Product Details
- SKU: PPR345-1
- Format: LP
- UPC: 810096651747
- Street Date: 03/24/23
- PreBook Date: 02/17/23
- Label: Pirates Press Records »
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Run Time: 70 mins
- Number of Discs: 2
- Audio: STEREO
- Year of Production: 1998
- Region Code: 0
- Box Lot: 10
- Territory: US,CA,AU
Product Assets
The Slackers - The Question
The Slackers classic 2xLP, finally back in print and available to celebrate it's 25th anniversary!
- List Price: $27.99
- Your Price: $27.99
- In Stock: 40
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The Question is a crucial cornerstone in the history of NYC ska/reggae legends, The Slackers, and an essential album in the collection of any fan of the band or the multiple genres they effortlessly fuse together. Originally released in 1998, The Question marked the third LP in three years for the band, and the immediate follow-up to their breakthrough album, Redlight, from the previous year. The album was written and recorded amidst a nonstop schedule of touring and live performances. Recording took place at Coyote Studios in Brooklyn and at Tim Armstrong's Bloodclot Studio in Los Angeles. Vic Ruggiero was also working as a keyboard player and writer on Rancid's Life Wont Wait album which was also released in 1998. All of the above contributed to cementing The Slackers' place at the forefront of the 90s ska revival in the US & worldwide, as well as their reputation for being one of the most authentic bands paying respect to the roots of the genre (one of the album's dedications is to the late Skatalites founding member, Tommy McCook). With so many more eyes and ears tuned in, the band rose to the occasion and delivered on the high expectations. Selections from this record, including "Have the Time," "Keep Him Away," and "Face in My Crowd," became staples in the band's live set and fan-favorites, with "Have the Time" still often receiving honored placement as a set-closer or encore nearly 25 years later. Unavailable to retail for the last fifteen years, Pirates Press Records is thrilled to re-present The Question, for it's twenty-fifth anniversary, an album whose place among The Slackers' early classic albums is truly without question!
Track Listing
Disc 1:
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Sales Points
- Hasn't been available to retail for 15 years!
- 25th anniversary reissue!
Press Quotes
After writing and posting a five-star review for a Let's Go Bowling album, people who knew who the band actually were told me I overrated it, and then had an argument about what the best ska album of the '90s was, which I guess is normal post-review behaviour on the Org. This disc got mentioned a lot, it's one of my favourites (ever) and no one has reviewed it, so here I go. The Slackers have been recognised as one of the greatest ska bands of all time, being smart, sophisticated, musically tight, catchy, danceable, melancholy, joyous, open-minded and ambitious about how they play their smooth rocksteady sound. I haven't heard 1997's Redlight (which is also contested as their best) properly, but I've only known the band for about two years, which I hope is a good excuse, so I'm only able to say this is the best one I've heard. Nonetheless, what an album! For something that opens with a Bill Bailey-style cockney piano intro, the record is simply beautiful. Calm, sweet numbers: 'Yes It's True,' 'No More Crying' and 'The Question.' Bluesy, rock-influenced songs: 'Do You Know', 'Face in My Crowd,' 'The Mummy' and 'And I Wonder,' which sounds a little Steely Dan-influenced to me (and with the band's wide and varied taste, it could well be). There's cheerful traditional ska, like 'Manuel,' the slightly cynical Sitar-powered Calypso ska (best description I could think up) of 'Mountainside' and the toasting instrumental 'Motor City.' And one of my favourite songs of all time: the pretty, slow burning 'Alone Again.' The album is coherent and fits together perfectly. There are no bad songs (though we can ask just what is the exact point of 'The Question (Version)'), only better ones. The only flaw is the lack of a lyrics sheet. Why? This is hardly even a setback, though, so never mind. This is a lovely album. It's not epic; it's not bombastic; it's just lovely.
—punknews.org