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Epitaph Records -- Millencolin

NOFX

Maximum Rocknroll
1992
Mystic

NOFX - Maximum Rocknroll (Cover Artwork)


Review by: ForwardToDeath
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Published on August 1st 2003

Many people like newer NOFX stuff. Some people prefer older NOFX stuff. A very small number of modern NOFX fans like their old stuff. Some people don't like older NOFX at all.

If you fit into the second category, as I do, you already have this. This "album" is basically a compilation of their self titled EP, the "So What if We're on Mystic!" EP, and some studio demos thrown into the mix.

The music is raw, fast, unrelenting mid-80s type punk rock that you either like or hate... If you've only heard "Punk in Drublic" era NOFX, and disregard it as too poppy, then you might want to try this out. The sound is more akin to the Circle Jerks than New Found Glory. No ska or pop-punk is to be found here, but the musicianship is not really all that bad... Not nearly as bad as NOFX would have you believe in their own history of the band. Fat Mike's vocals are at their least annoying, which is a definite plus in my book. Also, only two of the current line up of the band recorded this, those two being Fat Mike and Eric Melvin. You probably already know that, though.

Standouts are their cover of "Iron Man", "Bang Gang", and "Shitting Bricks".



People who liked this also liked:
Ten Foot Pole - RevNOFX - Punk In DrublicThe Suicide Machines - Destruction By DefinitionJawbreaker - 24 Hour Revenge TherapyBig D and the Kids Table - The Gipsy Hill EP [2]NOFX - Pump Up The ValuumStrike Anywhere - To Live in Discontent [12 inch]Brain Failure / Big D and the Kids Table - Beijing to Boston7 Seconds - Scream Real LoudDaggermouth - Turf Wars



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    Posted by ZAchAtTacK13420 on 2007-02-24 03:37:34
    My Score:

    Listening to this album really shows how talentless NOFX is...It borders on being outright pathetic. I enjoyed every second of this album for the sheer fact of reflecting upon how bad they were. They still are horrible, but that's besides the point. It's hard to listen to, yes. It's complete shit, yes. It's a great record, yes. That pretty much sums it up. I'd only recommend this album to people who hate NOFX, and to people into 80s hardcore. Ozzy fans will be offended, because their cover of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" is awful.

    Posted by cadavermine on 2007-02-04 01:59:25
    My Score:

    2 good things that came out in 1992

    1: this album

    2: ME

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, February 26, 2006 at 6:07 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    This is the only good NOFX album other than Liberal Animation. I seriously don't understand how such a unique and underrated Mystic band could become boring and poppy the way these guys have become, and I'm even more baffled by the fact that they're getting so much more popularity for watering down their music. What a fucking waste. Oh well. Highlights from this album are probably ID, Too Mixed Up, Bang Gang, Shitting Bricks and that instrumental track.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 20, 2004 at 11:59 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    i think ive grown to dislike NOfx. i refuse to debate why..probably the infestation of posers that surround and drown any drops of good music NOfx produce. that is if anything good comes of it. people who breath and live NOfx are being brain raped and deprived of other good punk bands.
    that is all. enough said for me.

    -tentacle

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 8, 2003 at 11:19 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    This is their best. Their newer CDs (PID and on) are poppy shit.

    Posted by lunk on 2003-08-08 04:45:39
    My Score:

    yes, this is hard to listen to at first, but for fuck's sake, so is most punk. get to know a few of the songs before sounding off like a drone. 'my friends' is a brilliant song, and there are quite a few other great songs on here. great in that it's simple, no messing punk. this is EXACTLY the kind of sound the band was trying to recapture with their seven inches 'fuck the kids' and 'surfer'. Rough, flawed, unfinished, poorly produced. only this is the real deal. this was the best they could do at the time with the funds and skill available, whereas the two recent seven inches are done in spite of the funds and skill available, with the same end result. one is real and one is phoney.

    so, in summary: if you like surfer, fuck the kids, or liberal animation, get this comp. and you won't be dissapointed. if you like nofx from s&m/ribbed onwards only, then don't...

    ...and if you think franco un american is the best nofx song ever you're fucking idiot.

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, August 7, 2003 at 1:51 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    This album has an interesting History. On the Soul Doubt tour in 1993, NOFX played in Philly at Barbary with Lagwagon, Horace Pinker, Sex Doggie, and 2.5 Children. They sold this record there. My friend bought one but I didn't have the cash. The next year (1994) I saw them on the Mons-tour and I asked Fat Mike why they weren't selling them. He acted like this album didn't exist - even though they themselves sold it the year before. This was impossible to find for a really long time. Now I'm seeing it all over the place again.

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, August 6, 2003 at 1:00 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    I like this better than Pump Up The Valuum. But in my opinion NOFX climaxed at Punk In Drublic and the Decline.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 5, 2003 at 9:39 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    If you live in Boston, this CD is (was) on the downstairs jukebox of that chooch bar The Poor House on Boyslston Street. I almost shit my pants when I saw that next to a Dave Matthews Cd.

    Jay
    www.fatcityrockers.com

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, August 4, 2003 at 2:21 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Eh, this is my least favorite NOFX release. It's not horribly bad, but when I bought it, I was hoping for more a Liberal Animation feel/sound to it. Now that is a damn fine album. It's got some good stuff on it though, Six Pack Girls is the best song on the album, and still a live staple to this day.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, August 4, 2003 at 1:40 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Actually this features three current nofx members - mike, and the two eriks - melvyn and sandin.

    It still sucks though.

    Posted by Manman on 2003-08-04 09:45:28
    My Score:

    Ack McCrap! What is this? Two alley cats trying to mate with a dented garbage can while wharf rats try to eat them would be a welcome change. I think if I lit my nuts on fire and mashed them into a bed of nails with a hammer it would be bliss compared to this.

