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 | Streetlight ManifestoKeasbey Nights2006 Victory 
  Review by: Bryno See others by this writer Only registered users can post comments 
 
Published on March 10th 2006
As I open the album booklet to the first page, I can't help but notice the inside disclaimer: "There is absolutely no way of explaining the existence of the record you now hold in your hands without somehow offending, infuriating, confusing or alienating certain parties, so we won't even try. Please enjoy this for what it is."
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First off, I'll admit that I have never heard Catch 22's original. Somehow they avoided my (apparently lo-fi) radar. Anyways, in prep for the RBF, LTJ, SM, & AAA tour, I decided to buy a SM album, and this one was the cheapest so I went for it. Screw the controversy, I'm new to this album and I think it's great. And if the interview at the end is true, I dont see what the big deal is about rerecording it anyways. Victory was gonna rerelease the album and Tomas said 'well then we'll rerecord it.' Obviously, it was done to attract new fans (like me), and it's easily the best ska album I've pick it up pick it up'd in years. im not gonna lie, i wasnt too excited about this album when it first came out. and when i listened to it for the first time i wasnt all that impressed. but then the suttle differences hit me, that extra verse in "Dear Sergio" blew me away, and "Keasbey Nights" sounds exactly as it should. the only thing i really have a problem with on this cd are "1234 1234" - they didnt seem to do a great job on it, its still a good song but w/e. this album fuckin rocks. ok ive not heard the original but i'm not exactly new to third wave either. take this album at face value and u'll fuckin love it. Whichever side you take in the Catch 22/Streetlight Manifesto girlfight, you have to admit this is lame of Streetlight, and lame of Victory to think people would buy the same album twice. The whole thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth and spoils the album for me. But then again, at least it's not another shitty Victory emo album. ok streetlight manifesto is fucking insane but why why why the fuck on eaaarth would u remake all these songs its so fucking gay hahahahahauhahahahahahahahahqhahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahhahahahahahahahah ahahahahahahahahahahahahaqhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah ahahaha this is the only 'ska band' that the lame victory records has to offer. this band is one of those poor excuses for ska if you want to hear proper ska listen to some jamaican ska such as prince buster or the skatalites. and as for record labels, 2 tone records or trojan records would be the best ska labels i can advise for ska music. fuck streelight manifesto & fuck victory records they're wankers What amazes me most about this release is how everyone keeps talking about 'improved production.' It's funny that punk is supposed to be about being independent and thinking for oneself and then something like this happens. What is this, Orwell's 1984? Wake up people! Don't just repeat what everyone else keeps saying, and use your EARS! Tomas is the guy who started saying the production is better, and now that's what everyone else says about the record. He's full of shit. The production on this record is bad. The horns sound like they're playing inside of a shoebox. The mix digitally clips constantly, is harsh, and all of the life has been sucked out of the performances in this wasteful pursuit. I could go on, but don't take my word for itl Listen for youself with your ears open. Stop believing the hype. holy shit theres a secret track?!? This CD Reps 100% New Jersey SKA/CORE from the orginator himself and NJ native "Tomas Kalnoky". I just stumbled across a streetlight manifesto cd on my girlfriends dresser as we were making out. I asked if I could borrow it and it totally kicked all the other bands in the worlds asses. I have no idea what all this shit about Tomas is but I like the music and I'd like to be clued in. Since I am a new fan I dont have an opinion on all this but both bands are good so I'll buy the cd anyway. I've gotta get this cd, streetlight rules so this cd has to be good. lead singer dude is best signer ever. no question. wtf streetlight your first album rocked this sucked. You ruined some great catch22 songs i would just like to say how much these guys KICK ASS, AND TAKING NAMES, AND OWNING SKA i love you Streetlight Rules, and proved it with this album There are 2 secret tracks...look hard. I was expecting a lot more new. i don't hate them for doing it. i just think it was unessisary. i love the first one. as far as a follow up to it, in my book it was SM who did that. catch 22 became a different band with a different sound after