Swingin' Utters Albums (7)
'Live in a Dive'
Release Date 6/29/2004
Tracks 23
Label Fat Wreck Chords
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What The Critics Say
Fat Wreck Chords' consistently great Live in a Dive series gets an entry from stalwart punk old-schoolers Swingin' Utters. Sure, they issued the four-song EP Live at the Fireside Bowl in July 2003. But that was just a cool little one-off. Dive digs into the Utters' defiant 1978-meets-California punk sound, delivering hits, album cuts, and covers at the same well-practiced, still-ragged rate. Wacky banter, too! Highlights include the spot-on fake British accents of the Clash tributes "Tied Down, Spit On" and "Nowhere Fast," the Cock Sparrer cover "I Got Your Number," and a particularly energizing run through the Juvenile Product nugget "Windspitting Punk." No question, the Swingin' Utters aren't young anymore. But like your old-codger uncle, they're going to tell you just that, and punctuate it with a kick in the ass. They stick defiantly to their signature sound, even as Warped Tour dates nod to current events. Dive's liners goof on punk's latest youth movement, too, and even if the Utters seem a little bitter, they can still bring it on-stage. Of a piece, "15th and T" and "Teenage Genocide" appear in near medley form, harking a little to the "one-two-let's go!" vibe of the Ramones' classic It's Alive. The band also finds time for "The Swingin' Utters quiet storm," an acoustic set that includes "Fruitless Fortunes" and "All That I Can Give," Danny Koski's cool folk-punk number from Dead Flowers, Bottles, Bluegrass, and Bones. The accordion's also unpacked for a few rounds, and even if the Utters' Dead Milkmen and Pogues detours aren't as successful as the working-class punk anthems that really power Live in a Dive, they're the right of a veteran group. Fans: the ghosts of punk rock demand you buy this immediately. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
'Dead Flowers, Bottles, Bluegrass, and Bones'
Release Date 2/25/2003
Tracks 17
Label Fat Wreck Chords
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What The Critics Say
Fans needn't worry -- the title is a bit of a misnomer; the band hasn't gone country and there's no bluegrass in sight, just 17 heavy-hitting hardcore slammers, so take a deep breath and dive straight in. The brew is still heady, a stomping mix of rabid punk and pub-crunching singalongs -- the ultimate party mix with a kick. There are a few changes within, though: bassist Spike now adds his voice to the boiling brew, and again, this should provoke no fears that the Utters have suddenly turned all pop harmonious, although if "Glad" was less storming, Blink-182 would be happy to nick it, with its "clichés sung by stars" chorus and all. The title track is a very modern love song where old school meets new in a brewery, "All That I Can Give" wanders into a western and evokes nihilism on the prairie, while "Don't Ask Why" returns to the city to give the tough new breed "so content with being average" a good kicking. And who else but the Utters could believably utter: "My accordion is shining in the light of the moon from the sky," within a tear-stained, boozy, heartaching moan. But heartache hangs heavy over Dead Flowers, Bottles, Bluegrass, and Bones, from the heartbreakingly lovely intro which plays tribute to the Who on "Letters to Yourself," through the VD blues of "Heaven at Seventeen," and across the emotional maelstrom of "My Closed Mind." And still the Utters are not done, for on "Poor Me" they explain their inability to rest on their laurels and their need for the lights and glory. Their wit remains as sharp as ever, and if anything is even more finely honed, puncturing all in its path -- the emotions raw, but their pens refined. And as for the music, across 35 minutes the group gives it their all: searing headbangers, anthemic punk rockers, raucous rockers, more delicate acoustic numbers, and everything in between. Buy it for the music but keep it for the insights; Dead Flowers swings like a scythe, the best yet from the band. ~ Jo-Ann Greene, All Music Guide
'Swingin' Utters'
Release Date 1/1/2000
Tracks 15
Label Fat Wreck Chords
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'Five Lessons Learned'
Release Date 6/23/1998
Tracks 15
Label Fat Wreck Chords
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What The Critics Say
Five Lessons Learned, the Swingin' Utters' second album for Fat Wreck Chords, builds on the breakthrough of their first, A Juvenile Product of the Working Class. They don't depart from their hard-hitting retro-punk formula at all -- there's nothing here that couldn't have been recorded in 1978 or 1980 -- but their sense of humor is sharpening, as are their hooks. There are a couple of weak cuts, but they speed by so fast you won't even notice them, and that makes this the group's best record to date. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Juvenile Product of the Working Class'
Release Date 9/10/1996
Tracks 16
Label Fat Wreck Chords
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What The Critics Say
Even though a lot of the same elements on their first album can be found on Juvenile Product of the Working Class, the Swingin' Utters still manage to put out some of the catchiest working class anthems for the '90s. The take-no-crap attitude, gruff songwriting, and British accents are still present, but somehow these guys manage to outdo The Streets of San Francisco -- they've progressed as a band and even have acoustic guitars and accordions incorporated into their tunes. It's easy to say that this is what Stiff Little Fingers should have sounded like after Nobody's Heroes. ~ Mike DaRonco, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Being dubbed as "The House of Faith Years," this record documents the Swingin' Utters' work that was recorded at the studio under the same name between 1991-1993; hence, a lot of this material was previously released on vinyl, including their first EP (Gives You Strength) and the Scared mini-LP (released as Johnny Peebucks & the Swingin' Utters). The usual street-smart, pub-drinking, 1977-influenced punk can be found on here, including an exciting, unreleased Stiff Little Fingers cover of "Here We Are Nowhere." Unfortunately, a lot of this falls under the categories of redundant and boring at times. All in all though, More Scared is a pretty handy package featuring out-of-print and hard-to-find material; but at the same time, one could understand why everything found on here has been unavailable for so long. ~ Mike DaRonco, All Music Guide
'The Streets of San Francisco'
Release Date 5/8/1995
Tracks 19
Label New Red Archives
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What The Critics Say
Old school slams straight into the new school on Swingin' Utters' debut album, reissued by Fat Wreck Chords. The quintet hails from Santa Cruz, but they relocated north, thus the title, The Streets of San Francisco. Combining the taut, melodic edge of the Clash and the anthemic quality of Sham 69 with a hint of the Sex Pistols and nods to Stiff Little Fingers, the album may be rife with influences, but is still potent with potential. Less nihilistic than their predecessors, Swingin' Utters' world view tends more toward the fatalistic. On songs like "Teenage Genocide," "Tied Down, Spit On," and most impressively, "Storybook Disease," the group struggles with the modern world and people's inability to get it or themselves right. The music walks a wondrously fine line between dark and light, with the upbeat melodies set against the desolate lyrics, leaving just a glint of hope. The group's diverse sound is equally impressive, swinging from more frenetic hardcore to harmony-hued punk, Irishesque drinking songs, and onto the almost epic "Catastrophe," which descends from a drunken bar scene into a Clashesque riff, tossing in vocal samples, phenomenal guitar work, and a singalong melody for a particularly heady brew. Even this early on, Swingin' Utters' tight playing, pummeling rhythms, and fabulous guitar leads were impressive. With time they'd get even better. ~ Jo-Ann Greene, All Music Guide
