Are the Vocals on the new "best of" first cd and skacoustic cd the same?

Most of the stuff is the same on the 2nd cd.

If you think the album art is horrible, you should hear the whole album!

HAHHAHAHAHAHA! It just keeps getting funnier!

seriously, though, yes the vocals are the same. This album was created so RBF could get some more money. They are an independent band of 6 people. They do not have major label backing. They operate in a business that expects a band to have that kind of backing (find any essay by a mid-card band with the guts to speak out. as a result RBF are touring ALL THE TIME. even back when they were on a label, Aaron was a slow writer, only writing when the label wanted him to honor his contract or when he thought his band was gonna flop and he needed a record fast (FOE). the album was recorded so RBF could have licensing ownership over their most sought after songs. and was recorded over a few days in between gigs.

Unfortunately, that's what it takes to be indie these days. your ability to output is slowed (and when you're already a slow writer, shit gets real) Now, did RBF [i]have[/i] to release this record? no… Do you [i]have[/i] to buy it? no… Many fans are enjoying this record, because we're the types who can enjoy something for what it is before comparing it to something else. As a fan, I'd rather have a decent, interesting release to help support the band than nothing.

Well said, Sonic Libido.

Album art is crappy (although I do appreciate the back cover) and is all pictures from their MySpace, but I do like the album for the most part. I'm even able to tolerate some of the songs I didn't like before (Sell Out as one of the biggest examples).

Skacoustic is decent. I like the songs better when they didn't appear on the Best Of, though skacoustic Take on Me is fantastic.

[quote1286931749=sweetdudejim]
[quote1286930237=Sonic Libido]
HAHHAHAHAHAHA! It just keeps getting funnier!

seriously, though, yes the vocals are the same. This album was created so RBF could get some more money. They are an independent band of 6 people. They do not have major label backing. They operate in a business that expects a band to have that kind of backing (find any essay by a mid-card band with the guts to speak out. as a result RBF are touring ALL THE TIME. even back when they were on a label, Aaron was a slow writer, only writing when the label wanted him to honor his contract or when he thought his band was gonna flop and he needed a record fast (FOE). the album was recorded so RBF could have licensing ownership over their most sought after songs. and was recorded over a few days in between gigs.

Unfortunately, that's what it takes to be indie these days. your ability to output is slowed (and when you're already a slow writer, shit gets real) Now, did RBF [i]have[/i] to release this record? no… Do you [i]have[/i] to buy it? no… Many fans are enjoying this record, because we're the types who can enjoy something for what it is before comparing it to something else. As a fan, I'd rather have a decent, interesting release to help support the band than nothing.
[/quote1286930237]

See, it does not take re-recording your hit material to be "indie" these days. This is called milking your fans for shit they already have. If he cant write that quick, then put out an EP of the songs that he has already written, but not recorded yet. Or re-record the remaining stuff from [i]Everything Sucks[/i] that they haven't already done.

Shit, if they are gonna re-record stuff, why not re-record stuff most fans don't know, so we'd know them better, like "Doo-Doo" or "Average Man" (oh yeah, thats a Scott written one, and Mr. Barrett wants to be the center of attention these days).

The facts are is if the band doesn't wanna do new material, just put out covers albums, live albums, and rarities albums. But don't insult us with re-recordings of the songs we hold dear. It's embarassing. And its a rip-off possibly to someone who doesn't know better and buys the album.

[/quote1286931749]

A) They already recorded songs he wrote but hadn't recorded yet. It was Monkeys, so that's what happens when you do that.
B) Reading the liner notes gives understand to the tracklist.

[quote1286932990=sweetdudejim]
See, it does not take re-recording your hit material to be "indie" these days.
[/quote1286932990]

But it does take re-recording you hits to take control of your songs for licensing purposes, dude. As the wind has said, the Liner notes explain the album quite well.

Really I hate the album art.
IT'S TOO GREEN! and to me, not very ska like.
But I do like the Zombie RBF.

But the back of the CD case makes it look like a Bad bootleg record.
Kind of bad.

[quote1286934614=GodKill123]
Really I hate the album art.
IT'S TOO GREEN! and to me, not very ska like.
But I do like the Zombie RBF.

But the back of the CD case makes it look like a Bad bootleg record.
Kind of bad.
[/quote1286934614]

The casing in general is kinda crappy, but it's a really cheap album, so what do you expect? It's probably just fundraising for their next album.

They haven't had a real full album since 2005…

Is any one forgetting……………

Monkeys For Nothing And Chimps For Free 😀

I know the casing is bad. There was a crack on first day I got it. This isn't like they're a super indie band where they want to make everything cheap. But still, you couldn't used better casing.

Green Is ugly for ska.
I vote we never use it again

The back of the CD is actually my favorite part. Old school Aaron.

I like that picture indeed.
But the quality and the look of it is bad.
Comparing it to the front, I felt they shouldn't done that.

