NOFX

NOFX: The Longest LineThe Longest Line (1992)
Fat Wreck Chords

Reviewer Rating: 4.5

User Rating:

Contributed by: VanStuVanStu
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on July 3rd 2009I was checking out NOFX's Punknews band page when, to my disbelief, I saw that this EP hasn't been reviewed yet. This EP is a milestone for NOFX! It was their first release on Fat Wreck, the first release with El Hefe and an initial taste of the fantastic material that would follow in their career. .

I was checking out NOFX's Punknews band page when, to my disbelief, I saw that this EP hasn't been reviewed yet. This EP is a milestone for NOFX! It was their first release on Fat Wreck, the first release with El Hefe and an initial taste of the fantastic material that would follow in their career.

The EP starts off with a retarded joke that I personally didn't grasp for some time. But they make up for it immediately with the classic: "The Death of John Smith." This song is well-written all around. It's fast, has great lyrics, well-placed harmonies and a great syncopated breakdown that shows off the band as a whole. El Hefe sings solo on the bridge, which is half-timed, giving a sense of buildup for the final verse/chorus.

The title track is arguably the catchiest song on the EP. It's witty, simple and fun. "The Longest Line" is a step out of pace (at the time) from the usual straightforward skatepunk NOFX was writing. It's stripped down in terms of tempo and musicianship. But nonetheless, you'll find it suck in your head after a couple of listens.

The next two songs took a few listens to win me over. "Stranded" is a sleeper for sure. It's one of those songs that takes a while to build. But you once you get there, you see what all the fuss is about. The "ahhhh"s on the chorus are great. The segue from the breakdown into the solo is awesome.

"Remnants" is easier to get into then the previous song. The verses have great melodies that stick with you. NOFX does a great job of building up in this one. It's up and down to get into the second verse, as well as getting into the solo and then eases off into the the last verse. They finally slow it down, get a little metal and pull out the artificial harmonics for the outro.

To finish off the EP is the amusing reggae track, "Kill All the White Man." I would have to say that the repetition and humor of this song will have you singing it for weeks. El Hefe sings this one and does a great job with the faux-Rasta accent. It's pretty straightforward in terms of music and speeds up for a more punk rock outro. I personally think they could have chopped off some bars at the end. But hey, I thought that about "The Decline" as well...

I would recommend picking up this EP. It's classic NOFX. The production is pretty much on par with White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean and the songs hold some steady longevity.

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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.

sean021122 (February 29, 2012)

Total fucking crap. they sold out circa this one and "white trash and 3 magic fat mike beans" . Even on 'ribbed;' the signs were there of this departure into whiny vocal commercial mainstream poppy sellout mediocrity. But at least ribbed has a few good songs. Get yourself "S&M airlines" and evertyhing before it and your ears will thank you. But especially dial in on anything they did on Mystic records. And the new "hardcore covers" record.That is all true punk. True or punk are words that would no longer apply to this band after 1991. thank you. drive through.

nedsammy (July 18, 2010)

there was a politician in the UK called john smith who carked it shortly before his party got into power. punk, and premonitions

blip (June 29, 2010)

still great.

sumwon (July 6, 2009)

Only NOFX could bridge Propagandhi and Sublime in the People Also Liked section. Score's for that.

paulrulzdood (July 6, 2009)

"kill all the white man" and "the longest line" are both essential NOFX tracks that shoudl be in any fan's library. The other 3 are kind of filler, solid for the time, but nearly 20 years later, they just sound like average old-school NOFX songs (as does half the material on "white trash" but what do I know).

but cough up the $2 for those 2 songs for sure. both are pretty simple musically, but lyrically they are hilarious and thoughtful, that classic balance of dick & fart humor mixed with profound social commentary that no other band (vandals, guttermouth, blink182) that has tried it has ever gotten it quite right.

plus both are classic live NOFX sing-a-longs so you should be familiar with them for that fact alone. like "bob".

Paul

the_other_scott (July 5, 2009)

i'm confused. i never picked this up so i don't know. is the joke about a retarded person or is the reviewer lazy enough that he used "retarded" as a description?

kylewagoner (July 5, 2009)

This EP was okay. I'm not a huge old NOFX fan. There were a few songs on White Trash I could listen to but they didn't really get into things I could listen to on repeat until Punk in Drublic. I'm the same with most old Lagwagon or any of the other bands going with the same sound in that time. I prefer the more developed NOFX. So Long is my favorite but I also love the shit out of Pump Up the Valium. Those are my favorites, I think it's safe to say. Whatever, I'm ranting about my personal feelings. I think if NOFX rewrote these songs today, they'd be better melody-wise.

bongsmcj (July 5, 2009)

i cant believe this is the sort of mindless bullshit that punknews has been reduced to...

cloudkicker (July 4, 2009)

Agreed. Probably the most solid NOFX record. And the art is pretty cool, which is usually hit or miss with these dudes.

android (July 4, 2009)

I love this record but I can´t listen to "Kill AllThe White Man" anymore...

xcarlupanddiex (July 4, 2009)

if NOFX put these tunes on White Trash, I think we'd have the best punk rock record ever.

LeightonESmith (July 3, 2009)

One of the best EPs ever. Fuck NOFX was good back in the day!

BarleyPat (July 3, 2009)

Damn, it just occured to me how long it's been since I listened to this. Great EP.