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 | The VandalsHollywood Potato Chip2004 Kung Fu 
 Review by: pwfanatic See others by this writer The Vandals (link) Only registered users can post comments 
 
Published on July 2nd 2004
I have always loved “Live Fast, Diarrhea.” I probably listened to the album way too much. Actually, for a while, the Vandals were one of my favorite bands. “The Quickening” wasn’t too bad, “Hitler Bad, Vandals Good” was frighteningly catchy. Then “Look What I Almost Stepped In” came out and I just about cried. The Vandals senseless charm and robust energy had been lost in a bunch of pop-punk gibberish. “Internet Dating Superstuds” tried to take them in the right direction but only did so much. So for a band that I had once liked so much, I was truly surprised when I saw their new album “Hollywood Potato Chip.” Normally I stay up on top of new releases, but this one had slipped by my radar. Guess I really didn’t have high expectations for the release. People who liked this also liked:         ![Screeching Weasel - Wiggle / Anthem ... / How to Make Enemies ... [reissues]](/images/covers/thumb/screeching_weasel-reissues-2.jpg)  Please login or register to post comments. What are the benefits of having a Punknews.org account?
fuck you all, the album is good. >I saw the Vandals at the Warped Tour today, and Dave (the singer) >told the funniest joke of the day... The best Vandals Album ever!!! This album is great. The return-to-form I'd been waiting for since "Look What I Almost Stepped In..." I really like it. You have to listen to the music. It's pretty intricate. Unlike many of you, Hitler Bad Vandals Good is my favorite. The score is for the last track, "I'm Crushed." Brilliant. #10 is also great---I can't believe nobody's mentioned these.... I'm not going to say one of the previous posters was out right wrong.. but I'm looking at the cd insert for "Look What I Almost Stepped In" and I see Josh Freeze's picture and name on there along with the other 3... What do you base saying he didn't play on the album on? I'm not going to bother to defend this album as I learned a long time ago that the Vandals are an aquired taste. Everyone I've ever talked to thinks that they're either brilliant or terrible. But to the reviewer: How annoying it is to consistantly read punk reviews where the chief complaint is that a particular band no longer sounds like they did when you used to like them. Is it a bad thing to evolve? If you feel the bands evolution is a bad thing, why not explain why instead of ignorantly dismissing it? While i think the vandals are not the roots of punk either and kinda suck, my main beef is this statement. Bwahahwwhsahhwaaaaaa! The Vandals ceased to exist when Stevo left the band. Joe Escalante is a fucking lawyer for Christsakes. And the roots of Bad Religion lye in the Germs and the Dickies. I'll be damned if 90% of their new fans know such. The roots of punk dont lie in the chords on the Vandals guitars, buddy. i haven't heard all of this, but i've heard how they getcha and my special moment which are pretty good songs. It's funny, this site is called "Punknews," but it has a bunch of naysayers talking shit on one of the strong influences of "punk" these days. (Side note: there is no such thing as punk anymore) This score is for the new album. Not their best effort, but certainly not their worst. Most importantly, an enjoyable listen, and UNDENIABLY better than that flavor of the week bullshit known as screamo and metalcore and whatever other types of music you kids listen to that makes you think that the Vandals are horseshit. whats a douche fest? is it like lilith fair? "i enjoy modest mouse, the pixies, AND the vandals. im amazing." look everyong just keeps bitching about the vandals and nofx when these bands continue to make awesome music! i mean honestly if you think that their albums are crap you're friggin mistaken look at every mainstream crappy ass bands out there then look at the vandals who continue to influence punk after many years. There are so many bands that i'v loved and have soldout or just went down the friggin drain but not the vandals or nofx. you can always trust them to remain real and have fun with their music, not like some other bitchy bands who just complain in their emo music. You have to respect the vandals for being one of the greatest punk bands ever and after all these years they have right to play whatever the hell they want. i personally havent found an album i dont like of theirs except for slight dissapointment with superstuds. every bands have their high and low songs even the greats. i cant name one album from the vandals or nofx that dont have at least one great song on them if not more. i think everyone should all commend the vandals and nofx so stayin tru thru the years and playing music for people like us... not money so dont bitch and just support them like true punk fans its all they deserve for years of music for all of us look everyong just keeps bitching about the vandals and nofx when these bands continue to make awesome music! i mean honestly if you think that their albums are crap you're friggin