At The Drive-In

At The Drive-In: ReissuesReissues (2004)
Fearless Records

Reviewer Rating: 2

Contributed by: InaGreendaseBrian
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on November 9th 2004For all three of you reading this that still don't already know, At The Drive-In was easily one of the most important underground rock bands of the 1990s. Their angular, aggressive, punk-influenced indie rock was one of the most original things being done at the time of their existence, and their i.

For all three of you reading this that still don't already know, At The Drive-In was easily one of the most important underground rock bands of the 1990s. Their angular, aggressive, punk-influenced indie rock was one of the most original things being done at the time of their existence, and their importance would be validated by the scope of their influence both during their latter years and after their demise (or hiatus, however you see it). It's a shame the band broke up - sorry again, "went on a hiatus" - as they not only hit the pinnacle of their impressive catalog, but had finally started to taste the outer fringes of the mainstream early this decade. All good things must come to an end, I suppose, or maybe in this case, a vaguely confusing mess void of clear endings. Perhaps a quick buck, perhaps a PSA, Fearless re-released a slew of their albums, and here's a look at all four:

Relationship Of Command

As an album: I'm still blown away every time I grace my ears with this album. Any time I feel like perhaps creating a wind tunnel through my brain, I put this on, At The Drive-In's last effort. The lyrics bleed with cryptic meaning or lack thereof, indulging the listener with schizophrenic moods and old-folk spat prophecies. "Sleepwalk Capsules" is also still one of my all-time favorite songs, for its immediate, hobo-like tantrum, dual vocal yells, and simply - or should I say, complex - aggressive mood, interrupted by a party thrown by Lazarus himself. There are so many other songs I could describe that would waste both our time, so suffice to say, you should already own this album.

Read original review here.

As a reissue: By far and away, this is one of the only reissues that makes sense here. Its original label backing, the Beastie Boys' Grand Royal imprint, is no longer, and the album's been out of print for over a year, so it made sense for Fearless to pick up the slack. The art on the CD itself features a nice alternative to the original, and of course, the Fearless logo replaces the card-hand Grand Royal one. Most importantly are the inclusion of two bonus tracks: "Extracurricular" (pun likely unintentional) and "Catacombs," which come from the Relationship... sessions. In a parallel universe, this would've been the midpoint style between in/CASINO/OUT and Relationship..., because surprisingly, it doesn't hold a strong connection soundwise with the Vaya EP. Acrobatic Tenement-like shades of rawness are flashed like halogen lights in both songs, with the screeching guitarwork and Bixler's gravelly yell at the forefront in "Extracurricular," and eerie, crescending/decrescending chord movement in "Catacombs." It's an utterly strange style even for the band themselves. The songs' inclusions are nice additions, but honestly don't come close to touching any other track on the album. Still, hardcore fans will likely appreciate them.

in/CASINO/OUT

As an album: The major turning point for the band as I see it, as they started to strip their raw-punk hides in favor of more (or less) structured rock yet still demolished borders and boundaries, though certainly continuing to both show signs of their roots and defy conventions; "Transatlantic Foe" is perhaps the band's most upbeat song of their careers, and it closed this album. At the same time, the band could still paint with haunting textures and insidious emotion, as in "Napoleon Solo." Another great effort.

Read original review here.

As a reissue: Was this at all necessary? Isn't this still in print? If so, what is the purpose of this? NOTHING IS DIFFERENT. Okay, so the UPC is a little smaller and the label updated their logo on the bottom right corner of the back. Other than that, this is the same album - duplicate sound quality, duplicate artwork. An unnecessary clone of an album that can't be justified by the quality of the original itself.

Vaya

As an album: I was never as big on Vaya as most people, but the EP is definitely another example of the band's progression, and features seven very-different sounding songs that somehow still keeps a more-than-sufficient cohesion. "Proxima Centauri" and "Heliotrope" are my favorite tracks, as they both exhibit a jumpy tempo and maniacal, meaningless yells and pulsating drums. Though not as high on a favoritism list as others would place it, a really enjoyable EP for myself nonetheless.

Read original review here.

As a reissue: See in/CASINO/OUT description.

Acrobatic Tenement

As an album: ATDI's first full-length effort, and probably their worst overall - which essentially still means: this is a pretty good disc. Much looser and less intense than future efforts, they took hold of a cautious optimism and had just begun thwarting audiences with incomprehensible nonsense for lyrics - a rather beautiful collaboration. The sloppy percussion, frenetic bass lines and manic energy of "Schaffino" was a perfect example of the band's style at the time. Their early work here is perhaps more punk-influenced (crossed with their post-punk sensibility, of course) than most anything else the band has done (save for the Alfero Vive Carejo! EP, or Hell Paso), and is a more-than-competent example of a great band's beginnings.

