Vinyl Listening Party: Rancid's Let's Go

For along time, I've been wanting to get some friends over for a vinyl close listening party. The theory is that a vinyl record, when the source was recorded and mastered in analogue, carries more of the warmth of the session performance than a cd. thus, while a cd (or a lossless digital format like flac) is superior to an lp in the long run because it doesn't degrade with each play, a better experience can be had with an unplayed vinyl (depending, of course, on your equipment and how the music was recorded, mastered, and mixed).

I have some pretty good equipment. Nothing really fancy, but a nice set up of various cheap shit that I can connect my dj grade turntable to (a stanton direct drive straight arm). So all I needed was the record (I have a solid 80s metal collection, but all the records are well worn).

That problem was solved at a recent Rancid show at the Electric Factory. During an opening act, Jim DiRaddo and I got chummy with the merch dude, and before we left he hooked us up with four brand new picture disc vinyls: rancid (the first self titled album), lets go, life won't wait, and rancid (the second self titled album).

On Saturday, I set up my rig, invited Jim - a big Rancid fan - and my friend Aaron - a rock music encyclopaedist. The purpose was to get a load on, give the "Lets Go" a close listen, and discuss. In my mind, I wanted for all three of us to really focus on the album - but it was hard to do. People, especially drinking people, have a tendency to chit chat - and I more than goa load on ( i got tanked).

That said, it wasn't a failure by any means.

Before I started, I thought of Lets Go as comparable in quality to Out Come the Wolves. I compared the two albums to Slayer's South of Heaven and Seasons in the Abyss - two albums that are arguably career high points, with nothing more than listener prference to distiguish between the quality of the two.

I now stand corrected. A btter comparison, if one need be made would be to Slayer's Hell Awaits and Reign in Blood, Metallica's Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets, or more appropriately NOFX's White Trash and Punk in Drublic. In each of those circumstances, the earlier release contains undeniable gems and showcases the band's potential for the masterpiece that followed. Yet, in each of those cases, the earlier release had deep flaws.

Lets Go is a flawed album. Nihilism is a great song, but insufficient for the opening track. The single - Salvation - is the dullest song on the album. The title track has better parts than its whole. The second side is a hodge podge collection of songs that arn't unified in feel the way the first side is.

Nevertheless, high energy is pervasive throughout - only disrupted, if at all, for Salvation. The album lacks the slinky ska jams that makes Wolves a more rounded listen, but it is a mosh pit lovers dream.

The highlight of the album is Radio. Radio tells the story of a kid who uses music to escape life's unbearable hardships. The listener gets a glimpse into the narator's broken family during the verse, and a segue transitions the listener along with the narator into the world of music. The chorus is anthemic, and conveys the spirit of the type of punk show Rancid performs.

The star of the album is the bassist - except when he's singing. Throughout, the bass conveys the instrumental melody (largely abandoned by the guitars) with near metal virtuosity, without ever losing any punk rock grit.

In conclusion - Lets Go is a worthy album for anyone who wants to listen to early 90s punk without listening to another NOFX/ Bad Religion clone. It is not an immature album, but it has its low points. The casual fan who enjoyed the faster material on Wolves will find a number of solid songs of comparable merit on the first side, and some pieces of interest on the second.