•
Rating:
THE REVIEW
Lars Frederiksen, already a singer and guitarist of a major Californian Street/Ska Punk band like Rancid, forms a side-project called Lars Frederiksen And The Bastards, a mix of Street/Hardcore with hints of Reggae and Rockabilly.
The first album was released in 2001, titled "Lars Frederiksen And The Bastards," in my opinion, superior to the subsequent "Viking," which would come out three years later, in 2004. The only flaw of this album is not being recorded brilliantly... But doesn't that also make it harder and meaner?
It opens with a 12-second intro with "The Unknown Bastard" announcing the group, and then off we go, straight into the first track, the intense "Dead American", the best track of the album and one of the 3 singles, which lays bare the ways of American politics with a truly brutal lyric. The second track "6 Foot 5" with a very Rockabilly sound is quite pleasant to listen to, but it's not a masterpiece. Number 3 is another single from the album, "To Have And To Have Not", a cover of Billy Bragg, omnipresent at both LFATB concerts and Rancid's played and sung only by Lars... Fantastic!
We continue with another beautiful song, which is "Army Of Zombies", with an intro and style very similar to "Dead American", but slightly more catchy, with lyrics perhaps inspired by the Horror Punk of the Misfits. "Campbell CA" gives us a moment's rest with typical Californian Melodic Punk. Despite "Wine And Roses" being chosen as the 3rd single, it's nothing special; it's not bad, but it doesn't excite either, while the following track, "Anti Social", is beautiful, pure HC Punk with just a few chords, shouted, fast, with Lars's raspy voice fitting perfectly... Divine! "10 Plagues Of Egypt", after a vaguely Metal start, continues with a Melodic Hardcore style akin to "Army Of Zombies." The song compares today's wars, the hate in the world, the holocaust to the 10 plagues of Egypt. "Leavin' Here", a Motown cover, follows more or less the style of the entire album. "Subterranean", on the other hand, with its Reggae/Country vibe, is, in my opinion, the worst track on the album and has nothing to do with the penultimate "Skunx", a true masterpiece of Melodic Punk, perhaps one of the most famous by LFATB after "To Have And To Have Not". It would have been perfect as the closing track, but unfortunately, that title went to "Vietnam", a song of Melodic Hardcore without much to praise or criticize, but in the end, it gets annoying with the shouted chorus for over 2 minutes..."VIET-NAM! VIET-NAM!"... It would have been better to cut it short...
The album, in essence, is beautiful, and I recommend it to fans of Californian Street and Hardcore, especially to listeners of NOFX, Rancid, Bad Religion, Social Distortion, and the like.
Till next time... Cheers!
Loading comments slowly
Summary by Bot
This review examines Lars Frederiksen And The Bastards' self-titled debut, praising its raw and mean sound despite imperfect production. Highlights include standout tracks like "Dead American" and "To Have And To Have Not." The album mixes street punk, hardcore, reggae, and rockabilly influences. It is recommended for fans of Californian punk bands like Rancid and Bad Religion. Some tracks are less memorable, but overall it delivers intense, politically charged punk energy.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
03 Six Foot Five (02:20)
Cold March morning northern California back in 1973
He grew up quick and told that he was nothing till the day he turned 16
Broke outta town though he left a trail of violence a mile wide
No one there knew little Jay Woods would end up six foot five.
Five days a week he's working late shift at the C.B.S. Lumberyard
On the weekend he plays a little Rock And Roll on his 100 dollar bass guitar
How do you survive on those nickels and dimes his mother once did say
Put down your guitar get a good job cause Rock and Roll doesn't pay no it don't
[Chorus]
Skinhead roots reggae rock & roll, on parole
Skinhead roots reggae rock & roll, on parole
He said, I don't wanna be poor more
No, I don't wanna be poor no more
No, I don't wanna be poor no more
No, I don't wanna be poor no fucking more
Big Jay's got no problem unless you wanna start one I suggest that you don't stay
If you wanna make trouble he's quick to bust your bubble and send you on your way
Bustin our jaws his friends are outlaws
From their boots to their mutton chops
Most hated crew you know that they are true to the punx in the bastards
[Chorus]
04 To Have and to Have Not (02:48)
Up in the morning and out to school
Mother says there be no work next year
Qualifications once the Golden Rule
Are now just pieces of paper
Just because you're better than me doesn't mean I'm lazy.
Just because you're going forwards doesn't mean I'm going backwards.
Well if you look the part well then you'll get the job
In last year's trousers and your oldschool shoes
The truth is son it's a buyer's market
They can afford to pick and choose
Just because you're better than me doesn't mean I'm lazy
Just because I dress like this doesn't mean I'm a Communist.
Well the factories are closing and the army's full
I don't know what I'm going to do
But I've come to see in the land of the free
There's only room for a chosen few
Just because you're better than me doesn't mean I'm lazy
Just because you're going forwards doesn't mean I'm going backwards
Well at 21 you're a top of the scrap heap
At 16 you were top of your class
Well I dropped outta high school in Campbell, California
Got a guitar and I never looked back
Just because you're better than me doesn't mean I'm lazy
Just because I dress like this doesn't mean I'm a Communist.
10 Leavin' Here (02:42)
Hey, fellows have you heard the news,
The girls in this town are being misused,
I Seen it all in a dream last night,
Girls says we Don't treat them right
I'm leaving, leaving here,
I'm leaving, leaving here,
Hey, you fellows, better change your ways
Or they'll be leaving this town in a matter of days.
The girls say, and it rings so true,
We fellows run around with someone new.
I'm leaving, leaving here,
I'm leaving, leaving here,
Yeah, one by one
Yeah, two by two
Yeah, three by three
Yeah, four by four.
Loving woman is a wonderful thing
But the way that we treat'em is a crying shame.
One day, one day, and it won't belong.
And all them fine chicks be gone.
I'm leaving, leaving here,
I'm leaving, leaving here,
Yeah, one by one
Yeah, two by two
Yeah, three by three
Oh yeah, Oh, yeah hah,
I'm leaving here.
13 Vietnam (04:07)
When I came back from Saigon
Everyone turned their head
No one put their hand out
No one shared their bread
I lost my wife, I lost my job, I lost my brother too
Blue collar kids got nothing to do with it
Nightmares of jungles and M-16's
Hippies give me shit in my army greens
Now I'm running the streets of Birmingham
25 years since Vietnam
Some pull jobs some pull scams
But I'm just doing the best I can
Well it's very hard to realize that there's no love no more
The day I got on the plane was the day that I left the war
Arrived in Heatheron on a red eye flight
Down Kellet road I scored for the night
I took the tube through London town
When I woke up I was on mid land ground
Running the streets of Birmingham
25 years since Vietnam
Some pull jobs and some pull scams
But I'm just doing the best I can.
Vietnam... Vietnam... Vietnam... [repeat till fades]
Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards
American punk project led by Rancid’s Lars Frederiksen. Released two albums—Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards (2001) and Viking (2004)—melding street/hardcore punk with reggae and rockabilly touches.03 Reviews
