Jimmy Eat World Goes For A Double Dip, and Actually Succeeds (Mostly)

So I have no idea why the font went all crazy in the last post; for some reason Blogger decides to screw things up whenever I try to use blockquotes. Anywho.

I tend to have mixed feelings about the whole notion of deluxe re-issues of albums. When I'm a casual fan of an artist or I don't have a particular album, they're a great way for me to get lots of new material from the band and help decide if it's worth buying more stuff (Such is how I found myself to be a fan of The Who). But when I already have the album, it's frustrating to see a whole bunch of potentially exciting new material available for an outrageous price. Then there are the times when I see a "Deluxe Edition" for an album that really doesn't need it; in my mind this new wave of 2-Disc sets should be reserved for classic albums (Tommy, Legend, and the like) that have achieved some kind of significance. Sorry, but 3 Doors Down have not reached a point where a 2-Disc edition of The Better Life is warranted. Nor have the Gin Blossoms deserved a re-up of New Miserable Experience.

With that in mind, you can understand my ambivalence toward the re-issue of Jimmy Eat World's 2001 hit album Bleed American (re-named Jimmy Eat World after 9/11, it's now being billed by its creative title for the re-up). The album's not even a decade old, the band has an album with a slew of singles that they're just letting die (not sure that's all their fault though; I suspect foul play on the part of the label wanting another "The Middle" caliber hit), and I already have the original album (albeit a digital rip on my computer from my brother, a big JEW fan who bought the CD on its original release). At the same time, the 21 bonus tracks on the new version are, just by looking at the listing, are well worth it. Furthermore, Jimmy Eat World did what other bands aren't doing and releasing the bouns tracks a la carte and not them "Album Only" tracks (though the volume of tracks compared to the price make it cheaper to just buy the whole thing). Thanks to a little help from some friends online, I managed to get the bonus tracks through illicit means, bypassing the "buy what you already have" quandary.

I wasn't in love with Bleed American the first time I heard it, most likely because I was taken aback by something so intelligent from the same band that scored a hit off "The Middle" and the ensuing video. But after a number of listens I found a love for it. Jimmy Eat World broke the stereotype of pop-punk bands being juvenile and thoughtless with this album. For every "The Middle" and "Bleed American" there is on the album, there's a beautiful, well crafted tune like "Cautioners" or the tearjerking "Hear You Me" to balance it out. On top of that, single-worthy album cuts like "The Authority Song" and "Your House" make the album a fun listen from front to back. Even when things slow down near the end, that's all it does. Boring moments in the core 11 songs are few and far between on Bleed American.

The bonus tracks tell a similar tale. The 3 B-sides on the first disc fit in seamlessly, particularly "Splash, Turn and Twist" and "No Sensitivity", tracks that easily fit in among the best of the band's canon. The demos are especially interesting, for no other reason than hearing the original draft of lyrics for certain songs ("The Authority Song" demo leaps to mind). The live tracks, on the other hand, are a mixed bag; when JEW plays acoustic or in a small setting, they sound great, exactly how I'd want to hear them in concert. But on some of the bigger, full-band tracks, they falter, especially in Jim Adkins' voice (the live version of "Bleed American" is a tough listen, and the live "Sweetness" is saved by the stellar instrumentals). To put the bonus disc over the top, the band added some fan favorite B-Sides previously hard-to-find in America, like the cover of Prodigy's "Firestarter" and "Last Christmas".

Overall the re-release of Bleed American is excellent, and everything I'd want in a deluxe edition. This would have been a perfect release were it to come out 10 years from now, when we're all looking back on the albums that mattered in the early 00's. The thing is, Jimmy Eat World still have plenty of steam left in them, and I feel like doing a deluxe edition in lieu of a potential monster hit of a third single past Chase This Light (I still think that releasing either the title track or "Dizzy" would give them the biggest hit of their career) is a huge momentum killer.
So while I'm glad I heard these tracks, and will probably shell out 20 bucks to buy the CDs, I can't help but ask, why?

Ruling on the Field: 8.5/10
Highlight Reel: The Authority Song (Demo), Splash, Turn and Twist [iTunes]


==TJ==