We're Not Happy 'til You're Not Happy
| We're Not Happy 'til You're Not Happy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Reel Big Fish | ||||
| Released | April 5, 2005 | |||
| Recorded | World Class Audio, Anaheim, CA, 2004. | |||
| Genre | Ska punk | |||
| Length | 59:42 | |||
| Label | Mojo, Jive | |||
| Producer | Aaron Barrett | |||
| Reel Big Fish chronology | ||||
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We're Not Happy 'til You're Not Happy is the fifth LP by Orange County ska punk band, Reel Big Fish.
The follow-up to the band's moderately successful Cheer Up!, We're Not Happy 'til You're Not Happy' was released on April 5, 2005 on Mojo Records. Compared to the previous album, which was more lighthearted and cheerful, Allmusic describes the songs in the album as "angry" and "embittered", but also deemed the album as "super catchy". Common themes expressed throughout the songs include jealousy, regret, short-lasting fame, and disappointment toward mainstream record companies.
The album includes covers of Tracy Chapman's "Talkin' Bout a Revolution", Morrissey's "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful" and Social Distortion's "Story of My Life". Both the Chapman cover and the Social Distortion cover were chosen as the first and second singles respectively.
The album was not particularly successful in comparison to previous releases. The band felt a large portion of this was on the record company's lack of promotion. This, amongst a long list of other conflicts, led to the band's 2006 split with Jive Records.
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   link |
| Punknews.org |  link |
| Punktastic | link |
Track listing
All tracks written by Aaron Barrett, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Fire" | Barrett, Dan Regan | 3:05 |
| 2. | "Drinkin'" | 3:25 | |
| 3. | "Don't Start a Band" | 3:18 | |
| 4. | "A-W-E-S-O-M-E" | 3:32 | |
| 5. | "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful" (Morrissey cover) | Morrissey, Alan Whyte | 2:23 |
| 6. | "Turn the Radio Off" | Barrett, Regan | 2:38 |
| 7. | "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution" (Tracy Chapman cover) | Tracy Chapman | 3:24 |
| 8. | "The Bad Guy" | Barrett, Regan, Matt Wong, Scott Klopfenstein | 3:32 |
| 9. | "Story of My Life" (Social Distortion cover) | Mike Ness | 4:10 |
| 10. | "The Joke's on Me" | 3:49 | |
| 11. | "One Hit Wonderful" | 4:18 | |
| 12. | "Last Show" | Barrett, Klopfenstein | 3:02 |
| 13. | "Say Goodbye" | 4:09 | |
| 14. | "Your Guts (I Hate 'Em)" (ends at 2:06) | 14:57 | |
| 15. | "Beer" (Bonus Track; Japanese release. New version of song from Turn the Radio Off) | 3:53 | |
| 16. | "Way Back" (Bonus Track; Japanese release) | 15:27 |
- Notes
- "You're Gonna Die" - 9:49 hidden track, which is part of track 14 on general release (track 16 on Japanese release) begins at (5:06) on the general release.
Personnel
The Band
- Aaron Barrett - Guitar, Synthesizer, Producer, Lead Vocals
- Scott Klopfenstein - Trumpet, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocal Harmonies
- Matt Wong - Bass Guitar
- Dan Regan - Trombone
- John Christianson - Trumpet
Additional Musicians
- Justin Ferreira - drums
Production
- Eddy Schreyer - Mastering
- John Halpern - Photography
- Chaz Harper - Mastering
- Vince Pileggi - Management
- Denise Trorman - Art Direction, Design
- Beau Burchell - Engineer
- Shawn Sullivan - Producer, Mixing, Engineer
- Jesse Alvarado - Engineer
- David Irish - Engineer, Mixing
- Lars Stalfors - Assistant Engineer, Beats
Hidden message
After the track "Your Guts (I Hate 'Em)", a long period of random sounds and loud noises plays. These noises include screaming, short excerpts from a song sung by Scott Klopfenstein and a hidden message played backwards on repeat, read by singer Aaron Barrett. The message says:
I love this band. This is my favorite band. I love Reel Big Fish. Reel Big Fish is my favorite band. I love this song. This is a great song. I feel good when I listen to this song. I will buy Reel Big Fish merchandise. I need Reel Big Fish merchandise. I feel good when I buy Reel Big Fish merchandise. I love this band. I want to tell everyone I know about this band. I love Reel Big Fish. Reel Big Fish is my favorite band. I love this album so much I want to buy it again. Reel Big Fish is my favorite band. I want to buy all my friends a Reel Big Fish album. I love Reel Big Fish. I love this band. This is my favorite band...
From here the message repeats.
External links
- We're Not Happy 'til You're Not Happy at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)