Sicko – You Are Not The Boss Of Me - Blue Vinyl (/250) & Blue With White Splatter Vinyl (/250)

Top Drawer (2024, Reissue) 

30 years after their first full length was released, Sicko is reissuing all of their albums on vinyl and CD. These boys have put out some really important records to me and over the next few Fridays I'm going to be writing about each of them (Maybe not on Black Friday, but we'll see how that goes). In the 90s, Sicko was part of my holy trinity of pop punk bands that also included The Mr. T Experience and Zoinks. I still obsess over all three to this day.

Here we are at the fourth and final Sicko reissue, 1997's You Are Not The Boss Of Me.  I don't know how it was everywhere, but when this album came out it felt like there wasn't as much fanfare as there was for Chef Boy-R-U-Dum, at least in our little world in NJ.  It's not that anyone had ever expressed disappointment in it or anything like that, but it felt like had gone from Sicko being kings of the world to folks being like, 'Oh yeah, I like Sicko.  They have a new album?  That's cool.'  While my fandom was no less fervent when the album was released, it didn't feel like that was the case for everyone. 

Maybe it's because Sicko wouldn't make it back out this way to play any more shows.  Maybe the writing was on the wall that the band was reaching the end of their lifespan.  Maybe because things were moving so fast musically back then that in the two years between albums tastes had started to change.  It could have been any of those things, but what it doesn't change is that looking back on this record all these years later, I still think it's pretty stellar.

The album starts with "Window of Opportunity."  An incredible album opener from a band that sure knows how to open albums.  And it's just full of great songs like "Hipster Boyfriend," "High Hopes" and my favorite Ean song, "Indie Rock Daydream."  If there was ever a song that should be twice as long as it is, that's the one that would get my vote.

While I wouldn't say that "A Song About A Rabbit," "My Sister Is A Werewolf Tonight" or the "Wrathchild" cover would rank as my favorite Sicko moments, they do flesh out the album with a more varied sound.  Though I think back then probably I just wanted more pop punk.  I've also never really liked any kind of metal, so an Iron Maiden cover would always probably lose me no matter the band or the time.

Like all of the reissues, this one sounds great.  We've got two bonus tracks as well, both covers.  The first is the Misfits' "Astro Zombies."  I probably wouldn't care too much about Misfits covers most times, but they do a good job with it, playing it at warp speed.  The second is a cover of "8.6" by Husking Bee, who were another band that I really loved around this time.  This version is sped up a bit, but it fits right into the Sicko canon.

And that's going to wrap up all of the Sicko reissues.  At least until a grand, all encompassing, demos, singles and compilation songs collection is released (which I encourage).  It's great to see these albums out and being talked about again.  They truly mean so much to me and sure I have the original pressings, but you could spend your money a lot worse than having three copies of each Sicko record (well, four if I also count the CDs).  

They'll also be playing a few shows here and there, and while I don't think I'm going to be able to get out to Seattle next year, I'm still happy it's happening and hope it continues to happen every now and again.  Even though those are the days that I will remember, these songs are all too important to just leave in the past.

Sicko – You Are Not The Boss Of Me:
https://sicko.bandcamp.com/album/you-are-not-the-boss-of-me-remastered

Sicko – Chef Boy-R-U-Dum - Blue Vinyl (/250) & Yellow With Red Splatter Vinyl (/250)

Top Drawer (2024, Reissue)

30 years after their first full length was released, Sicko is reissuing all of their albums on vinyl and CD.  These boys have put out some really important records to me and over the next few Fridays I'm going to be writing about each of them (Maybe not on Black Friday, but we'll see how that goes).  In the 90s, Sicko was part of my holy trinity of pop punk bands that also included The Mr. T Experience and Zoinks.  I still obsess over all three to this day.

