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 | NOFXThe Greatest Songs Ever Written (By Us)2004 Epitaph 
 Review by: Aubin See others by this writer ![[staff]](/images/icons/staffsticker.gif){kind=icon}
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Published on November 9th 2004
It's a real shame that discussion of NOFX's nearly two decade recorded history has often been reduced to a referendum on Mike's Punk Voter project.
And despite the fact that I have and will continue to defend Mike's right to speak his mind as well as his laudable effort in mobilizing many bands and music
fans towards a lofty and sadly unattained goal - I guess he didn't hate Bush as much as the south hated gays and economics - NOFX predates Punk Voter by more years than many punk fans have been alive. So, while it might be a bit premature delivering a postmortem release for a band that is still breathing and touring, this greatest hits compilation may serve to remind people of why NOFX is a singular band deserving of far more than just a footnote in punk rock history.
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jaundiced eye is sooo much better than day to daze or w/e perfect government wasnt on this album cos they didnt write it hence greatest songs writen by us i think it was written by mark curry anywho correct me if im wrong is it just me or is Jaundiced Eye a kick ass song. Good album. But nothing can beat Liberal Animation or S&M Airlines. Dave's guitar playing was truly unique (and crazy) along with rocker steve. NOFX has seemed to lost their agression and overall kick ass punk rock like they used to. But still, dont get me wrong, NOFX is still a hella good band and they HAVE NOT sold out yet. I've seen selling out, they havent done it yet. maybe the songs don't flow into each other (maybe they do), but they are placed in a good order, so that you can listen to the whole thing in order. "though thankfully omits their forgettably half-baked Liberal Animation." No shit dickhead they only have 22 years and 13 albums worth of songs to choose from!!!! This greatest hits album deserves 10 or 1. Ten because NOFX are genial and 1 because they should not have that kind of album. But my rating is 8 because i don't see Scavenger type, the brews, soul doubt, lori meyers, please play this song, theme from a NOFX album etc. If this shit aint punk rock enlighten us oh so punk guy! "liberal animation is one of their best albums, if you don't think it deserves a spot on this you don't know punk rock" Abortion makes my cock hard... is it me or is "Moron Bros." and "You Drink..." not on the so-called "Best Of" cd? if i'm wrong, someone tell me, cuz if i ain't, that's fuckin' crazy! I can't agree with the songs they picked. They'd know more than anyone, I guess, but my list would look like this: its a little too emo for me $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ remember when "so long and thanks…" was supposed to be their last album? Oh man at the time that sucked. That was in my pre-internet days, so a few years later when I walked by the NoFX section at my local disc shop and saw "the decline" I was like "what the fuck is this?" Then I bought it, put it in and it blew my mind, pieces of which have still not been recovered. liberal animation is one of their best albums, if you don't think it deserves a spot on this you don't know punk rock harsh, dam mad are you dam mad .. deep person under me are you a person under me.. ok that didnt make sense but this band blows Yeah, I know this is a punk site, not a political site, but Ive been thinking ever since Dubya got elected in office about the hypocracy of some of their policies. For instance, Republicans and the religious right are vehemently pro life, but at the same time, they hate welfare and things like that that help the lower class and impoverished. But the weird thing is that many people who do get abortions are lower class and unfit financially and mentally for a child. So essentially what theyre saying is that if you get pregnant, youre screwed, essentially widening the already massive gap between the haves and have nots. Also, alot of those who vote Dubya are middle class white people who dont want their hard earned money going to poor black people. However, they fail to realize that 1% of this population has more money than the other 99. Theyre focusing entirely on the wrong issue. They are told to see themselves as the haves while they are actually the have nots. But you gotta give credit to the Republicans and the "patriotic" angle theyve taken. Theyve essentially blinded the American public in a cloud of red, white, and blue. i dont think abortion is right but i'm pro choice because i dont believe I can make that decision for someone else. and i deffinately agree if the mother could die from it than thats another story. anyways this cd is pretty good but if you have all the cds already its pointless. mostly for mall punks who just heard about nofx and think they'll look cool by having one of their cds; even though its the fuckin greatest hits. Dam Mad has a point, my sister had to have a abortion because her birth canal was fucked up or something among those lines I'm not exactly sure but I am sure that if she