Council Pop Records / Insipid Records / Mom’s Cellar Dwellers – 08 Aug 2022
23 classic Queers’ songs performed by some of the best bands in the pop punk scene today.
NOTE- Before I get into this, I must inform you that this album is only available on vinyl or cd, and copies are going fast! Grab your copy from Insipid Records or Mom’s Basement Records and check out the promo video below.
When I saw the list of bands participating in The Queers tribute album God Save The Queers Vol. 2, I was sold. The Manges, The Mugwumps, The Putz, The Wimpys and The Young Rochelles are only a handful of the amazing bands paying tribute to one of the greatest bands in the history of punk rock.
The Queers have been a staple in the punk scene since the early 80s. Under the steadfast leadership of Joe Queer (a.k.a Joseph King), the band has cycled through members over the years though their sound has remained the same. Consistently cranking out fun-loving, hook-laden, three chord bubblegum punk songs about girls, hanging out and life as a teenage punk. While endlessly touring, The Queers have released a number of studio albums, EPs, splits, live albums and reissues. In 2020, the band released their 13th studio album, Save the World and most recently, an album of classic ‘60s covers titled Reverbnation.
With so many songs in their repertoire, a tribute album is fitting. In 2008, Joe Queer organized the first tribute album God Save The Queers released on Asian Man Records. The album consisted of 25 punk bands, with notable contributions from Screeching Weasel, New Bomb Turks, Nobodys and The Dwarves.
I was interested in learning how the new project came together, so I reached out to the record labels involved. I learned that God Save The Queers Vol. 2 was the brainchild of Joe Atom, the frontman for the U.K band, The Atoms and founder of Council Pop Records.
It all started in 2018 over a t-shirt. “Joe Queer’s Atoms shirt finally fell apart after almost 15 years,” Atom explained. “He emailed me asking for a new one. We hadn’t spoken much for a few years so it was great to catch up.”
Joe Queer offered to record The Atoms if they would be willing to travel to the U.S. After a year of saving up money from gigs, the band flew to Joe’s Atlanta, GA studio in 2019 to record The Atoms 4th full-length album Lowbrow Hi-Fi.
Atom recalled that the idea for a Queers tribute album transpired during the recording sessions. “After a lot of talking I realized a really good Queers tribute hasn’t happend since God Save the Queers,” he said. “I thought it would be a great idea to ask bands to do a Queers cover that WASN’T on God Save the Queers.”
As the project began to take shape in early 2020, COVID-19 lockdowns began around the world. Bands who had agreed to participate were having trouble getting into the studio to record. The project took an additional two years to come together.
To assist with distribution and the business side of the project, Joe Atom approached Ken Painter of The Tarleks and Insipid Records. Ken jumped at the opportunity once hearing the final product. “It was such a fantastic album,” he said, “I just had to be part of it.”
Joe and Ken reached out to John Proffitt Jr. of Mom’s Basement Records for U.S. distribution efforts. “When they initially showed me the tracklist for this thing and I saw a few MBR bands on it, I knew I definitely wanted to help out,” John said. The album is being distributed under Mom’s Cellar Dwellers, a distribution focused sub-label John created to help out smaller bands and labels.
I’ve been a Queers fan since the 90s and I love this entire album. All 23 songs are recognizable and done extremely well. The recordings are superb and you can sense that each band really put all of their skills and talents into recreating their own version of these classic hits. To keep this brief, I’m going to give you my top 3 favorites:
- “Love, Love, Love,” performed by Saturday Night Karaoke: The song kicks off with the familiar 2 chords, reminiscent of the original version. After a four count snare beat, the song blasts off. I scrambled to my record player assuming I had the RPMs on the wrong setting. I was wrong. Saturday Night Karaoke absolutely rips through the song with speed and intensity. The metal guitar fills throughout the song are a real treat.
- “Houston we Have a Problem,” performed by Flanders 72: The intro of this cover contains an audio clip of the Apollo 13 radio chatter, which is a really cool addition. In place of the original mid-song guitar solo, Flanders 72 injected what sounds like a Hammond B3 organ. Prior to hearing this, I was unfamiliar with the band. They refer to themselves on their Bandcamp page as “A stupid punk rock band from Brazil.” They have definitely been added to my list of favorites.
- “Surf Goddess,” performed by The Randells: The Randells sound really shines through in this rendition of the song. Similar to the original, the song contains a finale bridge, however, The Randells add a special touch with chimes and background vocals that really bring the song to a momentous crescendo.
If you’re a longtime fan of The Queers, this album is a must-have for your collection. If you’re new to the band, this would be a nice introduction to their music and a great way to discover some of the best pop punk bands in the scene today.
Thanks for the great review!