Although once a huge fan of the Queers—their Kicked out of the Webelos EP remains, in my estimation, one of the unsung greats of ‘80s punk rock, and their Grow Up and Love Songs for the Retarded albums of the early ‘90s are must haves for any fans of Ramones-derived pop punk—this was the last album I heard by them that I had any real interest in. Part of it was the fact that the subsequent releases I heard were not particularly interesting or good, but a good chunk of it was also because of the inundation of clone bands that were an unfortunate byproduct of their popularity and the chronic herd mentality of so many so-called “free thinking” punks. I freely admit they had no control over the latter, but I do feel that they would’ve more than easily secured a lofty place in punk’s hall of fame if they had packed up the tent and went home after this release. Going one step beyond their heroes the Ramones and actually incorporating into their sound the Beach Boys influence Joey and the boys only hinted at, The Queers managed a rock solid release of smart-assed attitude, catchy hooks, and solid delivery. The Beach Boys influence goes so far in places—check out the title track and their cover of “Little Honda”—that the mind reels with wonder why Brian Wilson never dropped Joe a call to collaborate on something. If anyone ever asks why these guys were such a big deal, steering them in the direction of this CD wouldn’t be a bad idea.
–jimmy (Asian Man)