couldn't have had the abortion and would have had to give birth she would have died in the delivery room so don't say he didn't make sense because these types of situations sometimes can't be avoided and if the religious right denies people the ability to make decisions among those lines then there is a problem. If I was raped and got pregnant there is no way in hell I would deliver the child and if abortion was illegal I would do it myself which will be happening alot if they over turn Roe vs. Wade so think before you say something doesn't make sense just because you don't agree with it. How in the hell does it not make sense you dumb fuck!? If a pregnant lady is killed and they count it as two murders then that means that the unborn child is viewed as a living breathing human being. If that happens then bye bye abortion. There is absolutely no sarcasm there mutherfucker I hope your mom or sister gets raped and has to have the child because abortion is illegal then come and tell me that made no sense whatsoever when your little brother is the seed of a evil fucking rapist and your mom or sister is reminded on a daily basis that she was robbed of her dignity and violated in the most despicable of ways. If that shit sounds a ok with you then you are a better and much more tolerant person than me. i'm assuming that was meant to be sarcasm, because it didn't make any sense whatsoever. Score is for the verdict on scott peterson. They found him guilty of 1st degree murder for killing his wife which is more than fine. But he also was found guilty for 2nd degree murder on his unborn child which is totally fucked up because that is going to be the reference point for getting abortion illegal saying it is murder. I'm telling you a womans right to choose is going to be gone. If she gets raped and becomes pregnant to fucking bad. If having the child would mean possible or sure death to the mother sorry bitch you have to die because that is jesus' will and our government is run on religion lady not religious freedoms or free will. I hope all of you bastards who voted for bush have a daughter or mother or sister or cousin or aunt or loved one period who has to carry a unwanted child full term and deliver a heathen child that sprouted from the seed of a serial rapist and goes on to kill you when you are old and decrepid. Fuck the world Lagwagon rules. Even if you dont like their music, read Joey Capes lyrics, he's a great writer "Lag Wagon" or Lagwagon. Ugh. FUCK YEAH! This thread inspired me to put on my entire nofx discography today... and all i can say is FUCK YEAH. Man, anyone who cranks this out and doesnt start feeling fucking awesome mustnt listen to the music. This just pumps me up, inspires me, makes me happy to be alive, and makes me want to shout out!!! This band is SO not punk..... "If anyone thinks capitalism is just fine the way it is... I don't know what to say to you. If you think the world is on the road to peace by America installing "democracy and freedom" then your head is up your ass. It's time for a new political movement... how about logic as an ideal?" Those who know nothing about politics then what they learned from their parents and MTV should shut the fuck up becuase this thread is filled with idiots. If anyone thinks capitalism is just fine the way it is... I don't know what to say to you. If you think the world is on the road to peace by America installing "democracy and freedom" then your head is up your ass. It's time for a new political movement... how about logic as an ideal? no - two below - the varukers say all systems fail Anarchists are the most full of shit posers period. Seriously who in the fuck wants chaos or no government. Hell i hate Dubya but no gov would be idiotic not one goddamn thing would ever get done. Anarchists just like drawing that fucking A shit and trying to be so non conformist by being so damn extreme. I bet you anarchist mutherfuckers wrote in Nader on the ballots, that is of course only if you fucks actually took part in this great but unfortunately flawed democratic process. But you probably sat on your asses and let bullshit propaganda flow out of your fucking mouths for anyone in earshot. So shut the fuck up with that 8th grade bullshit. get over it - as the varukers say, all government's fail. if I may: "to the guy that quoted my comment and said that mdc and doa have been doing it longer and better point taken i wasn't overlooking them i was just focusing on nofx, hell nofx is new to putting so much energy into politics they have some songs here and their but they stepped it up lately but you are correct fine sir they aren't the first and won't be the last and they aren't the best or the worst if I may: i agreee with your comment but it is important to be factual. it avoids other arguments and contributes to the general education of everyone. "the nazi party was not a communist party it was a facist party" the nazi party was not a communist party it was a facist party. the soviet union was a communist party and yes it did fail. in a large way do to the war of influence it fought with the usa and it's allies. the result of the "cold war" is directly related to many of the problems we are facing in the middle east today. an