Read original review here.

As a reissue: This is basically a re-release of a re-release of a re-release, or something, although this was supposedly out of print. The design of the liner notes is fairly different from Revolver's 2000 re-release of the 1996 Flipside original release, although Fearless may have already had the rights to this a few years ago. Regardless - the new version chooses appropriate black and red backgrounds for the two-page liner notes, and completely blacks the cover behind the red font; the original had a white portion on its right side. So at least with this release there are enough modest changes to shrug your shoulders casually at; nothing to trigger another buy of the same album, but at least an effort was made.

Artwork avatar collaboration originally done by myself, "reissued" by P Fresh.

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

rob_rob (June 18, 2005)

fuck fearless records, this is there cash cow. Maybe if they'd just stop signing shitty bands

Anonymous (December 9, 2004)

This re-issue deserves a fucking perfect, for atdi is the best band to ever grace this pitiful earth. But, you people never do atdi enough justice in your reviews.

k,thx

-Zak

Anonymous (November 15, 2004)

Oh, I definitely thought that was funny. I couldn't believe anyone would actually mean that Silverstein and Dashboard crap. I want the relationship of command reissue. I want the unreleased stuff on there.

-Jeff

Anonymous (November 15, 2004)

Try going to a record store when you're looking for music.

maverick (November 13, 2004)

I went to Best Buy today, and didn't see any of these reissues there. So much for distribution.

-Scott

Anonymous (November 12, 2004)

'except end hits is WAY better."

well, yea, i was just sayin..

paul

Anonymous (November 12, 2004)

to the guy below me.....i'm sorry, i wrote that. and i was being totally sarcastic. i think its great you got a laugh out of it but sadly i'm not a kid w/ downsyndrome. i'm 24, love atdi and would rather die than listen to carraba or silverstein. i just thought i'd let you know that there really isn't someone out there THAT ignorant bout music. it was a good joke though, no?

-paul

Anonymous (November 12, 2004)

"who cares about these guys? dashboard confessional's a mark, a mission, a brand a scar got re-released for a reason...ITS GOOD MUSIC. Silverstein just got reinssued too, cuz ITS GOOD MUSIC. this stuff is just trendy poser shit. "

That is the funniest thing I have ever read. Honestly. Somewhere below was a comment about down syndrome kids fist fighting..the above statement clearly comes from one of those kids.

Anonymous (November 12, 2004)

There are some strange dudes commenting here on this site. I always thought ATDI was a great band. I'm puzzled as to why some would compare them to Fugazi. And for all you guys yelling and swearing at each other--how about true discussion and arguement rather than name calling.

The Old Punk

Anonymous (November 11, 2004)

"in/casino/out and end hits are cut from the same cloth, very different bands, people and motives but musically there is a big similarity at times."

except end hits is WAY better.

Anonymous (November 11, 2004)

hey is extracurricular the same version as on the sunshine split or did they rerecord it?

slippy (November 11, 2004)

This band will always have a special place in my heart. I always did think something was wrong with the sound of Acrobatic Tenement, now I know...crazy.

Anonymous (November 11, 2004)

hey maxmurder(by the way nice name dork) were you the one that was in the altercation?

once i watched two kids with downs syndrome get in a fist fight. this interaction beats that altercation, hands down.

Anonymous (November 11, 2004)

in/casino/out and end hits are cut from the same cloth, very different bands, people and motives but musically there is a big similarity at times.

kenjamin (November 10, 2004)

It's pretty obvious why this band disbanded. If you listen to the Mars Volta and Sparta, it becomes clear that this band would have imploded while recording the followup to ROC.

Anonymous (November 10, 2004)

I hate this bad, but not as much as I hate The Mars Volta! That band fucking sucks! How dare thee compare to the almighty Fugazi! Fuck You!

Anonymous (November 10, 2004)

like i said yesterday before the gutless punknews censors removed it. i love penis.

-Chinatown

Anonymous (November 10, 2004)

Silverstien- this is the score they get.

Anonymous (November 10, 2004)

bad review

pacer (November 10, 2004)

In/Casino/Out is an amazing album, i hadn't listened to it in years and then i threw it on yesterday at work, listened to it three times in a row. Then i thought "maybe i should give Relationship Of Command another go, seeing as i never got into it"... And i still can't get into it. Seems they lost all the subtlety and grace, groove and swing, and just seemed determined to bludgeon the listener. And man, what happened to the hooks...

Oh and like the guy said, Fugazi Vs ATDI is apples and oranges, same ballpark, but very different band.

And again, Chinatown is a fuckin dick.