They Re-recorded these songs because they wanted to. In a interview, Dan(?) has said that they recorded these songs during short breaks between live shows and such.

"No matter what version or recording you like, be it theses newly recorded ones, acoustic versions, or the old school tracks [that unfortunately are owned our ex-label, we have no rights to them]"

Aaron also stated in interviews that the recordings were done so that when movies, TV shows, Video Games and such come looking for RBF songs, they can get them from RBF and the label will not retain all or most of the cash from the licensing or have any say in whether or not they're allowed to be used (fully understanding this might require further reading on the subject of music licensing, for those confused)

It was from there that the band decided to release some of the records for those fans that want to hear it (Me, others) with an extra CD of interesting acoustic arrangements for $8… eight dollars, guys. Nobody's forcing you to buy it, but even if they were, It's eight fucking dollars, guys, C'mon.

Now if you don't like the album, that's cool, it wasn't really put out for you. it was put out for old fans who were interested in the prospect enough to lay out $8, as well as new fans who needed a starting point but were apprehensive to buy a live album, since with most bands, live albums suck.

But really, guys, the re-records were done for licensing purposes and released for cheap to those of us who wanted to hear them. What the fuck are you bitching about? (okay, the cover art is lousy).

[quote1287001700=Sonic Libido]
"No matter what version or recording you like, be it theses newly recorded ones, acoustic versions, or the old school tracks [that unfortunately are owned our ex-label, we have no rights to them]"

Aaron also stated in interviews that the recordings were done so that when movies, TV shows, Video Games and such come looking for RBF songs, they can get them from RBF and the label will not retain all or most of the cash from the licensing or have any say in whether or not they're allowed to be used (fully understanding this might require further reading on the subject of music licensing, for those confused)

It was from there that the band decided to release some of the records for those fans that want to hear it (Me, others) with an extra CD of interesting acoustic arrangements for $8… eight dollars, guys. Nobody's forcing you to buy it, but even if they were, It's eight fucking dollars, guys, C'mon.

Now if you don't like the album, that's cool, it wasn't really put out for you. it was put out for old fans who were interested in the prospect enough to lay out $8, as well as new fans who needed a starting point but were apprehensive to buy a live album, since with most bands, live albums suck.

But really, guys, the re-records were done for licensing purposes and released for cheap to those of us who wanted to hear them. What the fuck are you bitching about? (okay, the cover art is lousy).
[/quote1287001700]
I don't think anyone is bitching about it.
I think the problem is that we still have the bad taste of FFF that we something new. Just them re-release there songs just pisses us off. We want something new. The Cover art is really stupid we all know that. But hey, what can you put for a greatest hit album?

Them being an independent band doesn't give them an excuse for the lack of effort in these albums. I know plenty of bands that have recorded amazing albums without the support of and label or anything like that. They are just being cheap and lazy.

As for licensing purposes these songs aren't good enough to be in a movie. If I was in charge of finding music to include in a movie and I wanted to use the song "Suckers", I sure as hell wouldn't chose the new version over the Cheer Up! version. Movie studios and everyone else that license music care about quality and they don't care who gets the money.

RBF are a world famous band and they need to record professional albums in a professional studio with someone helping produce the album. RBF are one of the biggest ska bands out there right now, but they are doing stuff that high school garage bands would do. They just aren't living up to their reputation anymore.

[quote1287023125=CannonBall]
Them being an independent band doesn't give them an excuse for the lack of effort in these albums. I know plenty of bands that have recorded amazing albums without the support of and label or anything like that. They are just being cheap and lazy.[/quote1287023125]

They probably don't have that much money, you know. Consider the fact that they're a band with six members and being a popular [i]ska[/i] band doesn't really mean much.

Ok. How about this…

Wait till Java or Mojo or who ever owns the old records bankrupt and then someone to re-issued the old albums.

But that would never happen…

[quote1287034586=El]
[quote1287023125=CannonBall]
Them being an independent band doesn't give them an excuse for the lack of effort in these albums. I know plenty of bands that have recorded amazing albums without the support of and label or anything like that. They are just being cheap and lazy.[/quote1287023125]

They probably don't have that much money, you know. Consider the fact that they're a band with six members and being a popular [i]ska[/i] band doesn't really mean much.
[/quote1287034586]

You don't need to spend that much money to record a good album. $10,000 can get you a damn good album in 2010. My friends band spent $50,000 recording an album before they signed to a small label. When you're on your own you don't have to sall as many records to make your money back, sell 5,000 CD's make $50,000, they can sell 5,000 CD's can't they?

Obviously what I just said is an oversimplification of the whole process, but they are a well established band with a large fan base so their albums will always make their money back, it's just a matter of how long it will take… and maybe that's the problem…

…It all just comes down to what their goals are at this point in their career. Like I said, they have a huge fan base, and most of the kids who enjoy their music don't really care about the quality of the songs or the quality of the albums, they just don't want to listen to emo… so… if the quality of the album won't really effect how much money they make off of it, why waste money trying to make something that will never be perfect by Aarons standards anyway? They are just at a point right now where it's easier to just put out fun easy albums that make them some extra money and keep the young fans happy.