The release of Chef Boy-R-U-Dum was when Sicko-mania really peaked, at least in the little record store that I spent an inordinate amount of my time in back then.  I would stop there multiple times a week, hanging out for many hours at a time, soaking up as much music as I could.  The legend of Sicko really was growing after Laugh While You Can Monkey Boy made its way around town and anticipation for the next record was pretty high.  Flipside is the store pictured in the liner notes of this reissue that made the window display of mock Chef Boy-R-U-Dum cans and when that record finally came out, it felt like nearly everyone owned a copy.

This is also the time when Sicko finally made it out east.  They played at Coney Island High in NYC and The Pipeline in Newark.  I will never, ever figure our why I was not able to go to the NYC show.  There was some sort of conflict that I guess was important at the time, be it work, school or some other nonsense, but I don't know how important it could have actually been since I don't remember what it was at all but sure do remember missing the show.  I did, however, get to see them play at The Pipeline and it was just a joy.  I also interviewed Denny and Ean for my college paper and asked them many stupid questions that were all the rage in interviews back then. Boba Fett and Wedge were their favorite Star Wars characters at the time, if you're curious.

But let us not overlook the record itself.  While I mentioned last week that Laugh While You Can Monkey Boy will probably always be my favorite for sentimental reasons, it really could be argued that Chef Boy-R-U-Dum was their crowning achievement.  Especially in hindsight, it's really impressive to look back on this and see how strong and cohesive it is top to bottom.  This is a record crammed full of songs under two minutes, yet they've been lodged in my brain for nearly three decades.  They don't feel short, they just sort of feel perfect.

Among the many, many highlights are "Half the Battle." "Believe," "Escalator" (which had a music video!) and maybe the song that galvanized our little crew of dorks more than any other: "The Dateless Losers Club."  Despite the fact that the bulk of us had significant others at the time, it felt very much like a song speaking to us as it often felt like we were all just seconds away from being dateless losers again at any moment.  I so vividly remember the moment they played it at The Pipeline and everyone in the room throwing up the 'L' with their hands when the "stuck to my forehead" line came.

Like the other reissues, this one sounds great.  The best Chef Boy-R-U-Dum has ever sounded.  And on this version, the song is listed as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" as opposed to "Donit Ask, Donit Tell" like the LP I had from Spain!  We've got one bonus track, which is "Escape Velocity" from the More Bounce To The Ounce compilation album, but I must ask - where is "The Rainy Day" song from the Japanese version of the CD?  See, this is what happens when an obsessive record collector starts writing about records like this.  I ask the tough questions, man.  But that aside, it is most difficult to really articulate how much I love this record and how it's stuck with me for all of these years.  It can't be recommended more highly from me and it's great to see it back in print and on vinyl in America for the very first time.

Sicko - Chef Boy-R-U-Dum:
https://sicko.bandcamp.com/album/chef-boy-r-u-dum-remastered

Sicko - Laugh While You Can Monkey Boy - Green Vinyl (/250) & Green w/ Black and Yellow Splatter Vinyl (/250)

Top Drawer (2024, Reissue)

30 years after their first full length was released, Sicko is reissuing all of their albums on vinyl and CD. These boys have put out some really important records to me and over the next few Fridays I'm going to be writing about each of them (Maybe not on Black Friday, but we'll see how that goes). In the 90s, Sicko was part of my holy trinity of pop punk bands that also included The Mr. T Experience and Zoinks.  I still obsess over all three to this day.

Laugh While You Can Monkey Boy was Sicko's second album, but it is the one that was their current release when I started listening to them.  I have this oddly vivid memory of the exact moment it happened at Flipside records.  The conversation had turned to The Mr. T Experience and I was asked if I had heard Sicko.  When I said no, Alan pulled the CD out from the little mini section of new release CDs that was sort of built into the cash register area.  You had to look down at this box to see the spines.  He laid the CD on tope of the others and the cover art struck a chord in me.  After a few songs were played on the record store stereo, I went home with that CD.