    For once, and only once, I agree with Fat Mike here. This makes Linkin Park sound good. That may sound too cruel, but it is true. If you have not yet dished out some dough, don't. Buy a hamster or something instead. If you have wasted some cash, you have my condolences. Rckawplsh! The sound of its destruction is music to my ears.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, August 4, 2003 at 2:27 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    i cant believe the lack of respect for this album here. the musicianship is not the best but other than liberal animation this is possibly NoF-X at their best.

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, August 3, 2003 at 2:43 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    This is one of those records that you should only buy to complete a collection. That is the only reason is sits with all my other NOFX cds.

    Posted by Hulka on 2003-08-02 23:58:54
    My Score:

    Maximum R'n'R had nothing to do with the record, curiously enough, but they didn't have deep enough pockets to sue Mystic Records for putting their name on it. Fat Mike did, though, and is now collecting royalties for this horrible piece of shit.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, August 2, 2003 at 10:47 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    wow, i love nofx , but this is just horrible,a nd they agree. they didnt even sanction the release of this, its just maximum cashing in on them after they got 'big'. this album is amusing at best.go buy punk in drublic.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, August 2, 2003 at 10:31 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Hmmm... A review that describes the album fairly well in very little space... Well, even though I don't really like NOFX, I have to give a hand to this reviewer.

    -BSD

    Posted by evildeadalive on 2003-08-02 18:16:30
    My Score:

    Best song on here is definitely 'Beer Bong', or maybe that one about cops and donuts, that shit's pretty funny...

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, August 2, 2003 at 8:59 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    It is stated on the official nofx web, that fat mike didnt know about this record till he saw it in a shop, and the stuff on it is SHIT. and those of you who buy it are getting your ears and wallets raped by mystic.

    thats not the official comment, the quote is actually:
    This was never supposed to be a record. NOFX got popular in the mid 90's so mystic records took both seven inchers and put them out on a cd with a bunch of demo songs. It's a totally sucky record and the artwork totally bites. We had no control over any of it. In fact we didn't know it was coming out until I saw one in a store. If you want to hear a totally crappy fucked album then this is the one for you. Don't say I didn't warn you.

    Posted by againstallauthority on 2003-08-02 07:15:21
    My Score:

    NOFX old stuff is fuckin great. This album is not the best nofx stuff, but if you only heard punk in drublic or hefe´s era you must listen liberal animation and ribbed,the best album of the pre-hefe era.
    NOFX new stuff is great, real punkrock, very poltitical and thats really good. But look Franco Un-American. Lyrics are really good, lyrics against bush and american conformism,but the song is too poppy, so listen old NOFX.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, August 2, 2003 at 3:18 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    It's very hard to listen to an entire Nofx album like this because Mike's lyrics are sung so poorly, so nasaly and just plain irritating. Liberal Animations isn't much better either. If you wanna check out early Nofx start with Ribbed, or maybe the good half of S&M.

    -bemused-

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, August 2, 2003 at 3:07 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    There is a band that thinks their every release is the greatest thing since high capacity magazines. That band is Oasis.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, August 2, 2003 at 2:53 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    This CD is ultra-average. It sounds akin to the Circle Jerks, but you'd be better off just listening to the Circle Jerks. Don't drink Smirnoff when you've got Grey Goose. Also, asking bands to give a good/bad rating to their own stuff is puting them in a tough spot. I know I hate to think I'm blowing smoke up my own ass, so I'll always say my band sucks, or at most "yeah people say we're allright". But if you say "yeah man we're fucking great and everything we've done is awesome" you seem like a cocky prick. It's quite possible Fat Mike does hate this record, but in the end, who cares? Make your own damn decision and don't worry if the band thinks its any good or not.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, August 2, 2003 at 2:48 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    franco unamerican is not the 'best song', first comment person. Oh no.its like a political nusery rhyme.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, August 2, 2003 at 2:24 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Yeah... all you bitches should listen to Redline! They play good music. That is something that this band is still trying to do.

    Posted by TheOneTrueBill on 2003-08-02 01:52:50
    My Score:

    Eh. that's all i have to say

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, August 2, 2003 at 12:47 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    people in bands dont know shit about their music.......dude your pathetic

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, August 1, 2003 at 9:00 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    I hate my band's demo. Other people like it. Actually, everyone who is in the band hates it(except the new people, only because we haven't let them listen to it) and we've been told that it's really good. My point is that people in bands don't know shit about thier music.

    Posted by Mikeshitter on 2003-08-01 19:59:41
    My Score:

    Doesn't Fat Mike himself hate this record and wishes it never got released?

    I've only heard it once myself, and that was enough for me.

    Posted by funkisdead on 2003-08-01 19:29:20
    My Score:

    man, this record sucked my dick. sure, older nofx can be cool, but this is just shit.

    Posted by shindo on 2003-08-01 19:20:25
    My Score:

    "Many people like newer NOFX stuff. Some people prefer older NOFX stuff. A very small number of modern NOFX fans like their old stuff. Some people don't like older NOFX at all."

    So... you're saying that some people like NOFX, and some people don't. woah.

    Posted by TahoeJeff on 2003-08-01 18:38:58
    My Score:

    Its hard for me to sit down and listen to this album in one sitting. It has a few good songs, but the main reason I like listening to this is just to hear the progression from the old to the new...Nofx are fucking great

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, August 1, 2003 at 6:15 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    this is a bad album, no bones about it

    Posted by iwantconflict on 2003-08-01 18:06:59
    My Score:

    Nofx is the best band in the scene.... FUCH BUSH

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, August 1, 2003 at 6:04 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Franco unamerican is the ebst song ever