RBF didn't turn into an emo band like all the other ska bands, they just reverted back into a garage band without the hopes and dreams of becoming famous rock stars.

You're really good at pretending the inventions of your imagination are facts. You fill an argument full of assumptions and treat it like you can cite every source.

You assume you know what the majority of RBF's fans are like, yet you post no market research. You claim to know RBF's career goals, and yet, you've done little to prove where you acquired this knowledge. You claim to know what RBF [i]should[/i] be doing better than RBF do, and yet, and correct me if I'm wrong, you have nowhere near the music or music business experience that RBF have. To think you know better than any product that has made more headway, in any business, than you have is so presumptuous that, at first glance, it appears to be a joke.

Now, I've brought this up before (at this point, it's a broken record fight). Every single time it's come up you go back to your main argument that if RBF hired a producer, the next record would be fantastic. Once again, [i]no proof[/i]. sure, you could cite the previous records… but that seems a little bit of a stretch. RBF in '10 are a different band than RBF in '96, '98, '02 and '04. RBF in '96 shares it's name and three members with RBF in '10. everything else has changed, the outlook of the band on every facet of the industry, and life in general. could not be more different. Hell, it's not even the same industry anymore.

Perhaps you're looking at the wrong issue… producer or no producer, the reason why RBF '10 sounds different than RBF '96 is because they are a different band. if you're waiting for "Why Do They Rock So Hard 2" (or for that matter, an album that is similar to any previous RBF outing), then you truly should give up on RBF… because that band already left the building. asking RBF '10 to be RBF '96 is like asking Hepcat to be Operation Ivy. even if you're just asking for "The same creativity" you believe you saw ain any previous album, you really have no proof that RBF '10 is capable of matching that.

Stop expecting bands to be other bands. Enjoy the music for what it is, or don't. You will never be pleased with any record if all you do is compare it to your favorites.

Reel Big Fish or not. They're still a band. Being in a band would change you. You can't just ask them to be the old band like they used too. That's like saying Paul McCartney should make music like he did when he was in the Beatles. It's not happening. It will never happen again.

I Like RBF as the way it is. Aarron, Scott, and Dan are happy with what they're doing. It's up to them if they want to end the band soon or something. It's up to them if they want to keep doing this untill they're 60. It's Up to them if they want to quit. IT'S UP TO THEM!

Like Aaron has said, the music industry changes people. Aaron now has a different view on it and is now more careful with it. He can do what ever he wants with his damn band when ever the hell he wants.

[quote1287063700=GodKill123]
Like Aaron has said, the music industry changes people. Aaron now has a different view on it and is now more careful with it. He can do what ever he wants with his damn band when ever the hell he wants.
[/quote1287063700]

This is my big issue: it's not[i] Aaron's band[/i]. Well, it is, but it shouldn't be. There are six people in the band, three of whom have been in the band since their first major studio album.

I'm not asking them to be the same band they were on the other albums and my problem is not that they sound different now. My problem is the quality of what they are putting out. True, the band has changed a lot, but that doesn't mean that they have to put out albums that are poorly put together. And so what if the band has changed a lot, Aaron is still in the band and he has always been the main song writer. This is a very talented group of musicians who get a long really well so it shouldn't matter that the band has completely different members now, Aaron still writes the songs. FOE was only Aaron and they wrote some good songs.

To me it just seems like they've become a novelty band that puts out novelty music with novelty album covers. They are a band that has written some amazingly good songs in the past and I know they can do it again.

I think your complaint stems from the fact that RBF haven't released a real album since 2005, 2007 if you count Monkeys as a complete album.

Mine stems from the fact that only 12 "new" original songs have been released since 2005. Like, where are they even at?

[quote1287098276=El]
I think your complaint stems from the fact that RBF haven't released a real album since 2005, 2007 if you count Monkeys as a complete album.
[/quote1287098276]

It's not even that, I would have loved a great cover album full of cover songs like they used to do back in the day of all different styles of music, but they put out FFF where all the songs sound the same. This is coming from the same band that plays SR like a million different ways.

My problem is with the quality of their work. There are sour notes in "suckers" on the new album! How could anyone be okay with that? Everything is just so bland and lackluster. There is no energy and no drive in the songs. They just aren't well produced albums.

The sour notes in Suckers kills me.

Some of the stuff is pretty good, though. Dunno…it really shows how much production and processing went into the original songs, though.

They really should have done:

Somebody Loved Me
Brand New Hero
Down in Flames
We Care
Jokes on Me
Say Goodbye
Skatanic
All I Want Is More
I'll Never Be
Join the Club

Heh….I was just listening to the ES version of I'm Cool. You know they did that version here for their encore back in 97? I didn't recognize the song until halfway through because I'd only heard it as a secret track and had never heard the full song.