Search - Schleprock :: Learning to Fall: The Schleprock Anthology

Punk rock at its best

??? | Michigan, USA | 04/10/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you like punk rock (especially Offspring, Bad Religion, old school Green Day, and Rancid), buy this CD right now- you won't regret it. This is a near-perfect best-of compilation for a truly great, yet sadly underrated punk band.

Schleprock came out of the California punk movement of the late 80's/ early 90's, which also produced such bands as The Offspring and Green Day. However, while these bands found mainstream fame on major labels, Schleprock stayed on indie labels, gathering a large cult following within the punk community, and quickly gaining a reputation as a great punk band. As lead singer Doug "Dagger" Caine writes in the liner notes, their shows became notorious for starting riots- what's more punk rock than that?

They released three indie label albums (Hide and Seek, Propeller, and the Out of Spite EP), and were then signed by Warner Brothers Records, where they released their first- and last- major-label album, (America's) Dirty Little Secret.

With the success of their hit single Suburbia, which got a lot of play on the radio and MTV, they were finally on the verge of achieving mainstream fame, but they broke up just after the release of their B-sides compilation, "A Long Time Ago", in 1997. Plans for a reunion were stopped by the tragic death of guitar player Jeff Graham of a drug overdose in 2002.

This compilation features most of the best (though it can't include everything) from their albums, plus rare, previously unreleased tracks. In the liner notes, lead singer Caine writes about each song, and tells the story of their rise and fall.

If you like punk rock, this CD is a must have. Schleprock has become way too obscure, and deserves to be remembered alongside the great punk bands, like Offspring and Bad Religion.

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