Fame, Fortune, and Fornication

An Album from Reel Big Fish

Review by Nick Peron

"We Should Have Wrote These Songs"

Is the comments coming from Reel Big Fish front man Aaron Barrett, or at least that's what the sticker on the shrink wrap around this CD told me he had said. Now while I suspect treachery and deceit around every corner, this little green sticker with it's authoritative bold font will have my trust for now.... That's because after listening to the latest offerings from the great Reel Big Fish, I couldn't agree more. If you haven't already guessed, Fame, Fortune and Fornication is an entire album of covers done in the tune of Ska by none other than RBF.

Surprisingly in the world of third-wave Ska there are a lot of old ditties that seem to just translate into good ska music (and if you're shouting "there is no such thing as good ska" get the fuck out of my house.) and Reel Big Fish has never disappointed when they do a cover. Anyone who has heard their cover of "Take On Me ", "Kiss Me Deadly " or "Boys Don't Cry " will be inclined to agree with me.

Since saying good-bye to being on a major liable, Reel Big Fish has been churning out the works in recent years releasing their live album Our Live Album is Better Than Your Live Album, a split CD with Zoloft the Rock & Roll Destroyer called Duet All Night Long , and the studio album Monkeys for Nothin' and the Chimps for Free before releasing this gem of amazing covers. I recommend all of these albums and any of their previous albums while they were working under the oppression of the major labels.

Fame, Fortune and Fornication has a lot of great catchy songs, from their rendition of Poison's "Nothin' But a Good Time" to John Cougar Mellencamp's "Authority Song" (which by the way has a nice little nod to the Clash's "I Fought the Law") Another thing is that they'll get stuck in your head, and not in that annoying kind of way that some songs do that drive you nuts, you're just going to like these songs that much.

It also features covers of Slade's "Mama We're All Crazy Now", a rendition of "Veronica Sawyer" (which was originally played by Edna's Goldfish, as if I needed to tell you), the Van Morrison classic "Brown Eyed Girl", and The Eagle's "Long Run."

The group also goes back to their ska roots by playing covers of Desmond Dekker's "Keep a Cool Head" and the classic "Monkey Man" originally sung by Toots & the Maytals. Covers that any fan of Ska can really appreciate, I personally enjoy the upbeat and catchy rendition of "Monkey Man"

The album finishes off with yet another Poison cover, this time the song "Talk to me Dirty" which I have to say that this song is my favorite. If you're a sentimental bastard like I am, you attribute certain songs to fond memories, and let me tell you *ahem* "Talk to me Dirty" evokes many, many fond memories. Sweaty and down right dirty memories, but fond none the less. This song also features RBF lead singer Aaron Barrett singing a duet Tatiana DeMaria from the group TAT (Another great group from the UK, I strongly recommend giving them a listen) List rendition of the song would not be complete without Tatiana's soft spoken and very British back-up vocals.

All said and done, Fame, Fortune and Fornication is a great album, from it's parody of 80's hair metal album design to it's kick-ass covers. If you love Ska, and/or Reel Big Fish, I strongly recommend this album.