So why is Rancid & NOFX’s BYO Split Series Volume III on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
The concept behind the BYO Split Series – two bands cover each other’s songs and put ‘em on one album – is ingenious yet holds the potential to go off the rails if placed into the wrong hands.
Thankfully, with legendary punk bands Rancid and NOFX put to the task in the series’ third edition in 2002, the results are dynamite.
Both bands are upper tier punk rock bands, but things get really interesting when you think about what makes each “tick” and how that translates into interpreting the other band’s material. And I must note too that it’s just really cool that these bands respect each other enough to participate in this kind of project.
Rancid is the more “serious” of the two bands and plays mostly in the punk and ska punk space – with some of their most aggressive stuff ranging into hardcore punk, I think it’s safe to say. While NOFX can be plenty serious and earnest (“Soul Doubt” and “Linoleum” are great examples) they have a playful, mischievous side that often comes up. And NOFX’S sound can also span into some far flung genre for an ostensibly punk rock band as well.
It’s for that reason that of the two “sides” to the album – there’s both a Rancid and NOFX “side” – I find NOFX’S interpretation of Rancid’s material to be the most fascinating and exciting.
And on that score, NOFX’S take on Rancid’s “Radio” is the best song on the album. The Rancid original is both melodic and raucous punk rock, with Tim Armstrong’s trademark scratchy/slurry vocals. In NOFX’S hands, it becomes insanely great and catchy and mellowed out reggae rock.
With “Corazon de Oro,” NOFX takes what’s a rough-edged yet buoyant ska punk number and speeds it up into a fast paced, straight up melodic punk rocker, with super pleasing results.
And Fat Mike’s voice turns the hardcore punk of “Antennaes” into NOFX’S signature sneering upbeat punk rock.
On the Rancid side of the album, it’s equally riveting to hear how Rancid interpreted quirky NOFX classics like “Bob” and “The Brews*” into their more straightlaced but very much energetic and dynamic musical worldview.
* As I’ve mentioned before, “The Brews” is the greatest punk rock anti-fascist and Jewish empowerment song of all time.
Some stats & info about Rancid & NOFX – BYO Split Series Volume III
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Punk Rock, Rock Music, SF Bay Area Bands, SoCal Bands, Punk Revival, Skate Punk, Ska Punk
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 4 out of 5 stars
- When was BYO Split Series Volume III released? 2002
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #281 out of 1,000
Rancid & NOFX’s BYO Split Series Volume III on YouTube
A lyrical snippet from Rancid & NOFX’s BYO Split Series Volume III that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
When I got the music, I got a place to go.
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.