If you ask a Less Than Jake fan what their favourite LTJ record is, there’s a good chance that they’ll go for 1998’s ‘Hello Rockview‘. Arguably one of the finest records to come from the late-90s US ska/punk boom, it effectively kick-started the band’s now-huge following on this side of the pond; not least due to the success of the single ‘All My Best Friends Are Metalheads‘ and the band’s first UK tour the following year.
Getting hold of the band’s earlier releases, however, has not been the easiest of tasks – until now. The band have recently formed their own label, Sleep It Off Records (distributed in the UK by those good folks at Cooking Vinyl), and will shortly re-release their ‘Pezcore’, ‘Losers, Kings…’ and ‘ Goodbye Blue & White’ records on said label.
‘Goodbye Blue & White‘ is probably the least well-known of the above three records, but is well worth a listen for any LTJ fan wanting to delve into the band’s past. Essentially an odds n’ sods collection, it includes some amusing cover versions (e.g. ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’; ‘Teenager In Love’), some rare B-sides, and a few 7″ single versions of then-future album tracks. There’s also a great, chilled-out remix of ‘Dopeman’ on offer. Oh, and apparently there’s also some extra liner notes and DVD footage included too!
The band’s next studio album is still a few months away (at least), so this should tide you over in the meantime. Check out the band’s cover of ‘I Think I Love You‘ on the link above.
Alex Gosman