s actually probably for the best because, while this comp proves OpIvy still has a lot of relevance today, putting together a new band instead of reuniting the old one feels more like moving forward than going backwards. Operation Ivy was a brief happenstance of some really great but unlikely circumstances. Once Tim Armstrong realized he had some star power as a frontman himself, there wasn’t much chance of an Op Ivy reunion.
But this comp shows us that the overall message of Operation Ivy only needs a few tweaks to be slotted into modern society with its seemingly more complicated issues. My favorite covers here are a dead heat between Eichlers and Flying Raccoon Suit, because both demonstrated a great understanding of the material without being beholden too much to the constraints of the original. But even after being transformed, there’s still something to latch onto about these songs over 30 years later that makes me think these songs will always be relevant, which is both comforting and depressing.
Mike – I’m sure that readers will be browsing review quotes all over the place about how sacred such a short discography Op Ivy has, and how difficult it should be to fill the Doc Martins… and while I walked away from this incredibly fulfilled and entertained, there is a 13 song tribute compilation elephant in the room here too, and with some other really special bands. I have to remind myself that 1997 was TWENTY-FIVE years ago, and to appreciate the wide array of punk/ska/beyond bands that have blossomed since. In 1997, you bought punk rock compilations and tribute albums to discover your new favorite bands, and the case still holds true. Great job to all of the artists, big ups to Andy at Sell The Heart Records. (Bros 4 lyfe) And I totally recommend this album to any old, or new, (or young,) fan of Operation Ivy.
Mooorree Than Just Another Comp is available digitally at the STHR Bandcamp. For physical releases on vinyl (inventory is going fast!) visit the Sell The Heart or Lavasocks web stores.
the white drew carey (aka – Jeff Sorley) is the founder and head editor of TGEFM. He’s lived (outside of) Chicago, Madison WI, (ugh) Penn State, Lyon FR, Oxford UK, central New Jersey, and now within earshot of SFO in the Bay Area. When not scouring the web for more great bands and labels to post about, he also spends time drawing (mostly) silly sci-fi and anime stuff under the name Asplenia Studios.
