Smash Mouth Album: “Fush Yu Mang [Clean]”

When I first heard "walkin' on the sun" I really liked it a lot. But there was no way I would get the CD. My mom liked "walkin' on the sun" a lot, she also likes allstar (which a great song!)so bassicly me and my mom like smash mouth. For my birthday I asked someone to get me Smash Mouth new album, Astro Lounge. But they got confused and got me Fush Yu Mang. When my mom found "walkin' on the sun" was a track on it, she said "You should listen to it first, and if you don't like it, we can trade it for Astro Lounge at the CD trading store. So i did what she said. When I listened to it I was suprised of how much I liked it. I was also suprised that I found "Beer Goggles" better than "Walkin' on the sun". The only thing that I don't like about it is "why can't we be friends". I recommened

This is one of the best bands i have heard in a long time. They offer a fresh look at life and ska itself. They have the potenial to do very well for thmselves. All-Star and Walking on the Sun Rule!

Don't get the explicit version. The edited version is so much better. The edited version of The Fonz is sooo much better. It has altered and cleaner lyrics. The edited song actually is very funny. Something the explicit version isn't. Also, the edited song is the one featured is a single(one that got radio airplay).

With each new album, Smash Mouth's sound has slipped farther and farther away from the sweet-as-poison eclecticism displayed on this album. Greg Camp's songwriting is in full force. His clever poetry jumps out at you with its wit and ability. It's neither too dumbed down or too pseudo-smart, and while the subject of discussion isn't nearly as world-weary and downtrodden as what may be popular in punk and rock today, the formula works, as far as I'm concerned.

This is not an album for those connoisseurs of overlapping textures, brilliant guitar riffs, or dead serious socio-political agendas. It's definitely not downbeat, but it's not quite upbeat, either, which would probably be my only complaint - Smash Mouth doesn't know where they want to be with this album. However, the space where they're hovering is undeniably appealing if you can get past their somewhat happy-clappy image.

Aside from the '60s retro and rock organs (which would later become the core of their music) of "Walkin' On the Sun," the entire album is catchy, full throttle surf-punk that makes liberal use of ska chords, with a couple of slow rockers here and there. In fact, "Walkin' On the Sun" feels incredibly out of place sitting in the middle of it all. All in all, this is their best CD, because it dared to go places where the more mainstream Smash Mouth would never go now. The fact that Fush Yu is the only Smash Mouth CD with both an explicit lyrics version and an edited version says a lot.

Some highlights include "Flo," which relates a story about a lesbian, the desperate, Beach Boys surf rock of "Beer Goggles," the angry-yet-hilarious bitterness of "Pet Names," and probably the most serious track on the whole album, "Nervous in the Alley." "The Fonz" is slow and churning, and probably the most 'warped' of the songs, while rockers like "Padrino" showcase Smash Mouth's eclecticism and humor quite nicely.

Fush Yu Mang pushes the envelope as far as the band itself is concerned. Far superior to any pop-punk band you can name today, it's a nice one to pull out to take a break from the monotony of Britney Spears, Sum 41, Blink 182, Creed, and, unfortunately enough, Smash Mouth itself. Astro Lounge has some good creative moments, and a couple of gems, but I've been too afraid to pick up their latest stuff. Hopefully the new album will take a hit in sales and they'll return to the good ol' pre-"All Star" days when pleasing the masses didn't seem to be nearly as important.

The tracks on this album, except for maybe "Let's Rock", which is just a Tenacious D-like filler, are all great.

Walkin' On the Sun is the most popular, but is personally my least favourite; It's a good song, but is more pop-y and shows less tallent then any other song on the album.

The music style is a mixture of ska and rock, but most old time punk fans will like most of the songs on the album a lot.

I give this album 5 stars for a reason. It's the stepping stones of what could have been a great band.

Smash Mouth did not evolve when Astro Lounge was released. They de-volved. Astro lounge was pop, and nothing but it. Smash Mouth was in awe of the popularity of Walkin' On The Sun and sold out in the blink of an eye.

Shame on Smash Mouth.

Buy this album, and don't buy any other ones by Smash Mouth. Pretend this is their only one; You'll only be dissapointed otherwise.

(Music-wise, this album gets an 8.5/10 in my book. Some of the chord progressions in Padrino and Disconnect the Dots are pure genius)