...finally
| ...finally | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1996 | |||
| Studio | Water Music, Hoboken, New Jersey | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Label | Discovery/Warner Bros.[1] | |||
| Producer | William Wittman | |||
| Too Much Joy chronology | ||||
| ||||
...finally is an album by the American band Too Much Joy, released in 1996.[2][3] Its first single was "The Kids Don't Understand".[4]
Production
[edit]The album was produced by William Wittman, who had joined Too Much Joy after producing the band's previous album, Mutiny.[5] The band used a sample of Alan Arkin remarking "uh, oh, too much joy," from the movie Simon; although both the album and the film were produced for Warner Bros., the corporation charged the band to use the sample.[6][7]
The cover of the album, by artist Doug Allen, depicts a cartoon rendering of a man and woman moments after engaging in sex.[8] A second cover was used to obscure the image for retail.[9]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [10] |
| Boston Herald | [11] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [12] |
| San Antonio Express-News | [13] |
Trouser Press thought that "the overpowering, sometimes nearly generic music obscures the progress, but ...finally benefits from an organic focus not found on the others."[14] The Virginian-Pilot called the album "angst-driven rock 'n' roll, but with a catch... The music is loud, but not angry."[15] The Columbus Dispatch considered that, "like most sophomoric acts, Joy flounders when it aims for seriousness ... but the group's Ramones-ish pop/punk carries the day."[16] The San Antonio Express-News stated that, "instead of the quirky rock that has served it well, Too Much Joy gives us an entire album's worth of imitation pop-punk in general and Green Day in particular."[13]
The Houston Press determined that "the immediate tone is grumpy and sarcastic, but less typical is the hopelessness often evident underneath."[17] The Delaware County Daily Times concluded that the "subject matter veers from preachy, to political and pointless... But through it all, the music's rambunctious, deliriously catchy style wins out."[18] The Boston Herald warned: "Too Much Joy is threatening to become the Replacements of the '90s: a group so dedicated to planned adolescence that it just might seal its own doom."[11]
AllMusic wrote that "the group are rejuvenated here, replacing the production gloss of their last couple of albums with the sort of punk-inflected buzzsaw guitar pop that had enlivened 1989's Son of Sam I Am, only with a better sense of melody."[10] MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide opined that frontman Tim Quirk "downplays humor for rebellious introspection—like James Taylor fronting a punk band or something."[19]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "You Will" | |
| 2. | "Weak" | |
| 3. | "Poison Your Mind" | |
| 4. | "Mrs. Now" | |
| 5. | "The Kids Don't Understand" | |
| 6. | "Different Galaxies" | |
| 7. | "I Believe in Something" | |
| 8. | "How to Be Happy" | |
| 9. | "Half Life" | |
| 10. | "I'm Your Wallet" | |
| 11. | "Skyline" | |
| 12. | "A New England" | |
| 13. | "Underneath a Jersey Sky" |
References
[edit]- ^ Stewart, Allison (April 1996). "Reviews". CMJ New Music Monthly. No. 32. p. 44.
- ^ "Too Much Joy Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ Borzillo, Carrie (January 20, 1996). "Discovery Records finds alternative". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 3. p. 1.
- ^ Sullivan, Jim (March 25, 1996). "Joy: prickly punk pop even a mom could love". Arts & Film. The Boston Globe. p. 45.
- ^ Marsh, Steven P. (May 3, 1996). "Joy, Nudity, and Newt". Lifestyle/Previews. The Record. p. 4.
- ^ Young, James O. (June 11, 2020). Radically Rethinking Copyright in the Arts: A Philosophical Approach. Routledge.
- ^ McLeod, Kembrew (December 27, 2007). Freedom of Expression: Resistance and Repression in the Age of Intellectual Property. U of Minnesota Press.
- ^ Dickinson, Chris (April 25, 1996). "Too Much to Be Legal: Punk Group Rocks the Boundaries of Sound — and Obscenity Laws". Get Out. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 7.
- ^ Rollins, Ron (May 5, 1996). "Too Much: The Joy of This Band Is That It Defies Categorization". Dayton Daily News. p. 3C.
- ^ a b "Finally Review by Stewart Mason". AllMusic.
- ^ a b Johnson, Dean (March 22, 1996). "Discs". Boston Herald. p. S6.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 212.
- ^ a b Johnson, Robert (March 24, 1996). "...finally Too Much Joy". Records. San Antonio Express-News.
- ^ "Too Much Joy". Trouser Press. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- ^ Harper, John (May 19, 1996). "Too Much Joy Has Newt Gingrich as a Fan". Carolina Coast. The Virginia Pilot. p. 20.
- ^ "Joyous WWCD fest". Weekender. The Columbus Dispatch. April 4, 1996. p. 8.
- ^ Rowland, Hobart (April 18, 1996). "Having Some Nasty Fun – Too Much Joy cowers in the mouth of adulthood". Music. Houston Press.
- ^ D'Addono, Beth (May 17, 1996). "Rock fans can't have Too Much Joy". News. Delaware County Daily Times.
- ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 1156.