Sum 41 Album: “All the Good Sh**: 14 Solid Gold Hits 2000-2008”

Sum 41 is an under-rated "post-punk punk group" in the generation of Green Day. I find them far superior simply because they do not let heavy political crap suck the energy out of their teen-angst, guitar-driven music. Their music has enough edge and energy to really rock out to, and the lyrics speak to frustration without being depressing.

This greatest hits collection is a powerhouse. Somehow, though, I always find myself going back to "Does This Look Infected?" It seems like the catchiest, best songs on this CD are all from that effort. That is a testament to the "lightning in a bottle" they captured then - that CD is like a greatest hits collection on its own.

Hard-core Sum 41 fans will probably be content to simply put the best songs from their first two albums in one big play list and just listen to that. This collection will be enough for everyone else.

In describing the sound of Sum 41 I'd say it's Blink-182 meets Beastie Boy meets Rage Against The Machine, then all of them get into a fight & the result is strangely original if not inconsistent. Their sound changed so much from song to song it was hard to tell if it was even the same band, but they always had an anti-authoritarian feel to their music & lyrics.

Highlights Include:

Still Waiting

Fat Lip

In Too Deep

Pieces

Underclass Hero

With Me

What's probably most disjointed about the album is not the sound, but the tracklisting, as it bounces from album to album, so it all runs together after awhile, which makes things a bit confusing. One minutes they're angry, the next minute they're bouncing off the walls in rebellion. In terms of song selection, they got the major highlights, but then they reached too far into the bin and pulled out some songs best left in. These tracks could have best been replaced by some alternative versions of their hits, and no, not the lames excuses for "live" tracks at the ends. Sure, the sound quality is different, but where's the crowd?

Anyways, if you want to get to know Sum 41, and you don't own any of the band's previous work, then this will set you up. For fans however, this album provides really nothing, and in fact it shows a bit too much of the bad side of the band. However, the DVD portion is nice. So, it's all the good stuff, then some. But again, a new album should be releasing soon, so did we really need this?

Real Score: 3.5

Great Tracks. although most of them are from their 2001 album, it is stil great to own. I dont understand the order of the tracks tho. I would prefer them to be in chronological order, like the Blink-182 greatest hits was.

Still a must have, 5 stars indeed

Driving home from work just today, I was just thinking that for Christmas, I was going to give all my friends one of these CD's as it is one of the best CD's I have heard in a long time. It comes with the separate video CD. I play the CD with the music videos all day long at work. This way when I get a minute, I can check out a video here and there...this makes me so HAPPY!

Love Sum 41 and love this CD/DVD combo!! It's definitely a must-have for any true Sum 41 fan!!