That was the beginning of Sicko becoming one of my very favorite bands.  To this day, I could argue that Laugh While You Can Monkey Boy is my favorite Sicko album.  If I look at things analytically, is it their best one?  I'm not sure as you can make an awfully strong argument for either Chef or Boss as being the technically most proficient with a higher concentration of great songs per square inch.  But what those albums don't have for me is the enormous emotional pull that seems to link me to the first album that gets me into a band.  It's happened with almost every band I love, and for Sicko, this is kind of the one.

It sure doesn't hurt that the album has "Wave Motion Gun," "Mom," "Snowcone" and "Bad Year" on it, which would be tough for me to make a list of the best Sicko songs without including.  It also has a song about OJ Simpson on it, which does look a little different 29 years later, but at the time I thought was pretty amusing.

Like You Can Feel the Love in this Room, this reissue has been remastered and everything sounds better because of it.  Once again, the vocals shine on this version and makes it the definitive vinyl version to have.  It also has a bonus track, "80 Dollars."  This was originally on the split 7" with The Mr. T Experience and is another one of those songs I'd put on the Sicko Mount Rushmore.  

It's funny that for the last reissue I said it was jarring that "Pain In The Ass" was put in the middle of the record.  For this one, I actually would have preferred it if "80 Dollars" had been put on before "Weasel Of Doom/Lady '95" as it feels a little tacked on after what is an obvious album closer.  Once again we have plain colored vinyl and a splatter variant, each limited to 250 copies.  I think the plain green vinyl color is the winner again, even if maybe it doesn't pop as much in the picture.

It's hard for me to say enough good things about this album.  Not only is it a great album on its own, but it was a hugely influential one for me that opened my eyes to a band that would mean the world to me for decades after the fact.  I've always felt that you can't put a price on memories like that, but apparently if you go to the Top Drawer website now, the price appears to be $25.  A bargain.

Sicko - Laugh While You Can Monkey Boy:
https://sicko.bandcamp.com/album/laugh-while-you-can-monkey-boy-remastered

Sicko - You Can Feel The Love In This Room - Red Vinyl (/250) & Red w/ Black and White Splatter Vinyl (/250)

 

Top Drawer (2024, Reissue)

In the 90s, Sicko was part of my holy trinity of pop punk bands.  The Mr. T Experience, Zoinks and Sicko were always the ones that I was constantly obsessing over.  I spent so much time in a pre-Discogs world hunting down records by them.  The fact that so many are now available with the simple click of a mouse is as exciting as it is unfair.

30 years after their first full length was released, Sicko is reissuing all of their albums on vinyl and CD.  These boys have put out some really important records to me and over the next four Fridays (fingers crossed that I can stay on schedule) I'm going to be writing about each of them.  Maybe not on Black Friday, but we'll see how that goes.

First up is the first Sicko full length.  You Can Feel The Love In This Room was originally released in 1994 and I was completely unaware that it came out.  My entry point to Sicko was their next album Laugh While You Can Monkey Boy, but we'll talk more about that next week.  I had to backtrack and pick up You Can Feel The Love In This Room a year after the fact.  I think for that reason I honestly never really bonded with it as strongly as the others, which always felt more 'current' to me.  It's kind of absurd to say that about a record that came out 30 years ago vs. the next one that came out 29 years ago, but again, during the time it felt different to me than the other three.

That's certainly not to say I don't thoroughly enjoy this record and I've listed to it more times than I can count.  Just not quite as many times as the others.  It is jam packed full of hits and it's really hard to argue how great songs like "The Sprinkler" or "Wisdom Tooth Weekend" are.   The times I've seen Sicko live, these songs sound just as great as the ones off of other albums that I have a bit more nostalgic feelings for.  

Before I talk a little bit about this specific reissue, I do need to call out how absolutely, completely fucking insane it is that all four albums were rereleased AT THE SAME TIME.  That is madness and while as a fan it's sure nice to get them all without having to wait, just thinking about the logistics of making that happen makes my head hurt.

