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Let's Face It
by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Product Group: Music
Studio: Island / Mercury
ISBN: B000001ERG
EAN: 0731453447226
UPC: 731453447226
Audio CD
Original Release Date: 1997-03-11
Release Date: 1997-03-11
SKU: 101798
Condition: Very Good
Comments: 731453447226 CD in new sleeve & plays perfectly, inserts are fine; no jewel case. This title flies by 1st Class or Air in bubble wrap, cardboard and weather-resistant packaging; we are prompt, efficient, communicative.
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Editorial Reviews
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Amazon.com
Virtually an institution after a decade on the scene, Boston's finest ska band continues to deliver an extreme adrenaline rush on its fifth album, which was produced by Paul Kolderie and Sean Slade. The metal edge in the Bosstone's particular brand of skacore comes further to the forefront this time, while songs such as "Noise Brigade" and "Royal Oil" rank among the catchiest they've recorded. And Nate Albert continues to carve out a new role for the guitar in ska-influenced music. Jim Derogatis
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Customer Reviews
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This band was WAY better when they were young and hungry
Rating  (2)
Date: 2006-09-11
3 out of 4 customers found this reveiw helpful
I think it is very sad what happened to the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. They started off with the best intentions and sadly something fell apart in the machine. Their late fan-base of young kids and main-streamers is quite likely clueless (no pun intended) to the gem this band once was in their youth. For a few short moments, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones were a band synonomous with good times.
In the early to mid-90's those Taang! recordings and even the first major label full length disk were one of the most FUN little secrets in music. It was just... fun stuff. I repeat the word FUN because no other word seems to fit better. The Bosstones in the early days were wild. College radio loved them, great clubs like Trenton City Gardens and the Trocadero in Philly booked them practically monthly to sell out shows with lines around the block. They brought some great opening acts with them as well and EVERYBODY had an "I met Dicky Barrett" story. There was stage diving and crowd surfing and fresh set lists for multiple night gigs. You always left a mid 90's Bosstones show drenched in sweat and reeling from the adrenaline rush.
Then something serious rotted out in the foundation. I don't feel I am qualified to fairly explain why, but after the "Don't Know How to Party tour", this band took a monster nosedive. I recall MAJOR disappointment was the vibe on that yellow album, "Question the Answers?" or something. Musically this album is uneven, but a little better than the last. It is mainly recognized for it's "commercial" break-thru and the "hit" singles. The Bosstones hit it big with this album. "The Impression That I Get" becomes THE song... piling a layer of dirt on ALL the fine memories and material of the past. The live shows MUTATED for the worse too. The band seemed ROBOTIC. They played the SAME stuff over and over for years.
To quote (of all people) Apollo Creed , the Bosstones lost that "Eye of the Tiger" or something... This album is like that 5th Rocky movie in a way. It's all grown up, more worldly and wise. It tries to write mature songs with better chops and carry forward, but it can't compare with the fire of the early days of hard earned glory. Back when they were hungry this band was great.
If you want to climb up the Art Museum stairs, rock out to their Taang! records; they are classics. It is a shame this band did not age well.
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What happened?
Rating (2)
Date: 2006-04-14
1 out of 6 customers found this reveiw helpful
What the ... happened to these cats? They use to be so awesome. Remember their actually brilliant jamz like Toxic Toast and just about that whole Question The Answers album days. That's the MMB I once remembered. The packed ampetheater days at the warped tour with other awesome bands like Rancid, Sick Of It All,...etc. Those times rocked. I seen these guys 2 years ago and they didn't even have that energy that they once did. It was a pretty boring show unlike the first time I saw them. I think Dickey and the boys need to hang it up.
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Brilliant !
Rating  (5)
Date: 2006-04-13
1 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
Not just one of the greatest albums by the Bosstones, but one of the best albums I have (and I have many). Great fast-paced musicianship mixed with very intelligent lyrics. Moreover, many songs have a great moral, not mindless drivel. "Break So Easy" and "Numbered Days" immediatley jump to mind as just a few of the great songs on this CD. I can't imagine anybody not liking this album, or really not liking any of their albums. Great band!
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Bringing Ska into the 1990s
Rating  (3)
Date: 2005-12-18
9 out of 18 customers found this reveiw helpful
It was during the 1997 Baseball Playoffs when I discovered the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Fox Sports was promoting their coverage of the Baseball Playoffs and using the song "The Impression That I Get". The combination of lead vocalist Dicky Barnett with some intense guitars and horns seemed like the perfect song for promoting the playoffs. Little did I know, that the song "The Impression That I Get" had nothing to do with Baseball. This song was found on the album released by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones called "Let's Face It". From a commercial sales standpoint, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones may be considered for all practical purposes a "One Hit Wonder" with "The Impression That I Get" - however there definitely is a lot more to offer on "Let's Face It" than just the one song.