Anonymous (November 10, 2004)

I don't think it's a bad thing to compare this band to fugazi... the first time i heard in casino out, that's the first band that came to mind.

it doesn't mean in casino out is a bad record or anything.

people need to lighten up on this site... some of you are like religious fanatics when you feel your band has been desicrated by a post.

at the drive in were a great band. even if they did do that dumbass farmclub.com show and pander to matt fucking pinhead pinfield on the usa channel... definitely the low point of their otherwise spot on career.

Anonymous (November 10, 2004)

"who cares about these guys? dashboard confessional's a mark, a mission, a brand a scar got re-released for a reason...ITS GOOD MUSIC. Silverstein just got reinssued too, cuz ITS GOOD MUSIC. this stuff is just trendy poser shit.

I hate it when trendy mall indy bands get fucking reissues."

Dude, don't forget All-American Rejects!

Anonymous (November 10, 2004)

does this make my original flipside records "acrobatic tenement" worth anything?

ThreeChordsAndTheTruth (November 10, 2004)

Score is for the records. Score for the reissues is zero, the only new track I'd gain from buying this is Extracurriculur.

To the uninformed, the guitar tone on Acrobatic Tenement sucks because they recorded 'scratch tracks' (ie, temporary guitar tracks to help with recording other parts) without working on a distorted tone, then were told they couldn't re-record them.

Anonymous (November 10, 2004)

"who cares about these guys? dashboard confessional's a mark, a mission, a brand a scar got re-released for a reason...ITS GOOD MUSIC. Silverstein just got reinssued too, cuz ITS GOOD MUSIC. this stuff is just trendy poser shit.

I hate it when trendy mall indy bands get fucking reissues."

HAHAHAHAHA

Good one, bud.

-ObeyYourParents

Anonymous (November 10, 2004)

okay....

i'll let up on my "the only time i want to see the fearless logo on this site is when it has to do with the new Bigwig album" stance, just this once. and only this once. don't think i plan on relenting.

ElVaquero (November 10, 2004)

One of my top 5 favorite groups, though I rate their albums in reverse-chronological order, Acrobatic Tenement is the best thing ever.

I suppose that's why I don't write reviews professionally.

Anonymous (November 10, 2004)

"score is for the band.
was this reissue really necessary ? it could have some more extras.maybe they could have included the clips, some live footage, stuff like that. new booklets would be nice too.
now the most importanr question of all:
why does my copy fo ROC already have catacombs on it ?"

You probably have the european ROC version.
This score is also for the band, btw.

johnrambo (November 10, 2004)

what company bought out FEARLESS, if any?

Anonymous (November 10, 2004)

who cares about these guys? dashboard confessional's a mark, a mission, a brand a scar got re-released for a reason...ITS GOOD MUSIC. Silverstein just got reinssued too, cuz ITS GOOD MUSIC. this stuff is just trendy poser shit.

I hate it when trendy mall indy bands get fucking reissues.

Anonymous (November 10, 2004)

Comparing Fugazi and At The Drive In is apples and oranges.

You sir, are a douche, good review.

Anonymous (November 10, 2004)

"ROC is one of the greatest albums I've ever purchased. Any genre, any time period."

Wow, i suggest you purchase Repeater, Red Medicine, and The Argument.

Fugazi is, above all, THE most significant punk band of the 90's and 00's.

Anonymous (November 10, 2004)

i'm sorry, i appreciate at the drive in's intentions and all, but damn... Fugazi did this so much better 15 years ago.

i've never understood the hype, the band has always seemed like a watered down fugazi to me. this is coming from someone who owns all of their albums mind you.

Anonymous (November 9, 2004)

This band is so cool. I love them so much.

-Bryce Tung

Anonymous (November 9, 2004)

their guitarist is a self centered bitch.

how many names does he have again?

Jesse (November 9, 2004)

This is all Fearless' attempt to cash in on the fact that ATDI had a few records on their label. Thing is, Fearless is owned by a giant corporation now. Yeah, Sugarcult? Anyone?

Anonymous (November 9, 2004)

i love fucking chinatown, he reminds me what it means to be punk.

-benji madden

ps - vote for my new video on trl!!!

Anonymous (November 9, 2004)

i never got what was so great about this band. everytime i would listen to them, i'd think "i'd rather listen to fugazi or refused or something."

Anonymous (November 9, 2004)

all your hope in the world is placed worrying about a DVD release of THIS band. i think thats says a lot about you, and none of it is very flattering.

Anonymous (November 9, 2004)

"el gran orgo" is still available through offtime records.

maverick (November 9, 2004)

There needs to be an At The Drive-In DVD in 2005, otherwise there's really no hope left in the world.

-Scott

Anonymous (November 9, 2004)

This is a band I've yet to look into deeply... only skimmed the surface... what's a good album to start with?

Keeping in mind I HATE Sparta, Mars Volta or anything that sounds alike.

