The offensive soundtrack of my youth (One Fierce Beer Coaster - Bloodhound Gang)

Member Name: eilidhcatriona

Product:	One Fierce Beer Coaster - Bloodhound Gang
Date:	01/09/09 (62 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great rhythms and hilariously offensive lyrics

Disadvantages: The lyrics will offend some

One Fierce Beer Coaster by the Bloodhound Gang formed part of the soundtrack to my teens, along with Nirvana. The Bloodhound Gang go out of their way to shock and cause offence with their lyrics - and I love it!

One Fierce Beer Coaster was their second album, released in 1996, but the first I discovered. I never heard any of the tracks from it on the radio, but one track, Fire Water Burn, developed cult status among some of my friends, without them ever knowing who it was by.

The Bloodhound Gang are best known for The Bad Touch, a track which appears on their third album, Hooray For Boobies. This track isn't a good example of their style, although I love it; I would categorise them as a cross between rap and metal, and being deliberately offensive with hilarious lyrics (if you have a dirty sense of humour - if not best avoid!).

The album opens with the fast paced and possibly offensive Kiss Me Where It Smells Funny. I don't find the lyrics offensive, but it's worth pointing out that some may - why my parents allowed me to listen to this on repeat on full volume aged 14 is beyond me. The riff is infectious and always has me bouncing around the room - best played at high volume.

The album continues with Lift Your Head Up High (And Blow Your Brains Out). You might think this is not good listening for those disillusioned with life, as I was during my teens and also at some points in my twenties, but it's done so daftly and with silly rhythms that I was never able to take it seriously.

Then we have Fire Water Burn. You may know this as The Roof Is On Fire, as my friends at school did - those are the overwhelming lyrics of the chorus. The album slows down with this track, and flows into a more mellow rhythm. However, with this slower rhythm comes more obvious lyrics - you may miss the strong swearing in the first two tracks, but it is unavoidable in Fire Water Burn.

The fourth track has one of my favourite titles of all time I Wish I Was Queer So I Could Get Chicks. And the title says it all - that's exactly what this song is about. Again, it is extremely fast paced, with guitars and synth work putting in some excellent rhythms.

Why's Everybody Always Picking On Me could be offensive for more reasons than excessive swearing. It is about people with physical deformities and who don't fit in socially. I don't think it is at all appropriate or acceptable to laugh at people who suffer from these conditions, yet despite the subject matter I do like this track - although it is my least favourite on the album.

Moving onto the following tracks, they become a lot heavier with much more heavy guitar and less clear lyrics. A stand out track for me is Asleep At The Wheel - which worryingly my dad also likes, does that mean it's not cool??? It has silly synth beats, a driving drum beat, and a great rap lyric. The main chorus shouts "Get Up! You're Asleep At The Wheel!" - I don't know if it would actually wake you up, but it's a good message in amongst a bunch of potentially offensive tracks...There is also a cover of Run DMC's It's Tricky.

The first half of the album definitely contains the stronger tracks for me. I love the guitar of the second half, but the ridiculous and clear lyrics of the first half win it for me. The second half does have some clear rhythms and lyrics, but they don't match the hilariously offensive brilliance of the first half for me.

The final track of One Fierce Beer Coaster is not a song, it's a recital called Reflections of Remoh. Take the name Remoh, write it backwards and what do you get? Homer! It sounds like he is in a rainforest, musing on where he is and the Bloodhound Gang's record. He also gets a little sweary, as I think Homer should, but can't on primetime TV. It's obviously not Homer, but is a good impression of him.

In addition to the offensive lyrics, the album is packed full of pop culture references. In the mid-late nineties, these were hilarious and spot on, but some may not mean much to those in their teens now.

Overall, I love this album. It would quite likely make my top five of all time (I say likely - that would require a great deal more thought). I listened to it on repeat for several years in my teens, and continue to enjoy it in my twenties.

It is offensive. But for some reason, I seem to like offensive music - I also love Eminem. It's definitely worth a listen, but parents, if you catch your 14 year old listening to this - well you can let them and feign ignorance like my parents did, or choose to not allow them to listen to such offensive music! It is chock full of graphic subjects and extreme swearing.

One Fierce Beer Coaster will not be for everyone. I imagine that from reading this you will be able to figure out whether it's something you might enjoy or not. If you do give it a go, go into it in a good mood and enjoy the ridiculous lyrics!

Summary: Fun and filthy