that record. i don't hate catch22, i have all of thier records, they're just a different band now. Lolocaust to some of the reviews down below. i am pretty much in the same boat as wyzo. and it seems like people have a genuine anger/problem with people like us, which is mind boggling Maybe Kalnok is just looking for cash. Maybe he isn't. Who gives a shit. It's not like he lied about what this album is. It's a new take on an old album, and I'm pretty happy with the end-result. i like this one. dont really like catch 22, and this record passed by me when they put it out. maybe its the re-recording, or that streetlight made more of an impression on me, but i like this version. And a band with little money or recording materials (hence thier being robbed) money is greedy as much as trying to make a living. Its supply and demand retard, if noone buys the cd he doesnt gain a profit, and seeing as the outlook is negative so far, it doesnt seem lke that will happen. Kinda simple really. "You all call them cash cows but your not buying thier cd... thus they arent making so much "cash"... also did anyone forget A) he made the songs B) They got robbed how many times? A little money could do them well, i know more than half the people who call them sellouts are infact rich kids who live in the suburbs securely under the roof of there parents, quit your bitchin." I really never liked the original Keasby Nights because I thought the sound quality was so poor. I love the new version. Props to the band for making this album sound 100 times better than the original. You all call them cash cows but your not buying thier cd... thus they arent making so much "cash"... also did anyone forget A) he made the songs B) They got robbed how many times? A little money could do them well, i know more than half the people who call them sellouts are infact rich kids who live in the suburbs securely under the roof of there parents, quit your bitchin. i like this cd. "Its like Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros releasing London Calling..." "Your all idiots. The only thing worse than your opinions on music is your grammar." As buddyhead would say, this is like two retards fighting over a broken toy. And there has been no Catch 22 worth listening to after Alone In A Crowd, except maybe Lamont's Lament First off I think that the musicianship is better. The horn section on the SM version seems far more talented than the Keasbey-era C22 one. But I will agree that Tomas' vocals leave something to be desired. I think he lost that sneer he had on the first release. With that said, for some reason I like the Kristina... on this album better than the original. Your all idiots. The only thing worse than your opinions on music is your grammar. SLM re-released this album because they wanted to, don't question it. If the sticker and note on the front of the CD as well as the note on the back of the CD did not clue you into the fact that it is the same exact thing as the original 1998 Keasbey Nights with no new music, then you are truly an idiot (However there is a few changes to Dear Sergio, musical changes on every song, more clarity in the lyrics, and a few changes to words in every song, making the SLM version of Keasbey Nights one heck of a lot better than the Catch 22 version). Anyways, they announced at all there shows that they will be coming out with another album in a few months. "Its like Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros releasing London Calling..." To all those who belive tomas doesnt have aproblem with catch 22 and victory instead,or just dont know why he hates catch 22 listen to a moment of silence off of thier first album. "If you hate me so much then stop singing my songs." As for the CD, one of the best ska albums just got alittle better, worth the buy if you odnt have the original, but otherwise not much of a differnce. I just realized something. To the people giving this band shit for "only trying to get money with the cd", or for criticizing them for paying for it with their own money, shut up. This band was robbed...twice. If they chose to make money, then give them a break, and if they paid for it with their own money, then show some damn respect for a band that lost a lot and continues to lose a lot for the music they want to make. Billboard 200: Will, ha ha Get a custom-made decalc (sp?) and iron it on yourself. There's no such thing as an "American Nightmare brand" anyway: all band shirts are made by companies such as Fruit of the Loom or Artimonde. Does anyone know if it is possible at all to still buy American Nightmare t-shirts at all? Like from them, or anywhere? I'm sure they didn't just burn them all when they had to change their name... (Sorry to change the subject off of Streetlight, but we were talking about mailorder...) My stuff from No Idea came. Victory