Out of Print

The Forgotten's second release for BYO is a collection of rare B-sides, some new material, and, well, out of print compilation tracks. It holds together well as a cohesive LP, however, since the Bay Area outfit's m.o. is so cut and dried: raw, working-class punk rock with a debt to early Clash and the Oi! movement. Vocalist Gordy, guitarist Craig, bassist Johnny, and drummer D. Kash drink and fight their way through 18 tracks, reveling in the simple beauty of well-done punk rock. Pub rock shout-alongs, gang backing vocals, rudimentary chord progressions that nevertheless get the job done — it's all here, unified by the snarling delivery of Gordy, who upholds the longstanding tradition of American punkers who sing with an affected, studded-leather British accent. In fact, Gordy sounds quite a bit like old buddy old pal, Rancid kingfish, and occasional Forgotten producer Lars Frederiksen, whose own fake accent is legendary in the scene. Album standouts include another version of the band's classic "Class Separation," "Guilty," and "Imposter," which is worth it simply to hear Gordy sneer "C'mon man and take another sheeeee-ot." The album closes with four new tracks that, while displaying a much grittier sound, don't have the rousing, rollicking quality of the best Forgotten material. Only "American Rock 'n' Roll Rebellion," a bitter anthem that asks where the real, whiskey-soaked rock music went, seems fueled by the pride and reckless attitude that helped the band rise above the rest of the punk revival acts out there. But despite the weak ending, Out of Print is essential for fans eager to fill in their Forgotten back catalogs without having to track down the hard to find compilations and B-sides where much of this material originally appeared.