Something to Write Home About

Something to Write Home About
Studio album by The Get Up Kids
Released September 21, 1999
Recorded June–July 1999
Studio Mad Hatter Studios, Silverlake, California, U.S.
Genre Emo,[1] pop punk[1][2]
Length 45:26
Label Vagrant
Producer The Get Up Kids, Chad Blinman, Alex Brahl
The Get Up Kids chronology
Red Letter Day EP
(1999)Red Letter Day EP1999		 Something to Write Home About
(1999)		 Split with The Anniversary
(1999)Split with The Anniversary1999
Singles from Something to Write Home About
  1. "Ten Minutes"
    Released: February 1999
  2. "Action & Action"
    Released: March 24, 2000

Something to Write Home About is the second studio album by American rock band The Get Up Kids, released on September 21, 1999. The album was produced by The Get Up Kids themselves, with co-producers Chad Blinman and Alex Brahl. Blinman also recorded and mixed the album, with Brahl assisting with additional engineering. The album was a financial success, peaking at #31 on Billboards Heatseekers 200 albums chart in North America, and gathered a great amount of critical acclaim. Something to Write Home About is the first Get Up Kids album to include James Dewees playing keyboards.

After The Get Up Kids' previous album, Four Minute Mile brought major label offers, the band decided to stick with an indie label and sign with Vagrant Records for their next album after a short and unproductive time with Mojo Records. Something to Write Home About brought the band an increasing fan base, as their sound became slightly more radio-oriented, with more melodic choruses and hooks. The album was included in Rock Sound's 101 Modern Classics list at number 97.[3]

Recording

At the time the band signed onto Vagrant Records, the label was still primarily a much smaller independent label. Before the album went into production, the label's co-owner Jon Cohen had to borrow money from his parents, who mortgaged their house in order to fund the production of the album.[4] At least one of the songs were inspired by the band's tumultuous split with Doghouse Records.

The album was recorded over the course of two months in June and July 1999, with Chad Blinman at the Mad Hatter Recording Studios in Silverlake, California. The band produced the record themselves, with co-producers Chad Blinman - who mixed the album - and Alex Brahl, who did additional engineering on the album and would later go onto co-found Curb Appeal Records with The Get Up Kids guitarist Jim Suptic and Almon Duffy.

Promotion

Two singles were released to promote this album. The first, Ten Minutes was released through the Sub Pop Singles Club on 7" Vinyl in February 1999.[5] The second, Action & Action was released on March 24, 2000 in Europe on Epitaph Records.[6]

The band toured for three years after the release of the album, up until they went into the studio on their next album On a Wire. This included supporting Green Day on their Warning tour, a 2000 tour with Koufax and The Anniversary sponsored by Napster,[7] as well as an opening spot on the 2001 Yahoo! Outloud tour with Ozma and Weezer. After the tour ended, the band was physically and mentally fatigued, and looked to write a significantly different album, reflected in the darker and more mature tone of On a Wire.[8]

During that time, in order to capitalize on the success of Something to Write Home About, as well as to keep fans interested until the next album came out, Vagrant Records released Eudora, a B-Sides and Rarities collection in 2001.[4]

Re-release

In August 2008, rumors began to spread that the band will be releasing a special edition of the album in 2009 to commemorate the tenth anniversary of its release, including a DVD chronicling the band's history.[9] Initially the rumors were fan reports from the farewell Reggie and the Full Effect tour, when former Get Up Kids keyboardist James Dewees claimed that the band would re-release the album in addition to touring in the spring of 2009. Speculation was fueled further when, in an interview with Mishmash Magazine, Dewees confirmed that he was working on the reunion of "an old band from the 90's and early 2000's".[10]

The re-release was confirmed by a post on the official music blog of The Kansas City Star that confirmed rumors that the band would be performing a reunion tour in 2009.[11] The tour will be in honor of the tenth anniversary of Something to Write Home About, which remains the band's most successful album to date.[12] The article also included quotes from Matt Pryor, who said that Vagrant Records will be re-releasing the album in a special 10th-anniversary edition, including a DVD and photo book.[13] In February 2009, Doghouse Records re-issued the album on vinyl.[14]

On June 10, 2009, along with announcing their European tour and the first leg of their American tour, the band also announced that the 10th anniversary edition of the album would be released on September 8, 2009.[15]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[16]
Drowned in Sound9/10[17]
Melody Maker[18]
NME7/10[19]
Pitchfork2.0/10[20]
PopMatters8/10[21]
Record Collector[22]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[23]
Spin6/10[24]

In 2015, NME listed Something to Write Home About as one of "20 Emo Albums That Have Resolutely Stood the Test of Time".[25]

Track listing

All tracks written by The Get Up Kids.

