Sum 41 Chuck CD

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
Sum 41: Biz (vocals, guitar, piano, Mellotron, keyboards); Dave Brownsound (guitar); Cone McCaslin (bass guitar); Stevo (drums).
Aside from their inherent love of metal, Sum 41 are -- let's be honest -- as close to a Canadian blink-182 in status and musical instincts as one is gonna find in the mid-2000s. Yeah, they tended to rock much harder where blink was more pop-oriented but, really, a comparison between the two isn't very far off. So it must be said that with a live album from Sum 41, expectations were keyed up for a boisterous punk rock show complete with obnoxious jokes, snotty remarks, and immature humor. And that's what listeners get...sort of. Recorded during April 2005, Go Chuck Yourself documents the band's stop at the John Labatt Centre in London, Ontario, in front of what sounds like thousands of adoring and shrieking fans. The album is well recorded -- along with the crowd response, you can hear the band almost as perfectly as in a studio release. Surprisingly, though, for such a ragtag team of toilet-humored guys, there's very little on-stage banter, the group instead blazing pretty steadily through its set. It's just as well, though, since the antics that do appear aren't that entertaining, even to one who can appreciate juvenile humor. All Deryck Whibley offers outside of songs, swearing, and diabolical laughter are charming comments like "I'm an a**hole!," "Who hates George W. Bush?," and various questions about the pot-smoking and drinking habits of the presumably youthful audience. If that's Sum 41's shtick, then OK, they do it just fine. The audience seems to be enjoying things thoroughly, though it's probably safe to assume he could say just about anything and they would react with unflinching and affectionate cheers. Overall, their set is fast, tight, and seems to draw mostly from their Does This Look Infected? and Chuck albums, though a few songs from other releases are sprinkled in as well. The energy of their live show pretty well transfers to the recording, and Sum 41 are no doubt an entertaining band live. Their snottiness isn't the problem, as snotty can be fun. But whereas the immaturity of blink-182 still contained an endearing quality that even non-fans (for the most part) could roll their eyes in amusement to, Sum 41 just come off as annoyingly immature on-stage. Fans will eat this release up, while everyone else can just steer clear. ~ Corey Apar
In June 2004, Sum 41 was in Congo filming a documentary for charity when they found themselves caught in the midst of the country's ongoing hostilities. But a UN aid worker named Chuck Pelletier was instrumental in getting the band to safety, and a grateful Sum 41 named their fourth album in his honor. As they say in their liners, "Without him, we'd be dead. Chuck rules!" The experience also seems to have mellowed the group's sarcastic streak. From its aggressive metal and hardcore overtones to lyrics that rail against societal ignorance and a world gone wrong, Chuck is a few steps ahead of the smirking, jocular anthems that populated Sum 41's previous output. This suddenly sober outlook hasn't lessened the rock power, though. "Why is there no reason we all can't change?" Deryck Whibley wonders in "No Reason," but the cut also binds the rapid-fire pace of hardcore to a great chorus hook. Lead single "We're All to Blame" lashes out at greed with some vicious metal riffing, "Bitter End" takes its cues from the double-bass kicks and furious lead solos of Anthrax, and "There's No Solution"'s layered vocals, psychological fretting, and explosive chorus shift give it a Linkin Park feel. Sum 41 also avoids employing too many "serious" add-ons, such as string sections or synthesizers. Chuck does have a few passages of acoustic guitar (most effectively on the low-key "Slipping Away"). But like Sum 41's previous efforts, it's a concise album that clocks inRolling Stone (p.102) - 3 stars out of 5 - "With CHUCK, Sum 41 have pulled off a truly impressive knucklehead stunt: They've managed to grow up a little and still have something to say."
Entertainment Weekly (pp.112-13) - "[T]hey fully embrace the riffage on CHUCK, front-loading their tunes with pyrotechnics ŕ la Metallica." - Grade: B+