sucks, Catch 22 sucks, the Bigwig review probably sucked too. Fake Ska, Victory Sucks at everything, what a bunch of assholes. isn't it common knowledge by now that the contracts that victory bands royally screw the bands over? even if the band breaks up, their subsequent new bands are still obligated to put their release out on victory How can this CD score a 9? It's the EXACT same as the Catch 22 version except for the one song has some slightly different vocals. First, thanks to people finally addressing the "why is Tomas pissed" issue. Not sure if that's a complete picture but it helps. Tomas played guitar in C22 as well. When he left, they replaced him with a guitarist and a singer, but he handled both duties in both bands. why would tomas then go back to victory records? he quit the band because he didn't like touring and then the rest of the band shit talked him in an interview. dante, i think the "beef" was more between tomas and victory....not catch 22....i could be completely wrong there, but i just felt like someone should finally acknowledge your question i'd have to say that the album is over all good and the horn section got alot more creative...but i suppose the whole reason behind this album was to spite catch 22 which doesn't seem like a valid motive to me....although i enjoy these songs and the recording is better, the songs go slower imean seriously...i'm pretty sure kalnoky didn't have to play guitar too in catch 22 so now he has to play and sing and that's hard so he couldn't get the speed....but seriously i really wish that he could have done something new because i know he's got it in him....i just about jizzed myself though on the new trombone solo in "kristina she don't know i exist" Really, seriously, honestly, what the fuck happened between Tomas and Catch-22? Did they all like tie him up and gang bang his girl while making illegal charges on his credit card? Because that would warrant some spite. If my estranged old bandmates wanted to piss me off, and spent upwards of $20,000 re-recording some old record we did years ago and put it out under their own name....I think I'd just laugh my ass off. What a waste of time/resources. "Also, No Idea sucks. Seriously, how long does it take to send three cd's? Maybe next time I'll fork up the extra so they don't send it by horse." this is a huge disappointment email matt: no idea ships very well. yopu must have paid for shit shipping. i listened to this for the first time today. it's not bad. but it's not like the first time i listened to keasby nights. but i'm not the same kid i was in 1998. i think i could appreciate it though if given a few listens. "Also, No Idea sucks. Seriously, how long does it take to send three cd's? Maybe next time I'll fork up the extra so they don't send it by horse." Agree with the reviewers or not...but two consecutive Victory releases with 9 stars is unbelievable. "Also, No Idea sucks. Seriously, how long does it take to send three cd's? Maybe next time I'll fork up the extra so they don't send it by horse." I didn't like this at all. Ummm, I can't get into this band. This band sucks, I was severly disappointed with the corny sounds of Everything Goes Numb... not the kind of ska I want in my collection at all... think a used store would buy it? Here, i'll give a bigwig review. Alright. They had a Bigwig review. But it was a joke. He just copied an old Bigwig review and changed the name. So they pulled it. Now quit bitching. This album sounds like complete shit quality-wise. Also, the original Keasbey Nights was some kids playing music they really felt and meant, and that's what made it so brilliant. This is Tomas Kalnoky trying to secure his legacy (which he failed miserably at doing) and feed his ego. No feeling, and this is a fucking sham. Exactly the same as the original. Better shittyness but not nearly as much......more shittyness. WHERE'S THE FUCKING BIGWIG REVIEW?!? Man, I don't own the original, but I found this used the other day. 1. So will Catch 22 be playing these songs? Exactly the same as the original. Better musicianship but not nearly as much heart. You'd think this would turn out better than the original. dudes with the bigwig review, thats a pretty funny situation Exactly the same as the original. Better musicianship but not nearly as much heart. So do you think this pisses off Catch-22? I'm getting kind of hungry...I could really go for a bigwig review and a side of fries right now...sigh. It's a re-release with different artwork, new versions of songs and better sound quality. How does one measure an abstract concept such as 'heart'? What a fucking stupid idea for a CD. I'm kind of amazed this actually was released seeing its such an awful, terrible, stupid idea. Gah "Exactly the same as the original. Better musicianship but not nearly as much heart." Exactly the same as the