You Can Feel The Love In This Room was remastered for this rerelease and you can tell the difference.  I played the first few songs off of my original LP that came out on eMpTy before putting this new version on and it's a big improvement.  First off, everything is a little bit louder and a little bit fuller sounding, but where this reissue really shines for me is how much better the vocals sound.  They're a little more forward and it sounds great.  

There are also two bonus tracks on here, "Pain in the Ass" from their first demo and "Kathy's Dance" from the Count Me Out 7".  Where are the other songs from those releases?  Who knows.  Maybe we're going to get a fancy pants reissue of A Brief History... one day.  Rather than have both songs at the end, "Pain In The Ass" is at the end of side A of the record, which is a little jarring as I'm not used to that song being their when I've listened to the record for the past 29 years.  

This is the best that this record has ever sounded and even though I already had the original LP and CD, of course I needed to have both versions of the new vinyl.  Here they are, in all of their glory.  I may be in the minority (as I do understand that the splatter is probably more impressive looking), but I think the solid color is the winner here, it just looks the business to me.  

Sicko - You Can Feel The Love In This Room:
https://sicko.bandcamp.com/music (I have been assured that the remastered versions are coming to Bandcamp imminently)

Sicko - In The Alternate Timeline - White Vinyl (/100)

Red Scare (2019)

Sicko is an all time favorite band of mine.  They came into my life at the perfect time and those records are still in perpetual heavy rotation for me all these decades later.  Few bands in the world mastered the craft of pop punk like Sicko.  I always felt like they were probably the best of my big three pop punk favorites.  Mr. T Experience had been around longer and put out more records, but had more filler on their albums than Sicko.  Every Sicko full length is wall to wall classics.  Zoinks probably could have given Sicko a run for their money, but once Zac left the band after their first record, it was all downhill for them.  That leaves Sicko at the head of the class.  Perfect pop punk.

I saw them play at the Pipeline in Newark, NJ in 1996 and of all of the amazing shows I was lucky enough to see in the 90s, it really stands out as one of the true highlights.  It was just so much fun.  I couldn’t tell you why I didn’t go see them at Coney Island High the next night (or maybe it was the night before, I can’t remember the order), but whatever the reason, it was probably a pretty dumb one in hindsight.  Especially since I don’t remember said reason and I remember that Pipeline show like it was yesterday.

At the beginning of 2018, Sicko played in Seattle as part of the inaugural Seattle Pop Punk Festival.  My buddy Alan & I went out to see them (and the mighty Bum).  What a great trip and what a fun couple of nights of rock and roll.  Sicko hadn’t lost a thing all these years later.  This past Saturday, Sicko played in Brooklyn.  In 2019.  It’s not really something I would have expected, but once again Alan & I made our way to another Sicko show. Just like the prior times I got to see Sicko play, it was just an absolute blast.  In addition to being a great band with great songs, they’re such nice dudes.  So much fun to be around.

The reason Sicko played this show was because of this ‘new’ record.  In The Alternate Timeline is a compilation of previously released songs, but don’t call it a greatest hits record.  That said, this sucker is packed full of hits.  If you want a solid snapshot of Sicko’s material, I think this is a pretty good starting point.  You have classics like “80 Dollars,” “Bad Year,” “Kathy’s Dance,” “Believe” and so many more. 

Now, that’s not to say there aren’t a few glaring omissions.  I don’t see how you summarize Sicko without “The Dateless Losers” (It was the name of their fan club in the 90s) or “Escalator” (They even made a video for this song) but in some ways leaving out these songs is kind of a very Sicko thing to do.  Plus I sort of like the idea of someone who has never heard of Sicko buying this album, liking it, deciding to dig deeper and then hearing those songs for the first time.  It’s kind of impossible to squeeze all of Sicko’s great songs into one LP.  They had way too many awesome ones for that.

