Jawbreaker Tribute-Bad Scene [Compilation]

Obviously when you set out to cover Jawbreaker the bar is amazingly high right off the bat. Unlike the majority of these reviewers, I think there is a lot of success in the tribute.

The highs: The standout on the CD is Duvall's version of 'Busy'. They slow it right down and really bring out the emotionally charged lyrics. Ashtray Monument, Boat Dreams from the Hill (or "Boat"), Kiss the Bottle, and Jinx Removing all get some nice makeovers.

Touching anything from "Dear You" is a lofty goal indeed. Honestly I think only Fall Out Boy and The Reunion Show get it right. Bayside's 'Chemistry' isn't bad, though.

Lagwagon has a FAR superior 'Want' and they should have been on this album.

If you like Jawbreaker, yI think you'll like this comp. It's not Jawbreaker, but hey, it's not supposed to be.

First off, this is a tribute. It is not Jawbreaker, so to hold these performances up to their standards is unfair to these bands. While far from perfect, this is a better-than-average tribute cd.

It is obvious that most of these bands were influenced a great deal by Jawbreaker, as many of them sound very similar in style. Unfortunately, some of the bands try too hard to sound like them, and end up sounding like generic pop-punk covers. The songs that are best on this album are those that are the most different from the original versions.

The Aeffect may have provided the best contribution to this album, with a heavily synthesized version of "Boxcar". The Reunion Show performs "Unlisted Track" plugged in and with a full band, giving it a much more upbeat feel. Kill Your Idols does "Do You Still Hate Me" in typical Jawbreaker fashion, but with the much lower, hoarse vocals, it has a completely different feel. Duvall slows down "Busy", making the already emotional song even more dramatic. I also like Nerf Header's rendition of "Chesterfield King"

Not all of the songs meet with such success. For Amusement Only and Riddlin Kids provide energetic but generic renditions of "Shield Your Eyes" and "Jinx Removing", respectively. Jeff Ott performs an interesting but too-drawn-out version of "Jet Black", complete with the same Walken monologue at the end.

Most of the other songs are interesting the first couple times, but are soon forgettable. After giving this album a few listens, I have mixed reactions. Some songs are done very well, some are done poorly. If you are a big Jawbreaker fan, you may very well like this album. Just realize that, like all tribute albums, these songs will never be as good as the originals.

This may be the worst tribute album I've ever heard. Name Taken's "Want" and Fall Out Boy's "Save Your Generation" are reason alone NOT to buy this. They take Jawbreaker songs that weren't all that great to begin with and destroy them. Another low point is Duvall's "Busy". Although it's admirable that they tried something different, unlike most of these bands, the song comes off sounding more like a cover of "Everybody Hurts" than of "Busy". The Travoltas even managed to screw up "Bad Scene, Everyone's Fault", which I didn't think was possible. I mean, it's such a simple song. But they took the subtle joke of the Led Zepplin drumfill part and turned it into a hugely overdone Iron Maiden drumfill joke. It was really terrible. The only decent tracks are "Boxcar", which is in actuality a terrible cover and makes the song horribly amelodic, as well as dishonoring the drum line by using a drum machine, but at least it's short and kind of interesting; "Do You Still Hate Me?" because the guy from Kill Your Idols voice is a nice change from the generic pop punk singing from all the other bands; and "Jet Black", which is not good and too slow, but again it's noteworthy because they tried something different and it kind of, almost, worked. "Kiss the Bottle" is NOT good on here; the instrumentation is all right but whatever effect Sparta used on the vocal line just makes it sound terrible. Anyway, I can't imagine any reason anyone would ever listen to this instead of just listening to the originals.