In 1999, Very Small Records issued this 4 song EP of very old Less Than Jake four track recordings. That's about all the background info I have on this release. No, really, I tried to do some research into the origin of the tracks and the recordings (and how Very Small Records got the rights to release this stuff in the first place), but alas, no info seems to exist on the net. I was able to determine that this was a limited EP release, with only a few hundred 7 inches printed up, as well as just under 2800 CD copies.

These may even pass as some of the first recordings that Less Than Jake did, back when they were a 3 piece band, far away from the ska-punk outfit they would morph into within only a few years. That's right, there's no horns on these old recordings, just drums, guitar, bass (not that you can hear it) and vocals.

The band benefitted from the mainstream ska resurgence of 1997, and to a certain extent, have benefitted from the pop-punk resurgence of the last few years as well, scoring appearances on TRL of all places with last year's She's Gonna Break Soon.

With that being said, only a very big LTJ fan could possibly garner any kind of repeated enjoyment from this EP release. The sound is extremely raw and the mix is muddy. At times the songs steer into an abyss of muddled guitars, losing the bass lines in the process. Should I even mention how bad lead singer/guitarist Chris sounds for most of this thing?

Good Time For Change begins the record, and it is the one time Chris does not sound like complete and utter a*s. In fact, it's the one song on the record that doesn't sound half bad, at least given what it was recorded on and the other three tracks on the record. Sure, the bass gets lost in the mix (as it does on most of these songs), but the guitar line is catchy enough and the song is played with plenty of energy.

Black Coffee on the Table is an early version of the song simply called Black Coffee that would appear on the band's debut full-length record, Pezcore. This version isn't nearly as crisp as the version on Pezcore, and it feels less completed as well.

Process also appeared on Pezcore, although this version is mixed in such a p*ss poor manner (again, I'm trying to take the source into consideration but still) that the excellent pulsating bassline that drives the Pezcore version is lost in guitar chords and reverb.

The last song, Green Eyed Monster, has a decent enough arrangement, emphasizing a ringing guitar intro before morphing into a kind of Cheap Trick meets KISS power pop song. Unfortunately, this sounds like it was recorded on something even crappier than a four track (is there something crappier than a four track?), which wastes the decent mixing job and ok vocal performance.

Look, I understand that this is pretty much a release just for diehard fans. Not many people are going to want to slap down $6-$7 for what amounts to (4) four track demos, especially when half of the disc can be found in superior form on the very very good Pezcore disc. That being said, I love Less Than Jake and even I have not felt the need to pull out this disc much at all since buying it about four years ago. Only serious LTJ collectors need apply.

Now, if only I could find a copy of the LTJ Muppets EP...

2 stars.

More on LTJ:
Hello Rockview
Live in Waltham MA 9/4/01 (concert review)
Borders and Boundaries
Goodbye Blue & White
Anthem




Recommended: No