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The Mr. T Experience

Revenge Is Sweet and So Are You (1997)
Lookout Records

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Contributed by: KirbyPuckett
(others by this writer | submit your own)

Published on June 13th 2003

”She slices, dices, and more. She can handle any household chore, and I love the feel of her stainless steel when we’re rolling around on the floor.” - Mr. T Experience

New Found Glory, Ataris, and Mest bust out your pen and notepad, cause you’re about to be schooled.

Attention class, welcome to the new semester here at Punk Rock College. It’s a brand new year and you all look very excited to be here. I noticed you all passed Punk Rock 101 and 201 last semester; as you all have the “Emo” look down pat, very original! Well let’s cut to the chase – My name is Dr. Frank and I will be your professor for “How to Write a Punk Rock Album About Girls” this term. I have an extensive background, which includes a Ph. D. at the University of California in Berkley and several classic albums under my belt. This class will not be long and enduring, in fact this class is only two sessions long, a 40-minute lecture and then a final exam.

Ok, class. If you would please turn your books “Revenge is Sweet and so are You” to page five, we will begin. This chapter is titled “Here She Comes” and we will dissect this pop-punk gem. It begins with a nice little drum kick then followed by the rest of the instruments that pull of that Ramones-ish touch oh so very well. Then soft yet powerful voice kicks in so romantically with “She’s so hot and I love her a lot. She’s got everything I haven’t got like savoir faire, and joie de vivre, and je ne sais quote like you wouldn’t believe.” This is a class about learning the systematic procedure to writing a Punk album about chicks and it doesn’t get much better than this song!

Chapter Two kicks off with some crunchy guitar action and continues with the tales of a romance that would make any girl shiver if you whispered them in her ears. I’m gonna shave off my beard. And I’ll try not to act to weird. Then I’m gonna kiss her tenderly, so don’t ask her if she’s free.” Shakespeare only wishes he had the God given talent that the Mr. T Experience Starship illustrates.

In the art of song writing about love, passion is often replaced with despise and your modern day Emo prodigy dreams of the day he could write a song like “Love is Dead.” ” Emotional vertigo was never supposed to happen this time…” A true tearjerker if one was ever written.

I pick up my lecture at Chapter Nine. Every novel has that certain point where the plot is really defined and the story begins to unfold. This is usually the point where you can tell whether the text was a worthy read or not; “Swiss-Army Girlfriend” does just that. It’s an appraisal of love that one could actually fall in love with the author just by reading the words to this fast paced straightforward song. Joel and Jym showcase their musical talents so well that it shows up those of their contemporaries The Queers, Green Day, and Screeching Weasel. Just listen to that guitar solo near the end and the constant uproar of the drum set. However, this class is more about the love than it is the rock and that’s where this tune destroys any Punk Rock love song ever! ”She’s my Swiss-Army girlfriend. She’s in my dresser drawer and I’m all hers and we’ve got a universe to explore.” The words are delivered in a tone so poised and compelling and are shadowed by “oooo ooohs.” Do I have to draw a diagram? When I’m out of luck or in a jam she can get me hot and out of tight spots and she’s ready whenever I am.” That is just another example of the sweet sensitive libretto that the MTX is capable of gracing our ear drums with.

I will be skipping over several chapters for time constraint reasons, however I urge you to read them on your own as their will be a final exam on all of the material so amorously written in this masterpiece. Not often is it possible for a record to be so good by simply just reading the lyrics and it glorifies it’s self when the music is of Pop-Punk mastery. Now the part that has your hearts pumping more than even lines like “Let me tell you honey how it’s gonna be. You’re gonna sit around all night and watch tv: American Ninja II and I will be with you.” The Final Exam. Your task is not a difficult one, simply just never EVER pollute the airwaves with garbage love songs without first consulting this album. The world is filled with Pop-Punk mediocrity and those bands would just take some time out of their lives to sit down and read this 16 Chapter classic the used record bin wouldn’t be collecting so much dust.

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Godfather (October 1, 2005)

good ol' catchy pop punk

Anonymous (June 17, 2003)

this album is so much fucking better than anything on drive thru

relay1112 (June 16, 2003)

apparently Insincere Dave forgot to sign that one.

