Me First & The Gimme Gimmes Take A Break CD

Me First And The Gimmie Gimmes: Spike (vocals); Jake Jackson (guitar, ukulele); Joey Cape (guitar); Fat Mike (bass); Dave (drums).
Recorded at Motor Studios, San Francisco, California. Includes liner notes by Christopher Dodge.
Personnel: Spike Slawson (vocals); Jackson (guitar, ukulele); Joey Cape (guitar).
Liner Note Author: Christopher "Snoop Dodgy" "C Dawg" Dodge.
Recording information: Motor Studios, San Francisco, CA.
Photographer: Jay Blakesberg.
Two years after punkifying some of the '60s' more popular songs for Blow in the Wind, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes return with Take a Break, their stab at some of R&B's classier, yet almost forgettable, tunes. The So-Cal five-piece is as rowdy as ever and their own punk rock polish is undeniably infectious. What made Blow in the Wind so great is exactly what makes Take a Break even cooler. It's straightforward rock & roll without the swagger -- tomfoolery without being lame -- and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes are clever in giving new life to some of these tracks. Whereas Lionel Richie's "Hello" and Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U" banked success with their heavy-hearted tones, the Gimme Gimmes spike that mood for a punchy, feel-good time. A more electric, rough-edged alternative of Seal's "Crazy" is equally fashionable and slick to the original version. Add a bit of quick wit and pinch-hitting percussion, and the energy of Take a Break is more than enough to impress the new millennium punk kids. If not, the band's pouncing banjo dance of R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" will do it. Me First and the Gimme Gimmes do rock & roll the right way because they don't try too hard. Take a Break once again showcases why they rock in the first place. ~ MacKenzie Wilson
TAKE A BREAK drags punk rock's premier cover band back from their respective day jobs with NOFX, Lagwagon, and No Use For A Name for another trawl through the pop charts of yesteryear. Highlights include an "Isn't She Lovely" that's a collision of Gary Glitter and Stevie Wonder and a version of Lionel Richie's "Hello" that will only seem scary if you haven't heard their take on Aretha's "Natural Woman."
All the above are delivered with the energy and genre-mixing panache you'd expect from these seasoned veterans, with enough variety and respect for the originals to avoid what could have been a one-dimensional exercise in punkifying old hits. Cases in point are their take on the Jackson 5's "I'll Be There," which manages to incorporate snippets of The Cars' "You're Just What I Needed," and their "Anarchy in the UK"-laced interpretation of Vanessa Williams' wedding-dance special 'Save the Best For Last," both of which should be heard to be believed.

Covers

Alternative Press (8/03, p.90) - 4 out of 5 - "...The Gimmes don't disappoint. TAKE A BREAK features 14 Red Bull-speed versions of R&B staples..."p