Formerly known as Camp Kill Yourself, the Pennsylvania quartet CKY's rise out of the mire of obscurity began when their music provided the soundtrack for two skateboarding videos starring drummer Jess Margera's brother Bam, whose daredevil stunts earned him (and, by default, the band's music) a spot on Jackass. From there, the then-unsigned band's video for "96 Quite Bitter Beings" went into rotation on MTV, and a high-profile slot on the 2000 Vans Warped Tour led to their signing with Island. Unfortunately, though their debut album is all over the musical map, Volume 1 is also proof that "different" doesn't necessarily always equal "good." Almost every song here offers surprising compositional twists and turns, but it ultimately adds up to a whole lotta nothing: just a mottled mix of mos hpit-friendly skatepunk pap. The vocals aren't distinctive enough, the musicians aren't proficient enough, the songs aren't catchy enough for any one element to stand out. Basically, the album sounds exactly like what its songs have been used for -- a silly soundtrack for people who like to do stupid stuff. [The album was released in an "original printing".]
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