Operation Ivy Review

Release Date: 1991
Label: Lookout
Genres: Alternative Pop/Rock, Third Wave Ska Revival, Ska-Punk
Number Of Tracks: 27
This might be the best ska punk collection by a single band committed to disc, and anyone with even a passing interest in the genre should do themselves a favor and buy this album right away.

Sound:	9.3
Lyrics:	9.8
Impression:	9.8
Overall rating:	9.6
Users rating:	9.4
Comments:	13

overall: 8.7

Reviewed by: Descendent-182, on july 09, 2008

Sound: I've been a fan of Rancid since the frist time I heard ...And Out Come The Wolves. After buying every Rancid CD there is, I decided to try out Operation Ivy. Every song on this album blew my mind. The speedy aggressive vocals, the skanky ska guitar rythms, and the crazy bass skills of Matt Freeman. This CD is a must for any ska/punker. // 8

Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics are pure poetry, and they're very inspiring. I can't really type enough words to explain how good these lyrics are. Just buy the CD and see for yourself. The lead vocalist Jesse Michaels is really aggresive and makes you listen to what's he's got to say. Tim armstrong sings lead in the song "Bad Town" but he mostly does back up. He does a really good job. It's kinda wierd because Tim sounds really clean and not slurry like he does in rancid. Anyways the vocals are really good, and the lyrics will blow your mind. // 9

Impression: If your a fan of rancid's ska and reggae stuff you will love Operation Ivy. There isn't one thing I dislike from this album I love everything about it. If this CD was lost/stolen I would definately buy it again no question about it. The songs that really stand out are "Unity", "Room Without A Window", and "Sound System". As much as I love Rancid I wish Operation Ivy was still around I wasn't even born when these guys were making music. // 9

overall: 10

Reviewed by: Take_Warning, on december 27, 2007

Sound: The first time I heard tracks off of this CD I was absolutely amazed and fell in love with their music. These guys were absolute geniuses and pioneers of the "ska-punk" genre. All the riffs on the CD are genius and catchy. The new remastered version that was released on Hellcat records just solidifies the sound even more and brings out those riffs that were there, but not really noticed, and they add just that much more to the sound. // 10

Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics on this release are powerful and true. They describe many situations which a lot of people go through. Songs such as The Crowd, Yellin' In My Ear, and Unity are some good example of very memorable, strong, inspiring and true. You can actually feel the emotion and think some of the same thoughts as them as they were writing and performing it. Jesse Michaels isn't much of a singer, but his vocals are perfect for the type of music and Operation Ivy's songs. // 10

Impression: Just overall an amazing album and band that deserves so much more respect then they get. If I lost this CD or it was damaged I would probably cry and get a new one as fast as I could, and if I couldn't find it, I'd check into a mental institution. If you get the chance to buy it, do it, you will not regret it. // 10

overall: 9.7

Reviewed by: hardrock1315, on august 14, 2006

Sound: This album comprises 3 great Op Ivy releases: the Energy LP, the Hectic EP, and two songs off a maximum rock n' roll sampler. This is one of those albums where every single song is great. And guess what? They all sound distinguished. Each song still has Op Ivy's great signature sound, but each one also has a little quirk or something that sets it apart from all the other songs. The only thing keeping me from giving the sound a 10 is the subpar audio quality. You can hear all the instruments, and the vocals sound decent, but all the instruments sound a little weak. Their sound has been described as "ska-punk", and that's somewhat accurate. Their sound is pretty hard to describe. They're very unique, and I haven't come across another band that sounds like them at all, excepting maybe Common Rider, Op Ivy's singer's newer band. And they didn't sound so much like Op Ivy. Really, you have to hear them to know what they sound like. // 9

Lyrics and Singing: Operation Ivy may just have some of the best lyrics ever. They sing about pretty much everything. For example "Freeze Up" is about politics, "Vulnerability" is about how desenitizing the people can lead to horrible things, "Bombshell" is about a girl that the singer met at a party, but "nobody remembers her name," "Bad Town" is about gang violence. There are many more topics, those are just a few examples. The music also changes when the lyrics change. For example, "The Crowd" is about some kids who do "bad things" like drinking, etc. The music for it is more "rock-ish" with a solemn tone. After that, "Bombshell" comes on, and it just sounds like everyone is having a great time. Jesse, their singer, is by no means a great singer, and neither is Lint aka Tim Armstrong, their guitarist, who does backup vocals and sings a bit of lead. But they both sound great with the music, and that's all that matters. // 10