example would be the selling of the A.W.A.C.S. t o saudi arabia ( that might not be spelled right) in the eighties by reagan so that they wouldn't join with communism. Very simple answers: NOFX RAWKS!! CD Needed Death Of John Smith and Perfect Government too, but NOFX didn't write Perfect Government, Mark Curry did, he is El Hefe's half/brother. Needed More songs off Ribbed too!! Still better than the bands that imitate them!! And twice as old!! i got into NOFX at 15, i am now 21. can't say i really listen to them all that much anymore, but i do respect the band a great deal. they introduced me to punk, and honestly, even though i'm not old enough to appreciate this, NOFX were a ridiculously influential band. when i think of so-cal punk/pop-punk i think of bad religion and NOFX. BR laid the groundwork with Suffer, but NOFX took it a few steps further. anyway, i'm an indie geek now, shoot me, but it rubs me the wrong way when people talk smack about a band that meant a great deal to me when i was growing up. if anything, they are the premiere case of a band that deserves the fame and money, christ, look how long they suffered in absolute obscurity until they had their big break with Punk in Drublic. To be a true anarchist, you cannot buy anything that contains sales tax, tax is money for the government, so there goes clothes, and other possessions. I agree with Thursday, there are no real Anarchists.. Well there are, they just aren't trying to be. fuck i am an artard. you're on to something is the phrase i was looking for niiice. i like the declaration of shenanigans on the review. i think you may be on the something. do you consider parecon anarchist? Silly punks. "Fuck Bush, I could do a better job by legalizing drugs, drinking at age 10 and hookers. Long live anarchy." I got a message for all the punks, if any of you are real anarchists send me an email Twistedbastard@hotmail.com "NEWS FLASH: COMMUNISM HAS FAILED, CAPITALISM (while certainly far from perfect) HAS PROVEN TO HAVE GOTTEN IT THE CLOSEST TO "RIGHT". " Jawbreaker got me into punk rock in 1990, bitches. "Now suddenly Fat Records is all fired up against bush. You can buy NOFX records with newly minted political lyrics, "Rock against Bush" CDs and of course "Not My President" T shirts with the Fat Records logo conveniently screened on the back. Get real folks. Liberal outrage against Bush, no matter how well founded, is a big business. Michael Moore, Al Franken and Fat Mike are taking America's disdain for bush all the way to the bank." Are you done pacer? Don't let the door hit you on the ass as you exit. Oh and one other thing, that prat's most likely on about shut up already, which anyone worth thier salt knows was written as an in-joke. I remember myself reading another columnist in MRR (or possibly hit list) complaining how, when punk blew up in the 90s, things such as that song were taken from the context of scene in-jokes to being gospel, and then you ended up with these moron kids who based their philosophies on them, in this case the "pro-meat" faction. Same thing happened with ben weasel's "guide to punk fashon" column. And now there's one of these idiots who took it the wrong fuckin way writing for that corporate piece of shit rag and you have ANOTHER generation of idiots believeing it. AH, to hell with punk rock. You idiots can keep it. Oh please, quoting MRR... You mean someone still reads the teenage conformist's guide to rebellion? Don't you know that magazine hasn't been worth the paper it's printed on since Tim Yo died? And considering it's fuckin newsprint, that's less than fuck all. On nofx's recent political outcries, Felix Havoc Writes in MRR: This CD seems to be a NOFX party mix. I was okay with the track listing until I noticed my favorite... and perhaps best NOFX song ever written (that runs under 18 minutes) EAT THE MEEK. WHY NO EAT THE MEEK! i meant "so long" in that last part of that last post. doh! i'm calling shenanigans on this reviewer!! i don't buy that he's actually heard this album. i think he just wrote a review based on the track listing and his past knowledge of the songs. he's written several comments on here to answer questions readers posed, but still for some reason keeps avoiding reviewing the new song (which its an amazing mid-tempo number, far exceding what one might expect from "the bonus song on the greatest hits"). and he also added a comment saying the tracks don't flow together, when several infact do (namely "leave it alone" into "green corn," which was exactly the song the reader who asked was wondering about. also "bleeding heart disease" goes into "bottles" nicely). plus he failed to mention that "murder the government" was the version from the vinyl of "so long" w/ the reggae intro. now, he mentions his affinity for that album in the review, so maybe he only has the vinyl and doesn't know that the cd version is different, but in this day and age i highly doubt it. so.... Sorry about the caps lock thing it is a bad habit. To the dude below me you are so fucking right. That is exactly what I was saying they have been doing the political shit their whole career they just stepped it up because of this dickhead called Dubya. Did you hear that pharmacists around the