Smoking Popes - Smoking Popes 1991-1998 (CD)

All Music Guide

This release is a compilation of the Smoking Popes' first indie album Get Fired and selections from their catalog of 7" records. It is of particular note that everything here is out of print and likely to stay that way, making this the only way for most fans to hear these songs. Most of the compilation is culled from the band's early-'90s developmental phase, and it showcases both the Caterer brothers' sense of humor and their burgeoning popcraft. A song like "Sandra" shows the Popes at their most playful, with lead singer Josh Caterer lamenting his unrequited love for an older woman -- standup comic Sandra Bernhard. The 7" Smoking Popes 2 and their first album Get Fired document the growth of Josh Caterer's songwriting and guitar playing, as exemplified by great songs like "Stars" and "Let's Hear It for Love." Tracks like these are the Smoking Popes at their best, as Josh Caterer's smooth vocals slide effortlessly over the band's distorted canvas. The last two songs on the record -- t...he frenetic guitar workout "Do Something" and the superb closer "Pasted" (both rejected by Capitol Records and resurrected on 7") -- provide an excellent conclusion to both this compilation and the band's exemplary career. - Ari Wiznitzer, All Music Guide Read more Less