Impression: This album is one of my favorites, if not the favorite. Everything about it just scream greatness. My favorite songs are "Unity" and "Yelling In My Ear", but every single one is great. If it were stolen or lost, I would freak out until I found another one, because it's not the easiest to find. I would just like to say, though, that contrary to popular belief this is not all Operation Ivy released. They have countless bootlegs and other records, the easiest to find probably being Seedy, which has some really good songs. This is definitely the best one, though. // 10

overall: 10

Reviewed by: creepypelican, on june 15, 2006

Sound: Operation Ivy was one of the first bands to blend ska and hardcore punk. They were the kings of the Gilman Street punk scene back in the 80's, being a major influence to countless followers (most notably Green Day). All the songs were written in a 2 year span, until Op. ivy decided to break up. "Lint" and Matt Mccall went on to form Rancid, and go by their names of Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman. Many catchy songs on this 27 track compilation, like "Sound System" and "Healthy Body". The album is mostly ska tracks, with some purely punk tracks like "Knowledge" and "Hoboken" as well. // 10

Lyrics and Singing: If anything, Jesse Michaels (lead singer) is a lyrical genius. The fact alone that he was able to write so many songs as a teenager is amazing. These aren't your typical teenage writings either, and they are very well thought out and have a real message. Songs like "Healthy Body", "Artificial Life", "Unity", and "Sound System" really show how good these guys were. Much well written than most of the songs on the radio before them, while they were around, and today. // 10

Impression: Overall, Operation Ivy is one of the greatest punk bands ever. It's a shame that these guys don't get recognized as much as they should, although Tim and Matt are very well praised for their work in Rancid. The most impressive songs on the album are "Healthy Body", "Unity", "Artificial Life", "Sound System", "Knowledge" (a song Green Day covers), "Jaded", "Room Without A Window", "Yellin In My Ear", and "Hoboken". All of these songs are great tracks, and would entertain any fan of punk or ska music. I really like how well thought out the songs were when they were written, they're incredibly good, especially for a bunch of 18 year old kids. I don't care how many times I lost this CD, I would go out and get another, it is that good. // 10

Comments

[cHoKiNgViCtIM]

the cd is called Energy

[creepypelican]

It's not called energy. It's their compilation cd with the songs from Energy, and with the stuff they worked on that wasn't on Energy. Do your research. Energy didn't have 27 tracks, it didn't have the track "hoboken" on it.

[outofmyelement?]

hes right

[StevieRamone]

Operation Ivy is the best band to ever walk the planet.

[Adarsh]

no actually if you now go out and buy/download energy, it would have all 27 tracks

[psilocyndreams2]

the one with 27 tracks is the re-issue. it comes with the songs off the hectic ep and 2 songs from another release.

either way, opivy is one the first and still is the best ska punk band.

[joshissocool138]

yeah this album is just a compilation album called "operation ivy" tracks 1-19 are from the energy LP, tracks 20-25 are from their "hectic" EP, and officer, and i got no are from a lookout records comilation album.

[joshissocool138]

Adarsh wrote:

no actually if you now go out and buy/download energy, it would have all 27 tracks

no actually, you're dumb and any true op ivy fan would know that the original release of energy had only 19 tracks, if you go by the compilation album called OPERATION IVY then you will get all 27 tracks, it even says in the booklet that comes with the cd where the tracks are from dumbass.

[Shredder Guitar]

ah man im a fan of this band...

to be honest i really got into them when i heard the cover of Knowledge on 1039/SOSH... this band owns them though haha

[wildchild6660]

Punker???? WTF

[wildchild6660]

Shredder Guitar wrote:

ah man im a fan of this band...

to be honest i really got into them when i heard the cover of Knowledge on 1039/SOSH... this band owns them though haha

Ha Ha. Same here

[Warpstarkirby]

[quote=joshissocool138]yeah this album is just a compilation album called "operation ivy" tracks 1-19 are from the energy LP, tracks 20-25 are from their "hectic" EP, and officer, and i got no are from a lookout records comilation album.[/quote]

Energy remastered has all 27 tracks.

[lunchbox101]

One of the best albums ever!!!!