Something to Write Home About
No.TitleLength
1."Holiday"3:29
2."Action & Action"4:05
3."Valentine"4:19
4."Red Letter Day"2:56
5."Out of Reach"3:46
6."Ten Minutes"3:12
7."The Company Dime"4:06
8."My Apology"3:24
9."I'm a Loner Dottie, a Rebel"3:08
10."Long Goodnight"4:48
11."Close to Home"3:50
12."I'll Catch You"4:22

UK Version Bonus Tracks

No.TitleLength
1."Forgive and Forget"3:24
2."Central Standard Time"3:22

Personnel

Chart performance

Chart (1999) Peak position
US Billboard Top Heatseekers 31[26]

References

General

  • Something to Write Home About (10th Anniversary CD + DVD) (CD). The Get Up Kids. Vagrant Records. 2009. VR551.
Specific
  1. 1 2 "The Get Up Kids Really Were Worth Writing Home About". Phoenix New Times. September 24, 2009.
  2. ↑ "Did The Get Up Kids Really Invent Emo?". NME. July 29, 2009.
  3. ↑ "Rock Sound's 101 Modern Classics: 101 - 75". Rock Sound Magazine. June 27, 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  4. 1 2 Kelley, Trevor, Say Goodnight, Mean Goodbye: The Oral History of The Get Up Kids, Alternative Press Issue #204
  5. ↑ Browne, Heather (2006-08-25), Sub Pop Singles Club: A Retrospective, I Am Fuel, You are Friends, retrieved 07-12-2009 Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  6. ↑ The Get Up Kids Band History, Epitaph Records, retrieved 07-12-2009 Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  7. ↑ Harlow, Luke (2000-09-02), Rob Pope of The Get Up Kids, Decapolis, retrieved 2009-06-02
  8. ↑ Gintowt, Richard (2005-03-25), Stay Gold, Ponyboys, Lawrence.com, retrieved 07-12-2009 Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  9. ↑ Tate, Jason (2008-08-28), Fans Report In: Reggie and the Full Effect / Get Up Kids, Absolute Punk, retrieved 2008-12-04
  10. ↑ Kruger, Adam, Reggie and the Full Effect - Interview, MishMash Magazine, archived from the original on December 26, 2008, retrieved 2008-12-04
  11. ↑ Get Up Kids Reunion Announced For This Sunday, The Pitch, 2008-11-13, retrieved 2008-11-14
  12. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (2008-11-14), News Ticker: The Beatles, Get Up Kids, New York Dolls, Rolling Stone, archived from the original on December 27, 2008, retrieved 2008-11-15
  13. ↑ Get Up Kids Reunion: Sunday Night, Back to Rockville, 2008-11-14, retrieved 2008-11-13
  14. ↑ "The Get Up Kids announce first official reunion show". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. January 9, 2009. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  15. ↑ Slater, Luke (06-10-2009), The Get Up Kids announce European tour extravaganza!, Drowned in Sound, retrieved 07-12-2009 Check date values in: |accessdate=, |date= (help)
  16. ↑ Johnson, Zac. "Something to Write Home About – The Get Up Kids". AllMusic. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  17. ↑ Skinner, James (September 17, 2009). "Album Review: The Get Up Kids – Something To Write Home About (Tenth Anniversary Edition)". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  18. ↑ "The Get Up Kids: Something to Write Home About". Melody Maker: 48. April 11, 2000.
  19. ↑ Chick, Stevie (February 26, 2000). "The Get Up Kids – Something To Write Home About". NME. Archived from the original on April 10, 2000. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  20. ↑ DiCrescenzo, Brent (September 21, 1999). "The Get Up Kids: Something to Write Home About". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  21. ↑ Browning, Rob (January 3, 2010). "The Get Up Kids: Something to Write Home About". PopMatters. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  22. ↑ "The Get Up Kids: Something to Write Home About". Record Collector: 95. It's music as catharsis -- pure, visceral and honest, just as music should be.
  23. ↑ Soults, Franklin (2004). "Get Up Kids". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. p. 330. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  24. ↑ Beaujon, Andrew (December 1999). "American Football: American Football / The Get Up Kids: Something to Write Home About". Spin. 15 (12): 220. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  25. ↑ "20 Emo Albums That Have Resolutely Stood The Test Of Time". NME. January 14, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  26. ↑ Something to Write Home About Charts & Awards, AllMusic, retrieved 07-12-2009 Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
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