Just a Reminder

I have to admit, I’ve been a bit taken back recently by the tremendous surge of re-releases. Legendary groups from all eras of the sonic landscape like Jawbreaker, Weezer, Pavement and Modest Mouse have spent time releasing special editions of some of their most famous (or infamous) works to date. In fact, when I was at Coachella Gabe told me that Dinosaur Jr. would soon join the fray with reissued editions of their two masterworks, Bug and You’re Living All Over Me.
With that in mind consider this frail form limping among giants. Picture an album only a few years old getting a face-lift and being tossed into the fray with serious contenders like Mascis and Malkamus. I am of course talking about Reggie and the Full Effect and their re-released debut album, “Greatest Hits”.
Punctuating this revisiting of their old stomping grounds, The Full Effect has retouched the album with new artwork and 7 new songs not found on the original release. Those songs, aptly titled the Lord of the Blings saga, as well as other recordings, could have easily fit on an EP or some other Vagrant compilation. But here they are, along with the original Full Effect songs that gained the band infamy a short while ago. Don’t think for a second though that I’m reprimanding Reggie and the Full Effect for this re-release, don’t even consider it. You see, these songs, clever and so typically Reggie in their own unique styling, are far better then anything to be found in the Moon and Antarctica’s extra recordings. They’re fast, synthy, and in some cases absolutely ludicrous. In other words, they’re Reggie and the Full Effect at their best. Some of the song titles practically drip in overly enthralling dramatics (like “Raining Blood”). Meanwhile, the album itself is the same as always, if not a little better then the first time I heard it. Reggie and the Full Effect have never been better then on their first effort, and I’m beginning to think that no matter how great future releases are they never will be. That’s what makes this re-release so relevant.
Yet, with the lack of reason behind this re-release I fear I’ve found perhaps the biggest Reggie joke of all. The Greatest Hits re-release was never meant as a serious re-issuing of a classic album. You see it only serves to mock albums that consider themselves as such.