In case you aren’t a daily reader of my blog (how dare you), I’ve been working on a project where I rip all of my old cds to my computer. I just grab three random cds from my collection, rip them to my computer, copy them to my phone and then listen to them when I get a chance (usually can get two listens per cd in each day). Then I write up my quick thoughts from music that’s mostly a decade old.

Bone Thugs ~n~Harmony – The Collection Volume 1

Long before LeBron James or Joey Belle put Cleveland on the map, a little hip hop band that nobody could understand came into our lives. The album starts off with the song “For the Love of Money” or as it is titled on the cd “Foe the Love of $.” It happens to be one of my favorite songs that turns into a very average song because it will never end. The next song is the great welfare anthem “1st of the Month.” Chris Rock made fun of this song in one of his many standup specials. And honestly… rightfully so! How was this song ever nominated for a Grammy? “Shoot Em Up” sounds like a song that you wouldn’t want your mom to hear. Of course, it’s very ballady. “Days of Our Livez” is another mellow track that was a big hit back in the day. Not “Crossroads” big, but still a good tune nonetheless. “Breakdown” is a song featuring Mariah Carey that honestly sounds like it should be a Mariah Carey song rather that a BTNH song. “Notorious Thugs” is the best song off the album featuring the late Biggie Smalls. “Crossroad” is the hit song you remember Bone Thugs from, but the version that’s included on here is a very inferior version to the one you are used to hearing. “Body Rott” was a pretty solid album cut that I’m glad they included on here. It’s off the album “Art of War” which I tricked my mother into letting me buy because it had a really small parental advisory sticker that I could cover with my thumb when I showed her the cd. But at the same time, I was 16 years old… why was my mom still concerned if I was listening to someone say the f-word on a cd? Put this in my “things I intend to do different than my parents” list. Of course, number one on that list is not to bail on my family completely, but that’s neither here nor there. I’m glad they included “Thuggish Ruggish Bone” as well. For those of you who liked BTNH albums (not just “The Crossroads”), this song probably sounds more true to their album sound than any other.

If I were in charge of this cd, I would’ve done it much differently. I wish they would’ve included the commercial “Crossroads,” “Thug Luv,” “East 1999,” “Look Into My Eyez,” “If I Could Rule the World,” “Handle the Vibe,” and “Crept and We Came", but overall this is a pretty solid album that showcased Bone’s sound. I don’t know what they are doing with their careers right now… they’ve almost seemed to somehow mix into the whole ICP cultish following thing. Ah well…

Simple Plan – No Pads, No Helmets… Just Balls

I was into pop punk for a while (see: my affinity with Sum 41, Blink 182, Good Charlotte, Fenix TX, and more). This may quite possible be the poppiest of the pop punk that I own. (Note I said poppiest… not poopiest). It was an album that was great if you were 20 years old and in college, but if you were 22 years old and working, it started to feel like you’ve outgrown it.

Anyways, the cd opens up with “I’d Do Anything” which may be the poppiest song on the album. Surprise, it’s a song about a girl. I’m going to try my best to not be negative because at the end of the day, I purchased this cd and surprisingly still actually like it. This might be the most cliché-filled lyrics I’ve ever heard. As a guy who’s played guitar for 10 years now, I’ve always tried to write songs. They always wind up with horrible lyrics like this song. The only difference is they’ve managed to make a catchy instrumental which, at this point, is above me. Next up, we’ve got “The Worst Day Ever.” The reoccurring theme to this song is that the lead singer is… get this… living the worst day over and over again. I just feel like some girl who was molested by her father or some kid who had to be the man of the house at the age of 9 because dad left should go up to the lead singer and trip him the next time they see him. It’s not just him. It’s everyone… I get sick and tired of the whole “my life is over” attitude. By the way, if there is any indication that at the age of 28, I’ve graduated from teenage angst, I think that’s it. The next song is “You Don’t Mean Anything.” By the way, I’m not in on the “Fall Out Boy is the best band ever” movement - hey’re aight (a word that’s criminally underused at this point), but kind of stunk live), but thank the Lord they came to save pop punk song titles. Listen to the clichéd song titles on this “I’d Do Anything,” “The Worst Day Ever,” “You Don’t Mean Anything,” “I’m Just a Kid,” “Addicted,” “Perfect,” “All for You,” “God Must Hate Me,” and “Meet You There.” I think these guys need to spend a semester in “Vague Song Titles 101” as taught by Cedric Bixler-Zavala of At The Drive-In/The Mars Volta.

The lead single of the album was “I’m Just a Kid” which is again a catchy instrumental with horrible lyrics. I have this horrible feeling that when my kids are like 8 years old, they’ll be going through dad’s cd collection. They’ll listen to Jimmy Eat World, Mos Def, A Tribe Called Quest, U2, Johnny Cash, Refused, and Green Day and accuse me of having the worst taste in music ever. Then, they’ll find this cd and play it about 4,654 times on repeat. I just know this will be my luck.

There is nothing else that sticks out about this cd. It’s kind of the same crappy lyrics with poppy instrumentals. I’ve heard some of Simple Plan’s newer stuff and they’ve grown a ton as musicians. The lyrics are still a little simplistic, but they are a completely different band.

Nickelback – Silver Side Up

I’ve long disliked Nickelback. I will definitely concede this, though… there was a time in my life where they weren’t so bad. This cd falls under the not so bad category. It starts off with “Never Again” which has a really cool bass line. “Never Again” definitely rocks more than some of their poppier songs. Here’s the thing about Nickelback – I think when they make rock songs, they can actual be a decent band. When they meander on the pop side, though, it’s drivel. Creed is another band that’s like this. Their cd “My Own Prison” was awesome and then they released “Human Clay” which was a little too sugary for my tastes. Random question before I move onto the next song… who’s the person for labeling Nickelback “Metal” under genre when I popped my cd into iTunes. Really? Metal?

The next song was their breakout hit “How You Remind Me.” It’s definitely a radio song. I don’t know if it’s a great song, but it’s not a horrible song. Your mind is probably already made up on this one, though. Up next is “Woke Up This Morning” which again has a little more rock influence. It’s a pretty average song, though, that I feel like was trying to cash in on the theme to the Sopranos a bit. “Too Bad” is kind of your prototypical Nickelback song. It’s quite catchy, but if feels very formulatic. Microsoft Word doesn’t think formulatic is a word, but I’m rolling with it.

I really like the pulsating guitar intro on “Just For” but just 20 seconds into the song, it changes for the worst. This is one of the rare Nickelback songs where I like the chorus but don’t like the verses. Usually with Nickelback, I’m okay on the verses but the chorus drive me up the wall. So, consider “Just For” somewhat of a bizarro Nickelback song. There are five more songs off the cd, but honestly nothing memorable. Nickelback has enough good songs (Breathe, Leader or Men, Never Again) that I’ll always give this band a chance. It’s not a bad cd, but it’s not one that I’m going to pull out on a weekly basis, either.