I'd say Relationship of Command... it was probably their best work, and it seems to be the most well-received for new listeners.

Anonymous (November 9, 2004)

i think that in/casino/out was as perfect an album as they could reach. hourglass and devil among tailors are two songs i consider classics.

Anonymous (November 9, 2004)

ROC is one of the greatest albums I've ever purchased. Any genre, any time period.

Not-To-Regret (November 9, 2004)

This is a band I've yet to look into deeply... only skimmed the surface... what's a good album to start with?

Keeping in mind I HATE Sparta, Mars Volta or anything that sounds alike.

killyouridols (November 9, 2004)

score is for the band.
was this reissue really necessary ? it could have some more extras.maybe they could have included the clips, some live footage, stuff like that. new booklets would be nice too.
now the most importanr question of all:
why does my copy fo ROC already have catacombs on it ?

maxmurder (November 9, 2004)

"Whatever. I fucking hate this band. "One Armed-Scissor" is one of the lamest songs I've ever heard.

-Chinatown

Hey Poser what do you hate about this band. That they fucking influenced and started every fucking trendy ass band you listen to now. Or is it the fact that there not into moshing and you can't push your dick against other young men. OR maybe it just maybe it is b/c they never were the same band twice on any album -unlike the fucking unoriginal douchebags that you listen to. I've said it time and time again New Found Glory and Yellowcard aren't punk and neither are you. As far as I'm concerened if One Armed Scissor is all you listened to then you should do us all a favor and off yourself. Your wasting your time breathing precious air that the others of us could use. Please succumb to the endless blackout you fucking poser. "

once i watched two kids with downs syndrome get in a fist fight. this interaction beats that altercation, hands down.

Anonymous (November 9, 2004)

poor man's fugazi .. fuck you - what did you do? nothing ... dick

LiberationFreak (November 9, 2004)

is this the band whos guitarist is so anti corporate he tapes over the brand names of his $1,000 worth of guitar pedals??

Anonymous (November 9, 2004)

They sound like a poor man's Fugazi. And I've heard several tracks off of ROC. I didn't like any of them. I don't feel the need to further explain why I think they suck. Go suck on a big banana.

-Chinatown

You are simply the biggest poser that has ever graced this site. You are the definition of a douchebag. Have you ever even listened to Fugazi or ATDI? You are simply retarded. Pull the banana out of your ass or your ear or wherever you like to stick it. You are truly a poser! Chinatown sucks!

Anonymous (November 9, 2004)

i thought these reissues were going to have video footage and other extras

Anonymous (November 9, 2004)

Whatever. I fucking hate this band. "One Armed-Scissor" is one of the lamest songs I've ever heard.

-Chinatown

Hey Poser what do you hate about this band. That they fucking influenced and started every fucking trendy ass band you listen to now. Or is it the fact that there not into moshing and you can't push your dick against other young men. OR maybe it just maybe it is b/c they never were the same band twice on any album -unlike the fucking unoriginal douchebags that you listen to. I've said it time and time again New Found Glory and Yellowcard aren't punk and neither are you. As far as I'm concerened if One Armed Scissor is all you listened to then you should do us all a favor and off yourself. Your wasting your time breathing precious air that the others of us could use. Please succumb to the endless blackout you fucking poser.

Anonymous (November 9, 2004)

Oh. I thought that picture was the cover art.

inagreendase (November 9, 2004)

I thought it was pretty clear that this is just a review of four separate releases/reissues. Oh well.

Also, the given score is an average of the four reissues' scores, for anyone wondering.

Anonymous (November 9, 2004)

Yeah, but how much does this thing cost? If it's the price of a normal record, I think it deserves a better score.

Whatever. I fucking hate this band. "One Armed-Scissor" is one of the lamest songs I've ever heard.

-Chinatown

trailerparkjesus (November 9, 2004)

and Vaya came out after I/C/O.

Anonymous (November 9, 2004)

"idiot, it wasn't reissued."

no shit, it wasn't reissued. that was the point of my earlier comment: fearless didn't reissue "el gran orgo", when they stated earlier on their website that they reissued the entire atdi catalog. next time, try thinking about what someone is saying before resorting to name calling, bitch.

trailerparkjesus (November 9, 2004)

"score is for fearless not including "el gran orgo". i'm sick and tired of people always forgetting about this ep (which i pefer over "vaya"). it's not a reissue of the complete atdi catalog without "el gran orgo"!!"

idiot, it wasn't reissued.

Anonymous (November 9, 2004)

gooooooood band.

Anonymous (November 9, 2004)

score is for fearless not including "el gran orgo". i'm sick and tired of people always forgetting about this ep (which i pefer over "vaya"). it's not a reissue of the complete atdi catalog without "el gran orgo"!!

Anonymous (November 9, 2004)

Fizzerst!!