original. Better musicianship but not nearly as much heart. Ha ha. Maybe 3rd time lucky on Tuesday Rest in piece review number 5095, you will always be remembered. wait, why was the bigwig review pulled? wait, why was the bigwig review pulled? "hmmm. how bout no? this new version sucks in comparison to catch 22's...if you think otherwise, then you're wrong." Clearly, the comments on the Bigwig section were hitting close to home. "hmmm. how bout no? this new version sucks in comparison to catch 22's...if you think otherwise, then you're wrong." hey, there was a bigwig review up here just hours ago. Godfather... what a douche. as a new listener of this band, i really enjoy this cd./ most of you people are acting like bitter old grandpas. i bet you guys had to walk ten miles in the snow before you could listen to the original release of this too huh? Yes, Tomas "was" Catch22. He wrote all the songs on the first record and from what I remember, even got a "concept created by" recognition in the liner notes. Because of this, I'm sure he's making 2 paychecks now for the same songs, and he probably deserves it. Regardless, the ska scene is pretty small, and it seems petty to me to not even give some of the original musicians/band some sort of thanks. Did he really write every note of every song on KN himself and just tells the rest of the guys to play exactly what's given to them? To me EWN was better than 90% of the materian c22 wrote after Tomas left, does he still hold some sort of resentment towards those guys years later? as a new listener of this band, i really enjoy this cd./ most of you people are acting like bitter old grandpas. i bet you guys had to walk ten miles in the snow before you could listen to the original release of this too huh? There never will be a Bigwig review!!! Tomas WAS Catch 22. The idea that they are going on without him under the same name is fucking ridiculous. Did anyone else pick up this release and notice that the words "catch 22" appear nowhere at all on the album, cover, siticker, or even the liner notes? Wouldn't it be in everybody's (victory, sm, c22) best interest to get people to check out both bands, especially people just getting into the scene and might not know too much about c22? Am I the only one that kind of looks at this as Tomas just being a petty prick? streetlight manifesto needed about two years to record this exact copy of keasbey nights?man, thats fucking lame. i really hope that new stuff's coming soon no matter how well they did it, it's just a stupid fucking idea and pisses me off They try justifying it by saying they used their own money for this. DIY in the punk industry? Holy fuck who would have thought? Streetlight is still planning on releasing new stuff this year. This just isn't it. Yeah, yeah, we get it...it'll piss people off. Music=better, vocals=meh...The feel of how this record should sound (punky and fun loving) was definitely lost in translation. This recording is soooooo much better than the original. The first Kalnoky-written/sang I heard was EGN, and to this day I treat it like the best ska ever recorded. But that's just IMO, so don't flame. Then I heard A Call To Arms by his it's-not-a-band-it's-a-project BOTAR. That was also amazing. And then I thought "What's all this buzz about Keasbey Nights, it must be somewhat close to as good if so many people talk about it". So I checked it out. And I was very disappointed. They were great songs. But they were so badly performed that I couldn't listen to it. Maybe I was tainted by SM, but it just didn't sound....good. From the recording on 1234 1234 it sounds like Kalnoky was slightly embarrassed about the bad quality of C22's KN, so he made it better before Victory rereleased the crappy one. And I think that's great; I like the new KN. But I'm sure some of you are pissed off by it. How can this CD score a 9? It's the EXACT same as the Catch 22 version except for the one song has some slightly different vocals. I'm still waiting to see if someone can explain why Tomas seems so resentful of his old band. Better yet, how about you can only review an ablum if you hate the band? Surprise, Crooky has his panties in a bunch! Not even a fucking 7 to being with. Heres the deal...All of you people are gullible bitches...You think for a second tomas recorded these songs because he wants them to sound better or he was afarid that victory had the idea of re-releasing this record? WRONG...Tomas wrote the lyrics and the melodies but Catch 22 wrote the music. AS A COLLECTION! Tomas was smart...Tomas he made it look like he wrote EVERYTHING so now everyone on his dick about how great he is...Blah blah blah. There is a thing called technical royalties. As long has there is a record sold, he makes money regardless to how much c22 owes the victory. NOW...Everyone running out buy SM terrible remake of a classic record he gets...2 checks plus the SM royalty check. Isnt it funny how c22 toured there asses off for 10 years now and after they made countless trips around the US and Europe and Canada that Tomas decised to start a new ska band and now re-release a record that is 9 years old...COME ON...Write a new record...lets start 2 bands and just release the same fucking music from all 3 bands...LAME. Tomas has no credability in my book. Bullshit release. Its like Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros releasing London Calling...DISGRACE. 