Search - Too Much Joy :: Green Eggs & Crack

Ahead of their time

03/10/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Forget Harvey Danger, Barenaked Ladies, Green Day and a host of others. NONE of them would exist without the profound influence of groundbreakers like Too Much Joy. TMJ made better records (especially Son Of Sam I Am and ...Finally) but this early work is essential to own for the genesis of it all; and it's fun in its own right. The bonus tracks prove these guys have more TRUE punk in their little fingers than their disciples have in their entire styled-for-MTV-bodies."

The legend begins here!

dobie90@yahoo.com | Los Angeles | 01/26/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Not the best work they've ever done - which means it's only better than 90% of what's on the radio these days. Historians will curse the 20th century for having ignored Too Much Joy. If talent was fame, they would be beyond legendary. So think of "Green Eggs and Crack" as a post-apocalypse "Meet the Beatles!" Be warned that you will be compelled to roam cut-out bins and used CD stores in a quest for their later work. The extra tracks include a glimpse of what was to come in "Secret Handshake" - which is better than 100% of what's on the radio these days. Buy it, and you can be cool, too."

The best self-released DIY indie album of the 1980's

Bill Wikstrom | Long Island, NY | 09/04/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Why yes, self-released, DIY & Indie do all mean the same thing.

Scarsdale, N.Y.'s TMJ (known previously as The Rave) recorded

this album while still in College inbetween semesters and on breaks over a four year period. Oddly enough, it's a cohesive, consistant, quietly bratty pop-punk classic. "Map Like Mine" is a college radio classic (or at least it sounds as such) and still is one of TMJ's best ever songs. "No Beer" is dramatic in a silly and genuinely odd way. "Innocents Ablaze", "James Dean's Jacket" and "Don Quixote" are light mid-80's sounding jangle-pop. "Bored With Love" is as poignant as it is humourous.

"Drum Machine" is the only song they kept from this album in their live repertoire. It's a mini-chuckle fest.

But the real unsuspecting whoppers here are "Years" (their best

alienation/angst song) and "Here's To Eternity" (easily their

best boozy song) which has the Son Of Sam reference "the dogs in my head" (a hint of things to come as well).

Both songs are TMJ classics.

The CD contains five bonus tracks - two from the Crack

era and three from 1993. The later period songs have no business being on here. As good as they may be, (esp. "Drunk & In Love") they make no sense being on here, thus messing with the cohesiveness of the entire collection.

These songs could've easily been released on Gods & Sods and would have really improved the truly lackluster ...finally.

It would've made a bit more sense to close the CD on the accapella delight "The Otter Song" as Tim says purposefully says "the end" at the end.



The initial pressing of 1,000 vinyl copies are pretty rare (of which I personally own a couple - like five or so).



Robert Christgau said the best thing about this album was the title and in the advertisement for the GE&C t-shirt I believe Tim's blurb under it read "the album's out of print but the shirts sound better anyhow"...these both read nice and are cutely

self-effacing but the album is quietly rocking, lightly irreverend and unsuspectingly great. Even though the band consistantly said that the album sucks. They were wrong."