The version of the record pictured is the tour only white vinyl version limited to one hundred copies.  Only available during a handful of reunion shows.  If they are coming to your neck of the woods, you would be a fool to not stop by, pick up a record and catch one of the best pop punk bands that ever walked the earth.

Sicko - In The Alternate Timeline:
https://sicko.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-alternate-timeline

Sicko - Chef Boy R U Dumb CD (Japanese Version)

Real Cool (1995)

I don't think that the phrase 'pop-punk' meant quite the same thing in 1995 as it does today.  It certainly didn't have the sort of negative connotations that some people associate with the genre.  But I think that most agree that the mid 1990's was a different time and a different place.  Back then you would hear people extolling the virtues of Screeching Weasel, The Queers, Green Day and the Mr. T Experience.  But for me, my holy trinity of 1990's pop-punk would be the aforementioned Mr. T Experience, Zoinks! and at times the best of them all, Sicko.

I've had the American version of this record since the very moment it came out in 1995.  I remember counting down the days until it showed up at my local record store.  I loved it from day one.  So it's kind of cheating to write about it here and now on my website where I'm documenting recent purchases.  Although, since this is the Japanese version and I did just get it from a friend that was downsizing his physical record collection, I'll use it as an excuse to tell everyone that if they don't already own this album, they should fix that oversight immediately.

I go back and forth on if this is my favorite Sicko album, of if it's Laugh While You Can Monkey Boy.  Let's just agree that both are pretty spectacular.  Chef Boy R U Dumb is packed full of gleeful and catchy punk rock, highlighted by some songs that are among the best Sicko ever churned out like "Obsessive Compulsive Complainers," "The Dateless Losers" and "Escalator."  

The Japanese version of this release has a couple of bonus tracks (and the fancy obi strip seen in the picture). "80 Dollars" is originally from the Sicko split 7" with the Mr. T Experience.  You could definitely argues it's one of the top two or three songs in the band's catalog.  The other is exclusive to this CD, "The Rainy Day Song." This one is similar to "The Breakfast Song" in that it's just guitar, undistorted, and Ean crooning his heart out.  Essential? Probably not, but a fun little bonus added on top of an already stellar album. No matter which version of this album you pick up, it is a pretty essential piece of the 90's that everyone should have.

Sicko - "Escalator":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMSbBkEnxhM

Sicko - "The Dateless Losers":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iKCKcRVvZ0

Sicko - "Obsessive Compulsive Complainers":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8WtGcH_bFg

Mr. T Experience / Sicko - Split 7" - GREEN VINYL /100

Mr. T Experience / Sicko - Split 7" - GREEN VINYL /100, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Top Drawer Records (1993)

While my record collection is extensive and the individual collections of my favorite bands are completed for the most part, there are still a handful of records that I feel like I'll never hunt down. The first one is the 1st self released Love As Laughter cassette, but another that has been on the list forever is the Mr. T Experience / Sicko split 7" that came out on Top Drawer records in 1993 on green vinyl. Sure I had the version on Top Drawer that came out on black vinyl. I have the version that eMpTy records later released. Heck, PopKid records even sort of released this 7" (We put a PopKid stamp on the back of about 50 leftover black vinyl Top Drawer versions). But the limited to 100 copies green vinyl version always eluded me.

Well how about that! One showed up on eBay last week. I've never seen this record for sale before, and there was no way I was letting it slip through my fingers. Sure I paid collector prices for this, but I don't care. After years and years of looking out for it, it's finally mine! Super, giant, huge thanks to @AlanRappa for giving me the heads up on the auction. Had I missed it, I would have been crushed. It's difficult to explain just how thrilled I am to finally have this in my collection, but on top of the rarity and the excitement of finally having this record, let's not forget that the songs by both bands are 2 of the best they ever released.

Sicko: 80 Dollars (I could only find a live version online):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=O10iWkIECPs

Mr. T Experience: Together Tonight:
Sadly I couldn't find this streaming anywhere, but trust me, it's great.