Anonymous (June 16, 2003)

The most original review i`ve ever read on this site.

Anonymous (June 15, 2003)

Christ, people, it's Berkeley, not "Berkley"

Anonymous (June 15, 2003)

These guys are HUGELY underrated and believe it or not I actually got into them after seeing their video on MTV...man was that video classic (the one where they animated themselves into Scooby-Doo)

Anonymous (June 15, 2003)

i thought the ass-kissing towards the lyrics was sarcastic. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN

evildeadalive (June 15, 2003)

They're great live too. "This is a song about a girl." Go to one of their shows and drink everytime they say it...

Anonymous (June 15, 2003)

that review was lame.

Fuzzy (June 14, 2003)

I am not going to knock these guys here, but I have to say I just don't enjoy them very much. I bought the "...and the Women Who Love Them, Special Addition" CD this past year, and was really underwhelmed. Then again, I'm not a huge fan of pop-punk, so I'll take everyone's word for it, unless I got the wrong album.

Anonymous (June 14, 2003)

I love MTx. And I pray that Dr. Frank continues to make music forever. This is by fat the best review I have ever read on this site. Hopefully this will reach a few non-fans, because MTx is in my opinion the most underrated band in the world. Sure, their first few albums are flat out bad (I bought Big Black Bugs, oh my god, horrible) but the stride they hit the past decade is unmatched. I want to ask you guys, why isn't MTx a huge hit? They're the only real "pop-punk" band in my opinion, and I think the label bogs them down to the level of the other bands named in the review. They have also spent their best years on a tiny label in the shadow of Operation Ivy and Green Day.

I guess it takes a certain balance of playfulness and cynicism to truly appreciate this band. MTx should be the Simpsons, but they'll always be a Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Anonymous (June 14, 2003)

I dunno, that depends. I write cd reviews for a website (www.digital-savior.com, if anyones interested) and the bad reviews came alot easier than the cd's i really liked.. i think it depends on the band.. cause when i loathe a cd i can just keep on rambling about why.

Love,
Ryan

www.emoisdead.net

Jon_the_Skafather (June 14, 2003)

"Awesome review. However, "Love is Dead" would have been a better textbook"

quoted.

ps, great job on the review of an amazing band.....but it's easy to review something you like. :P

Anonymous (June 13, 2003)

Dr. Frank doesn't have a PhD, but his new "Eight Little Songs" is excellent. He bounces back in fine fashion after that last EP ("Stephanies, Stephanies, Stephanies...").

Anonymous (June 13, 2003)

Damn straight - great themed review of one of my favourite albums. I personally think Love Is Dead is the better of these 2 great back to back albums, but not by much - and it may be because LID was the first CD I bought by them. Dr. Frank has a gift for quirky, clever lyrics. "The search for love and happiness/turns out to be a game of chess/you can't move or-you'll flip the board/and you're lyin' in pieces on the floor", from "I'm Like Yeah and She's All No" are some of my favourite lines ever written. Bravo MTX!
-ATDI

lieutenant (June 13, 2003)

God, I love this band so, so much. Lookout! Records pop punk ruled the direction of my life growing up, and I am forever in debt for the perfect soundtrack to those awkward ages. I really am glad to have had bands like MTX to dance around to in my bedroom, as opposed to the 'poetry' of a lot of bands today.

Anonymous (June 13, 2003)

Hey Scott, will you make my band famous?

Ryan
www.emoisdead.net

maverick (June 13, 2003)

I love this album so much. By far the best MTX album I own.

-Scott

Bryne (June 13, 2003)

I love this band.

Anonymous (June 13, 2003)

I agree totally, MTX is one of my favorite bands ever and as far as pop punk goes pulls it off almost better than anyone.. espeically in this epriod of albums (our bodies ourselves, love is dead, and the women who love them, revenge is sweet..), classic album

Ryan
www.emoisdead.net

Anonymous (June 13, 2003)

Awesome review. However, "Love is Dead" would have been a better textbook.