country are starting to refuse to fill prescriptions for birth control because it is against their beliefs. I'm not talking about every single pharmacy but some of them and it isn't even the pharmacy it's just some punk ass pharmacist with a Jesus complex. I'm telling you guys it is going to be rough. Dubya is going to make sure that by the time this 4 years is up he will have his religious judges on the supreme courts and bye bye abortion. And of course he is going to butcher the fucking constitution to his liking or his priests! Any fucking ways I'm just going to sit patiently and wait for the world to end like the nerds did on 01/31/99. What's with the rash of anger over Fat Mike and the Punk Voter site or the political turn that NOFX's music has taken in recent years. Sorry folks but that's kinda what punk rock, at its best, is supposed to personify: socially and politically conscious protest music. Besides, those elements have existed in their music from the very start (Perfect Government, Murder the Government, Don't Call me White, The Death of John Smith, etc) except now they are more explicitly directed at the bullshit administration empowered by the conservative, homophobic, ignorant, hypocritical, hawkish red states. To the guy that quoted my comment and said that mdc and doa have been doing it longer and better point taken i wasn't overlooking them i was just focusing on nofx, hell nofx is new to putting so much energy into politics they have some songs here and their but they stepped it up lately but you are correct fine sir they aren't the first and won't be the last and they aren't the best or the worst i was a freshman in high school when punk in drublic came out and from then until now it's been one of my favorite records... i kinda didn't care about heavy petting or so long and thanks for the shoes cause i moved on to other things. but like someone posted below, i got in and out of nofx phases from time to time... i think i'm in one again now... for me and my friends punk in drublic, s&M, and white trash were so much more relavent during the early 90s then bands like pearl jam or the smashing pumpkins. like most teenagers, they were loud snotty and funny. Two points "without par Minor Threat cover" First off chinktown needs to shut the fuck up don't ever utter good charlotte when describing nofx unless showing the two different ends of the spectrum. For once i agree with wyzo the l. G. And to the guy who is dead set on proving that nofx wasn't influenced by br sorry dude i'm a huge fan of both more so nofx than br but the fact of the matter is fat mike has even said that br is his favorite band and they influenced them, hell the first nofx song to ever have harmony was the last song on s & m airlines that fleetwood mac cover and the harmony was provided by noneother then br, mike said that was when they decided to start with the harmony. So br influenced them but now nofx is the influence in punk today but still br would rank 1 in cal punk and nofx a respectable 2 it doesn't matter at all what we think was the peak period and what not that's just how it is and br isn't bad company at all. It's no secret that the guys all like dope except for mr clean and sober eric (sandin) hell one of the best lines ever written "the only real drug problem is scoring real good drugs" says it all. Nofx rocks so does br. Love dam mad so yea... my ON DEMAND thing in my cable box has music videos, and one of them is "I wanna be an Alcoholic" by NOFX. its a pretty joke video for a song that is fucking way old but i thought it was interesting that my Clear-Channel supplied cable box had them on it. you would think Aubin would be able to pull writing Lagwagon's name correctly. Lag Wagon? geez... I will never understand what the big deal is-oldpunker- Great band that doesn't need a greatest hits album. Also there are a lot of misses - Scavenger type, Dig, Vanilla sex, The brews, please play this song... I would have preferred a second live album. And for that live album to contain "Guttermouth are a really good band" because I can't find it on MP3. You know they will release another live album one day. I'll wait for that. How's the new song? And what about the "In Honor" track? "Considering that S&M Airlines(there first decent record) was released in 1989. I think it is safe to say they came along well into Bad Religion's peak period. NOFX is a distant second in defining the California punk scene." "I wouldn't really say NOFX came around well into BR's lifetime. BR 1981, NOFX 1983…" Just join the club and resell the 7"s on ebay, you'll be rich. On the subject oh whether or not you should subscribe to the NOFX 7" club...these are my thoughts.... uh........aubin.....it's greatest hits they wrote......they didn't write perfect government. This was remastered to sound like a glossy Good Charlotte-type band. to the guy who wanted No Doubt's greatest hits album: 1) shut up already is on this and liberal animation. oh my god do i miss those days. when if you said you listened to punk music what came to mind was some kids playing fast and sloppy rock and roll as opposed to now when what comes to mind is whinning vocals over midtempo guitars. god damnit. Big_Guy: You're right. I corrected