mistaken look at every mainstream crappy ass bands out there then look at the vandals who continue to influence punk after many years. There are so many bands that i'v loved and have soldout or just went down the friggin drain but not the vandals or nofx. you can always trust them to remain real and have fun with their music, not like some other bitchy bands who just complain in their emo music. You have to respect the vandals for being one of the greatest punk bands ever and after all these years they have right to play whatever the hell they want. i personally havent found an album i dont like of theirs except for slight dissapointment with superstuds. every bands have their high and low songs even the greats. i cant name one album from the vandals or nofx that dont have at least one great song on them if not more. i think everyone should all commend the vandals and nofx so stayin tru thru the years and playing music for people like us... not money so dont bitch and just support them like true punk fans its all they deserve for years of music for all of us i enjoy modest mouse, the pixies, AND the vandals. im amazing. decent CD.....that's about it tho I can't believe the bashing this album has taken! truly it would seem that the reviewer listened to the wrong cd, this cd is the best they have put out since the Quickening in my humble opinion. However, with the exception of Internet Dating Superstuds, the Vandals are incapable of putting out a bad album. This cd is more classic vandals than their last three albums, with some of the most hardcore tracks they've ever recorded and some of the funniest lyrics. I am astounded that this album did not come out to rave reviews, i guess the lack of a string section and some ass hole whinging about something or other counted against them. However, to those peole with taste who reckon that the Vandals are the kings of what they do, BUY THIS CD IMMEDIATELY. For Those who don't, I'M BUILDING A BOMB, I AM, I'M BUILDING A BOMB. yea, the vandals are horrible. i dont care how punk they are or what some ignorant little 16 year old says, these guys are just bad songwriters. its punk, what can you say? not exactly the gerne known for its musicianship. I will forever respect these guys for writing "Anarchy Burger". This score is for that song. Right, I get it, now. 'Cause bands like Modest Mouse and Pixies write more than one chord sequence a decade, they can't be any good. More than three chords isn't punk enough. I see your logic. i'll summarize this album up: ok Even at their worst, The Vandals slay the shit out of those faggy bands like Yellowcard, Story of the Year, Taking Back Sunday, Coheed and Cambria and all that other shit that everyone on here seems to like. WOW! These guys should have stopped a long time ago. of course you know the vandals didn't even right the second song, its queen what happened is everyone now knows that modest mouse sucks, and the pixies, yes the vandals are not going to win any grammys but the pixies and postal service shit is fuckin weak my neck, my back is fucking funny, who would of though about making a song that talks about faking workmans comp. Plus it reminds me of the movie friday "Even if it doesn't, it's still better than Modest Mouse, Pixies, Coheed and Cambria, Postal Service, and that fucking Ferdinand fuck." im sure its not. well is "manimal" a germs cover or not? this guy wants to know and so do i. This was very dissapointing. After Internet Dating Superstuds I was expecting another great cd, boy was I wrong. One of the big problems with this cd is that Dave tries to change his voice so many different times and it doesn't come off good. score is for the cover art. how come no one's mentioned this?! The Vandals were one of the first bands I ever really got into. I bought When in Rome/Peace through Vandalism and Live Fast Diarrea in '94 and have loved the band ever since. I'll be the first to admit that I thought Look What I Stepped In is my favourite. But when Internet Dating Superstuds came out I listened to in the store and deemed it the only Vandals album I would not add to my collection. It was bad. Now this is out and it isn't much better. It would appear that these guys are on a downward spiral and becoming a sad parody of themselves. I think the Vandals are still a great band and still write some rad songs, I just wish they'd stop releasing average albums so frequently and take some time to write a full and solid album rather than this crap. It's like they're not even trying anymore. This CD is fucking awesome....I will have to check it out again tommorrow when im not so baked..but i think it will stand solid! My friend is a huge Vandals fan and has pretty much all of their albums...he told me this was one of their weakest releases and I'm inclined to agree - "Manimal" and "Christian vs Canadian" are pretty good, and "How They Getcha" is okay, but otherwise this is very disappointing stuff i was there too, thats shit was funnier than hell I saw the Vandals at the Warped Tour today, and Dave (the singer) told the funniest joke of the day... I love the Vandals, but their last two albums have sucked shit. This album