So why is Mad Caddies’ Duck and Cover on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
At their best, Mad Caddies ascend from being a really good ska punk band to a pretty great one.
When I think about why, they have some inherent advantages: a way above average horn section, generally top notch songwriting chops, and lead singer and rhythm guitarist Chuck Robertson has the unique ability to sing in aggressive punk rock mode and then change on a dime to croon with the best of them.
So Mad Caddies has all of that, but they then have really wide range, even eclectic range, for a ska punk band. But first, let’s start with “No Hope,” which is arguably my all-time favorite Mad Caddies song, an absolute blast of both punk rock and horn-driven ska that’s up there with the very best from Voodoo Glow Skulls, Less Than Jake, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, you name it.
But then we segue to the punk-meets-old time-y carnivalesque treat of a song in “Monkeys.” On a Mad Caddies live album, Robertson introduces the song in a self-deprecating way, something to the effect of, “It’s kind of dumb, but we like it.”
That attitude and “Monkeys” vibes shows us that the MCs can be quite serious when they want to be, but also have a potent and playful sense of humor that permeates much of their music. And I just find “Monkeys” to be a barrel of fun… or some such.
“Road Rash” allows the band to toggle between aggressive punk and something of an oompah-y lighter ska-driven mode in the same song, and as mentioned above, Robertson and the band are perfectly positioned to make it work.
And “The Gentlemen” proves that Mad Caddies are perfectly capable of blasting you away with dead ahead high octane punk rock.
Also see:
- Mad Caddies – Quality Soft Core: #603 of best 1,000 albums ever
- Mad Caddies – Just One More: #733 of best 1,000 albums ever
Pop culture stuff that’s somehow related to Mad Caddies’ Duck and Cover
“Econoline” is not my favorite song on Duck and Cover. It’s pretty good, but it’s more or less standard fare fast paced ska punk with a punk-heavy verse and more ska-flavored chorus (though the latter bit is rather tasty to be fair).
I bring it up with reference to the non-fiction book, Our Band Could Be Your Life, which I also discussed a bit recently for the entry on the Descendent’s I Don’t Want to Grow Up (#513 of 1,000 albums ever).
Specifically, the “econo” in “Econoline” reminded me about the chapter devoted to the Minutemen (also see: Double Nickels on the Dime, #723). They have a fully developed DIY philosophy based on the term “econo,” which stands for something like economizing. Their entire lifestyle is devoted to doing things on the cheap and economical so as to help push forward their mission of creating, playing, and recording music.
Really good stuff.
Here’s Minutemen’s “Viet Nam,” which I can never get enough of.
Some stats & info about Mad Caddies – Duck and Cover
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rock Music, Ska Punk, Third Wave Ska Revival, SoCal Bands, Punk Rock
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – not rated!
- When was Duck and Cover released? 1998
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #509 out of 1,000
Mad Caddies’ Duck and Cover on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Mad Caddies’ Duck and Cover that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
Gotta watch those corners in the stretch of danger, a problem could arise eventually. I’ve walked this earth for twenty years and now my mind is floating out to sea.
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.