my original "Q&A" Aubin, I'm pretty sure that this is remastered. I think it said that on the e-card. To respond to some of the points people brought up: oops 'Whether your 12 or 17, you dont appreciate this music because you are growing up in an age of ridiculoulsy overproduced emo and numetal and various other assorted bullshit.... If you had been in highschool in the 90's around the time that Pearl Jam and all the grunge shit was getting a little played out, this was the fuckin coolest thing ever... And i believe as things always move in cycles, people will get sick of all these nauseating auto-tuned vocals and there will be a move back to a more raw sound eventually. And if you can move past the raw sound.... NOFX are some of the most clever songwriters EVER' Dude, are you sure mail-order won't be cheaper? Oh yeah, is this the Year of the Greatist Hits cd?? I love this band. I will continue to get every new release they put out, but since I have all their LP's their aint much point paying AUS$ 25 for just one song. I wouldn't mind the song descriptions though. A christmas present pehaps?? (bro?) I wouldn't really say NOFX came around well into BR's lifetime. BR 1981, NOFX 1983… Score is based on the fact that I have liked this band alot at different times, i'm not really listening to them now, maybe i'll pick this up if I get on a nofc kick again in a few months! "to a band who along with Bad Religion and a handful of others helped define the Californian punk scene" the young'ns used to like nofx, but what used to be called new-school is now called old-school by the kids. now the young'ns like pretty boy bands with guitars. its true I just bought the cd 30 mins ago. I was actually in the store to buy San Andreas, but I caught a glimpse of this album on the way out so I decided to take a look. I couldn't resist, so I walked out of their with San Andreas and NOFX "What the hell is the appeal in this band? I just don't see it." nofx has the uncanny ability, like the ramones (not in talent or originality), to write the same song 1000 times and make each one somewhat memorable "...OPEN THEIR MOUTHS WHEN EVERYONE ELSE WAS SCARED OF BEING "DIXIE CHICKED" NOFX HAS BEEN AROUND FOR YEARS BUT UNLIKE OZZY OR THE STONES THEY STILL KICK ASS AND CAN PUT ON A GOOD SHOW. SO IN CLOSING NOFX KICKS MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF ASS AND HAVE INFLUENCED HUNDREDS OF BANDS FROM GARAGES TO RECORDING STUDIOS AROUND THE FUCKING WORLD." What a dumb ass i am i meant maximum rock & roll not so what if we're on mystic so what is a ep my bad Surprisingly low amount of chuckleheads so far. To the dude who said this cd is on epitaph because it is the last in their contract what a dumb ass. Like someone else said they sign one record deals with them, so the reason is pretty obvious seeing as how all of their full lengths except so what if we are on mystic and war on errorism were all released on epitaph. And the mystic one was two ep's and some demo tracks thrown together without the knowledge of the band. Nofx is actually underrated seeing as how they are better than all of these fucking mainstream mtv/clear channel pussy rock bands out there today. And they catch so much flak for selling out, how in the hell have they sold out you coulnd't find a video of theirs on mtv no singles no corperate advertising none of that shit yet their last album busted out in the billboard top 100 just because they built a career on touring and good music which spread like wildfire through word of mouth. Much props to mike and howard stern in their valiant but failed attempt to get bush out of office and open their mouths when everyone else was scared of being "dixie chicked" nofx has been around for years but unlike ozzy or the stones they still kick ass and can put on a good show. So in closing nofx kicks massive amounts of ass and have influenced hundreds of bands from garages to recording studios around the fucking world. Love dam mad I also think Heavy Petting Zoo is their best. It's the most diverse and the most they have ever strayed from their famous sound since they found it right around White Trash. But yeah that one and Punk in Drublic are also classics. These albums were my high school soundtrack, that's for sure. "'What the hell is the appeal in this band? I just don't see it. You're comparing and criticizing these albums that came out a while ago. Imagine how amazing PUNK IN DRUBLIC was when it was recorded over 10 years ago. I haven't heard the cd yet or bought it just bought tix to bad religion anyways i've heard all the songs except the new one so i know it is sick. I haven't read your comments yet so i'm gonna check them out and see how many chuckleheads are talking shit Is someone gonna review the new NMDS/WA split? I heard a couple of the NMDS songs at the Fest in gainesville and it was fucking good. A bad review by Aubin. I still have alot of questions: Negative, I'm 17. I don't hate NOFX, but they're so incredibly overrated. 'What the hell is the appeal in this band? I just don't see it. nofx only signed one-record contracts with epitaph. dummy. What the hell is the appeal in this band? I just don't see it. "so wait, why was this released by epitaph, and not fat wreck?" |