is just horrible horrible stuff. So many of you only like stuff as long as it's "fast." Oh well. just saw them live yesterday, they really do have a great stage show. the album wasnt too bad, not half as bad as some of the crap being put out these days. Who's the little guy (bass or guitar) that always climbs up shit at shows? One year, he had these little shorts on and his nuts kept falling out....blech. A FANTASTIC live performance, does not mean that an album is good. Lots of bands put out shitty albums *like the vandals* and then make up for the shittiness in their stage show. So by using their live performance as a basis for your justifications of this albums perfection, you are being biased. Dont. my neck, my back is a great song. just saying They still put on a good live show, at least. Just bought this album today, so I haven't really formed an opinion yet... I wasn't expecting another "The Quickening" but even a bad Vandals album is better than any sort of emo, screamo, or metalcore nonsense. The Vandals are one of the few bands from my adolescence which I still thoroughly enjoy. this album has an energy that Internet Dating Superstuds was completely devoid of... One of the few existing punk bands I actually enjoy... "Who played on that one?" "Look what I almost stepped in was great it delivered some of the greatest songs like Behind the Music, if you want to talk about showcasing Josh's talent.. That's the song to do it. " "Who's the little guy (bass or guitar) that always climbs up shit at shows? One year, he had these little shorts on and his nuts kept falling out....blech." Who's the little guy (bass or guitar) that always climbs up shit at shows? One year, he had these little shorts on and his nuts kept falling out....blech. "Look what I almost stepped in was great it delivered some of the greatest songs like Behind the Music, if you want to talk about showcasing Josh's talent.. That's the song to do it. " I love The Vandals, (including their last few, unlike the Modest Mouse fans), but this is their worst. is the song "manimal" the germs song? "Has anyone else seen that episode of the X-Files with "Live Fast Diharrea" in it? What's the story?" gotta be a fucking tard to bitch about the new album on a scale with their other material. Has anyone else seen that episode of the X-Files with "Live Fast Diharrea" in it? What's the story? Just because it's an album from one of the main punk rock bands today actually not bitching about Bush doesn't make it suck. Makes it better if anything. A lot of people are moaning about this sucking and not being Vandals usual type. Fuck that, I think it's as good as other Vandals records and still funny, smart too. I like this album. You guys are a bunch of fuckin sheep. One guy gives his review and you all follow. I have been listening to the Vandals since 1989 and to me they are still one of the best fucking bands ever. A Vandals concert to me is one of the greatest things in history. They are all talented, Josh is the best drummer ever, Warren is a fucking guitar god and without Dave the band would no where near as successful as they are. And Joe? Well.. He was an orginal member. this band should have stopped awhile ago. the more i listen to this the more i like it. its not like the last 3 cds where songs are hit and miss, i think they all are pretty good and have non sensical, yet great lyrics. thats why it reminds me of the quickening, because warren literally wrote or co wrote every song but the queen one. i didnt expect to like this at all. Wow, "How they Getcha" is right out of the "Live Fast" days. They haven't written a song like this in years. I have the DVD of the Christmas album. They perform well, but the camera work leaves a bit to be desired. There's a lot of shots that are way too close for their own good. Overall, I'd say it's worth purchasing though, since I think you can get it for about $12 at deepdiscountdvd.com. I saw the Vandals at the Warped Tour today, and Dave (the singer) told the funniest joke of the day... After "Hitler Bad..." I stopped enjoying them! This record emits the familiar odor of mediocrity. I enjoy this album a lot, so fuck you all. I think you guys are being just a bit too harsh on it. At first I didn't think much of it either but after a few listens I thought it was at least a decent record. I think Hitler Bad Vandals Good' and 'Looked What I Almost Stepped In' are The Vandals at their peak. But after 'Internet Dating', I lost hope. I'm in the same boat as Scott on this one. He sent it to me to review and I put it on while I was checking my e-mails and such (You get a lot when you're away for a week). I had to stop it, it's bad, not even good noise in the back. You can always count on nofx and the vandals to churn out shitty albums, one after the other, every single year. Eff Why Eye: To gladimnotemo- This was totally slipped under the radar....no magazine advertisement, no pop-ups, e-cards...no nothing. That's never a good sign. Wow, the Vandals are still making records? Never knew. Ugh. I couldn't even sit all the way through this album once, it was so awful. Just as bad, if not worse than Superstuds. |
