Category:
Rock / Punk

Try if you like:
Homegrown, Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish, Sublime, Suicide Machines

If it wasn't for The Mighty Mighty Bosstones I don't think that ska and ska-core music would have seen mainstream. The groundwork was done by Dicky Barrett and his band before they signed to Mercury in 1993 in order to release Don't Know How To Party but it was Question The Answers that really gave this band the attention they deserve. Bands like No Doubt, Reel Big Fish, Goldfinger and Less Than Jake owe a great deal of debt to The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and their rabid fans who help spread the music of ska to the masses opening up the market.

Questions begins strong with "Kinder Words" and never ever loses it's footing. The album is quality right through all 12 songs. One of my favorites is the second track: "Sad Silence" with the catchy chorus "No one spoke, no one moved, no one made a sound". Then the band's punk foundation hits on the diverse "Hell Of A Hat" with it's snarling vocals stuck in the middle before they get all spastic to end it. Then the best song of the set, "Pictures To Prove It" hits and there is no turning back at this point. It's a straight ahead rocker that is damn catchy and showcases Barrett's great rough-edged vocals. The way that The Bosstones switch up the sound is the main reason why they were so cutting edge. Having a vocalist like Dicky could have been crippling for a band less talented but they let the music and arrangements make up for his short-comings. Try on "Dollar and a Dream" for a great example of this. It starts out as a loungy spoken word sort of thing only to burst into a furry of noise and punk for the chorus. I always thought "365 Days" was the weakest song here but really, it's not too shabby. Stick around though because the last track is one of the best. "Jump Through The Hoops" has such a great feel and vibe to it.

It was fantastic for their career that they were able to follow-up this flawless and diverse album with Let's Face It, another solid album, in order to keep their momentum. If that's where you jumped in then I would suggest you go back and look for Question The Answers. It is a tad superior to Let's Face It.