So why is Yolk’s Caution: Social Prescriptions May Cause Side-Effects on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
Yolk is an exceptionally talented band that hails from my college town of Binghamton, New York. Even at their peak in popularity, they could be considered something of a local band, and so one of the great pleasures in doing this best 1,000 albums ever project is help spread the word about great bands and artists who deserve to be heard by more people.
There was a potent sub-strain of alternative rock in the ‘90s that mashed up funk, punk, metal, and even ska into sweaty, genre-crossing hybrids — think Red Hot Chili Peppers at their wildest, Faith No More at their most irreverent, or Rancid getting their skank on.
Even so, Yolk stood apart, with worldclass musicianship that made them deserving of being heard far beyond* the “southern tier” of upstate New York. Yolk’s closest analog in a number of ways would be a more soul-oriented Fishbone.
* See more on “far beyond” below!
Caution: Social Prescriptions May Cause Side-Effects, the second of Yolk’s three studio albums, represents an advance in sophistication and experimentation versus their self-titled debut (which, spoiler, I have great love for). It also delves deeper into lead singer Jimmy John McCabe’s political leanings. Some of the experiments work better than others and, in my view, some of the songs could have benefited from being honed down slightly more. All told, this is a fascinating album that spans a gamut of genres ranging from funk to metal to alternative rock, with top-notch musicians across the board. Jimmy John’s vocals are also singular.
I really believe that if Yolk had slightly more “mainstream” musical leanings and/or they had gotten a few breaks, songs such as “Dregs” or “Whatever, Fritz” could easily have gotten heavy airplay.
Let’s start with “Dregs,” my favorite song on the album. It’s wild punk carnival music meets ska punk and metal, and absolutely throttles along for its four-plus minutes of running time. It’s also a showcase for how nimble Jimmy John’s vocals are.
It’s wild how rangy Yolk is: no other song on the album sounds even a little like “Dregs.” And the same goes for the very different sounding “Whatever, Fritz,” a pretty acoustic rock singer-songwriter showcase for Jimmy John. Also dig the harmonies – great stuff.
While maybe a hair too long at just over six minutes, “Soulstorm” is a moody funk-metal song of sorts, infused with great percussion throughout.
Personal stuff that’s somehow related to Yolk’s Caution: Social Prescriptions May Cause Side-Effects
My man Adam and I would see Yolk live as often as we could, typically at a great, divey local venue called West Side Cheers.
Some of the details of this story are a little hazy, but somehow word got passed along that a guy we knew on the periphery of our social circle wound up playing ping pong with Jimmy John McCabe, lead singer of Yolk as noted above. This guy, so overwhelmed by the moment, announced to Jimmy John, “I can’t believe that I’m playing ping pong with the lead singer of Yolk, that so far beyond!”
Adam and I seized on this story with glee. Too much glee, really. I think I had decided that I didn’t like the star of this story for some reason (it’s possible that he had dated an ex-girlfriend of mine before I had, an even vaguer note in my brain asserts), and this passed along anecdote sealed it. Forevermore, he was deemed Far Beyond Guy, and a case study of things Not To Do lest one tread into the flames of social apocalypse ignominy or some such.
In reality, it’s likely if not probable that Jimmy John was lightly flattered by a college freshman flipping out with glee over the music that he and his band had produced.
Anyway, I think if there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that this best 1,000 albums ever project is absolutely so far beyond.
Some stats & info about Yolk – Caution: Social Prescriptions May Cause Side-Effects
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rock Music, Alternative Rock, Alternative Metal, Funk Rock
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 3 out of 5 stars
- When was Caution: Social Prescriptions May Cause Side-Effects released? 1995
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #721 out of 1,000
Yolk’s Caution: Social Prescriptions May Cause Side-Effects on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Yolk’s Caution: Social Prescriptions May Cause Side-Effects that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
Reside in the soul storm.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.