97 is over...Grow up Tomas... Does this have the slow version of Kristina or the fast punk one? I want sample tracks. I really don't see a point in this record to be honest. Sure, Catch-22 were a fucking wicked band in their time (Keasby Nights was a good record), but so what? Surely everyone has moved on to other things since that record, right? Why live in the "glory" of the past when you can live the present and/or future? no This is amazing. waste of time listening to the piece of trash. Yep. The bass is crazy, especially on the faster songs. It makes me a happy ska geek. is there still rampant use of a fretless bass? Yeah I think this is a pretty cool idea. And I don't see why the singer shouldn't do this; if he wrote the original for the most part, he should be able to do what he likes with it as long as he's not exploiting his old band. What a bunch of bitches. Treat it like a reissue. Instead of just letting Victory be, well, Victory and reissue a still in print album with absolutely nothing different except for new artwork, Kalnoky and co. used their own money to redo the entire thing and make it sound better. It's not the new music we've been waiting for, but it earns huge respect from me regardless. They all sound like professional musicians playing great songs, instead of a high school band playing great songs. The vocals sound forced and stale. The music, however, is very crisp and polished, but from a very "rehearsed" sense. I like this. But it is no way near a 9. I'd give it at most 7. the horns on this album are a kazillion times better than the original I still cannot see the reason behind this rerecording - and the production sucks big time! fuck this stupid release. If this was a rerelease, I think I could enjoy this better. But, its not. These songs have lost thier sincerity, and now they just seem phony to me. SM's first cd is great, and I think this is a really shitty 2nd effort. Thank god for this band. if you don't already have the original cd and are thinking about getting this, buy the original keasby nights is one of the best albums i own. "So the singer of Catch 22 re-recorded an old C22 album with his name band, Streetlight Manifesto? That's pretty interesting" Albums like this are exactly why it's impossible to write off Victory. They can sign a half dozen screamo bands, but then they put this out, and Darkest Hour, and Comeback Kid, and With Honor... to branden, jump off my shit - not sure what your problem is So the singer of Catch 22 re-recorded an old C22 album with his name band, Streetlight Manifesto? That's pretty interesting Somebody post the line-up for this record, please. I didn't know what to expect, but now this review makes me want it real bad. I haven't listened to this album but I know I would certainly rather have a Streetlight Manifesto album of new material. Maybe if I saw this album dirt cheap or used I'd buy it, but until then I'll listen to the Catch-22 Keasby Nights. Tom wrote that and sang it too so as far as I'm concerned that's a Streetlight Manifesto album as well. rerecording an album is a pretty cool concept as long as the band isn't living in the past (which SM are not because their current material is on par with Catch22). Listen to it if you want. If you're a purist, then don't bother. I definitely wouldn't buy this, even though I love Streetlight. Good band, a nice idea I guess, but it doesn't seem really worth the money, sadly. i think people are too hung up on the fact that its not new streetlight manifesto. i think that if victory just remastered keesbey with this packaging, people wouldnt be annoyed/whatever by it, but would just think "there goes victory re-releasing more cds" I really don't know how to feel about this. It's good. It's recorded well. Listened to through the right speakers, I guess it sounds better. I'll keep the copy I was sent, but I don't think I'd buy this if put in the situation. "a 9? OH COME ON" danperrone, you and your friend gave shadows fall a 10 So can someone explain what happened between Tom and Catch-22? a 9? OH COME ON if you dont already have the catch 22 version, buy this now sorry, but this sucks in comparison to the original. the feeling, the almost urgency of fun i guess... it's all lost in some overpolished, light-hearted and dulled out nightmare. |
