Tiny Voices, Echoes of our Heritage (Stranger Than Fiction - Bad Religion)

Member Name: rleigh

Product:	Stranger Than Fiction - Bad Religion
Date:	25/06/08 (32 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The music is fast and fun, the lyrics are always excellent.

Disadvantages: A few too many tracks from this album are strictly average.

'Stranger Than Fiction' is the 1994 album release from Bad Religion, the bands first album released on the major record label Atlantic Records. This is the bands eighth studio album, an eighteen track release and one which consists of 42 minutes of music. The track '21st Century (Digital Boy)' which appears on this album was actually originally recorded for the 1990 Epitaph released album 'Against the Grain'; it is also included on this 'Stranger Than Fiction' album however as when Sony first listened to this album they couldn't hear a potential single and therefore felt it fit to regurgitate a former favourite in the Bad Religion back-catalogue for commercial gain. '21st Century (Digital Boy)' was in fact the most commercially successful track from this album; a good decision on Sony Music's behalf then it would seem.

As was the case with the bands previous album 'Recipe for Hate'; 'Stranger Than Fiction' is once more a really rather average album release from Bad Religion. This is not a bad album, it certainly consists of a lack of quality tracks however and the first time I listened to this album I was in fact supremely disappointed. It's the standard punk rock music you'd expect from Bad Religion, it's nothing sensational however and with this album the band really came up with nothing particularly new. In a way I'm quite glad that '21st Century (Digital Boy)' was included on this album; it's an exceptional track and although the reason it was featured here is quite an amusing one, it's still excellent that '21st Century (Digital Boy)' here garnered the commercial success that it so rightfully deserved.

The fact that this is Bad Religion's most commercially successful album is really quite bemusing, in 1998 'Stranger Than Fiction' was certified Gold in America meaning that it has in fact sold in excess of half a million copies there alone. This is by no means the best work of Bad Religion, I really didn't like this release from the band when I first heard it and it did in fact take me some time to really get into the music of this album. I've never been a massive fan of 'Stranger Than Fiction'; with this album the band still stuck very much to the fast and frantic punk rock formula, the problem here however is that the music just isn't very exciting at all.

The lyrical content of this album always is strong, the tracks do also often consist of excellent melodies; 'Tiny Voices' being a personal favourite of mine from this 'Stranger Than Fiction' album. The band does here try its best not to sell-out and tone down the sound with its first release on a major label, it's just not a particularly exciting album but definitely the band stays true to its original sound of releasing energetic punk rock anthems. In a way it sounds like the band is trying a little too hard here to rebel against selling out; the band didn't want to lose its original fan base, but the sound created here at times sounds a little forced and the band should just have continued to progress its sounds naturally here I feel.

If you like your punk rock then this may well be an album for you; it's not the best album that Bad Religion has ever released as a band, it is however still an interesting blend of hard hitting punk rock with more melodic moments thrown into the mix also. The original release of this album only featured fifteen tracks, for European release two bonus tracks are featured however and this adds a further four minutes of music to the album; an excellent addition to the album and these two tracks do I feel add further quality to the 'Stranger Than Fiction' album. Give this album a listen; it's not the bands best but does feature a number of quality tracks that are well worth listening to. No track on this album is bad, the vast majority are really rather average but certainly there is nothing too disappointing present here within this 'Stranger Than Fiction' album release from Bad Religion.

Summary: 'Stranger Than Fiction' was Bad Religion's first album release on a major label.