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones can be classified as Ska music. Ska was one offshoot of the Mod Revival that occurred in the 1980s. Ska is a mix of New-Wave and Punk that has a strong Brass influence. It is clear that "Let's Face It" has a strong Ska influence. Even the members of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones appear in on the album cover dressed in "Mod-like" suits over a White Background - something that is a common among Mod bands. By the time the music landscape hit the mid 1990s, it was Alternative Rock and more acoustic styled guitar-laden sounds that were dominating the music landscape. In a way, this also made the Mighty Mighty Bosstones a most unlikely hit in the 1990s. There won't be any slow or acoustic numbers here - all of the songs have a high tempo to them. One other point is that Mod Revival/Ska songs are often short in length. "Let's Face It" follows this model as well - this album contains 12 tracks and only one of those tracks is over 3:21 in length (that is "Another Drinkin Song"). Some may argue whether this album is a true representation of Ska, but I give the Bosstones a lot of credit for bringing Ska to the forefront in the 1997 music scene.
As mentioned, the one hit off of this album was "The Impression That I Get". As mentioned above, while this might have been a catchy song when it came to Baseball, it had nothing to do with Baseball. The general consensus is that this song really has to do with AIDS. The most obvious lines of this song are - "I'm not a coward, I've just never been tested; I'd like to think if I was I would pass" (referring to an AIDS test). Even the song's opening lines provide some references - "Have you ever been close to tragedy? Or been close to those who have?" (referring to either having to deal with AIDS or being around people who have had AIDS). What this song demonstrated to me is that not only is Dicky Barrett a good vocalist, but he is also one heck of a songwriter. Barrett isn't afraid to tackle serious subjects. In addition, this song is the perfect cross section of New-Wave/Punk meeting the Brass section.
The first five tracks on this collection are going to have the strongest horns influence. While the Brass Section will highlight many of the songs, there are songs that will a stronger Punk/New-Wave influence and the horns will play a secondary role. Songs such as "That Bug Bit Me", "Desensitized", and "1-2-8" are prime examples of this.
The Bosstones aren't afraid to tackle other subjects on this album. "Nevermind Me" is probably the album's second strongest strong - this isn't just a track about Drug use, but a song dealing with someone who is close to a drug addict ("He didn't hit me for a home; Or hit me up 'cause he was cold; He was addicted to drugs"). The song "Royal Oil" might on the surface seem like a commentary on Middle Eastern Oil, but it too is a song about Drug use ("Whether you smoke or poke the poison; You lose the chance to be tomorrow"). The title track, "Let's Face It" is a commentary against racism ("Be racist, be bigots, be sure; We won't stand for your hate?; "How far have we come?"). The song "Another Drinkin Song" is sung from someone trying to justify their actions for being an alcoholic ("What you call the disease, I call the remedy; What you're callin' the cause, I call the cure"). The song "Desensitized" deals with how we have become immune to those newsworthy items that at one time we would once abhor.
While this is a very good album, the one thing that might be a negative is that a lot of the songs do sound very much alike. Many of the songs are catchy and were able to capture my interest - however many of the songs failed to hold my interest for extended periods of time. I'm also not a fan of very short songs. While I do give the Bosstones credit for packing a lot of good music in a short period of time, perhaps if they used their Ska roots as base and explored some other musical directions, it could have extended the songs and at the same time created some more of the musicianship originality this album needs.
The liner notes contain of the lyrics to all of the songs. It is worth noting that there are some explicit words used in the lyrics. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are an eight piece band, and I think it would have been good to give musician credits to each of the members of the band. While this isn't the strongest album, I still think this was a bright spot on what I would consider a weak year in the music industry (1997). There is definitely more to check out than just the one hit on this album, so I would definitely say it is worth checking out.
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A happy island in a sea of grunge
Rating  (4)
Date: 2005-10-20
4 out of 4 customers found this reveiw helpful
I own very little ska, and this is the only Mighty Mighty Bosstones album I've ever bought, but I frequently find myself in the mood to hear this.
This is feel-good, be-happy, get-up-and-dance music. The lyrics are socially relevant and clever, the guitar and drums are good, and the horns are terrific. I challenge anyone to listen to "Noise Brigade," "The Rascal King," or "The Impression That I Get" and not jump out of their seat and dance.
My daughter's only three months old, but this is already her favorite CD--she gets happy and laughs whenever it comes on.
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