Alkaline Trio: Alkaline Trio

Alkaline Trio: Alkaline Trio

2000

Asian Man Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing:  1. Goodbye Forever  2. This Is Getting Over You  3. Bleeder  4.  I  Lied My Face Off  5. My Friend Peter  6. Snake Oil Tanker  7. Southern Rock  8.  Cooking Wine  9. For Your Lungs Only  10. The Exploding Boy  11. Sundials  12. Nose Over Tail  13. '97

Although this is a compilation of tracks from various singles and whatnot, it's of the same high quality as the rest of their albums. It's even arguably, the best place to start if you're looking for an entry point into the Alkaline Trio discography. If you already own "goddamnit" you're going to find a few repeats but it's no big deal, since it  never hurts  to hear "Southern Rock" again, and the versions are slightly (very slightly) different.

If anything, get this for  "'97." It's  one of the all-time great Alkaline Trio songs and a masterwork of gut-wrenching late 90's emo. Other highlights are the storming opener "Goodbye Forever" and  "I Lied My Face Off" which features one of Dan's most memorably anguished vocals.  Oh, and check out their cover of the Cure's "Exploding Boy." It sounds almost like the original but it rocks just a little more! Which is always the right decision when you decide to do a cover....

By the way, I love the cover photo. It seems like there's been numerous CD covers that depict a cassette tape on the cover...like this...




...and this...



...and don't forget this horrible album....




...but I think Alkaline Trio's might be the best. The tape on the cover looks exactly like the tapes my old band, Deranged Chimpmunks, would use to record our albums on 4-track. I was buying cassette tapes for that exact purpose well  into 2003, with my current band TA-80. Eventually I switched to all-digital but sometimes I look at the dusty 4-track sitting in my apartment and get nostalgic for some analog action...

 sigh...





Enough of these wistful remembrances...It's time to  go back to the year 2000, and listen to "Who Let the Dogs Out" by Chicago punk legends the Baha Men...



Wait...I meant "'97" by Alkaline Trio...I always get those two mixed up...