Son of Sam I Am | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1988 | |||
Genre | Rock, power pop | |||
Label | Alias | |||
Producer | Michael James | |||
Too Much Joy chronology | ||||
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Son of Sam I Am is an album by the American band Too Much Joy, released in 1988. [1] [2] The first single was "Making Fun of Bums". [3] The band supported the album with a North American tour that included shows with Love Tractor. [4] Giant Records released a resequenced version of Son of Sam I Am in 1990. [5] While promoting the rerelease, the band was arrested on obscenity charges for covering 2 Live Crew songs at a show in Broward County. [6] Proceeds from the show were directed to retailers who had been arrested for selling As Nasty as They Wanna Be . [7]
The album was produced by Michael James. [8] Most of the lyrics were written by singer Tim Quirk, who was influenced by Minor Threat and John Prine. [9] "That's a Lie" is a cover of the LL Cool J song. [10] "Clowns" samples Bozo the Clown; a lawsuit from Bozo led to the removal of the sample from later pressings. [11] "Hugo!" refers to the Gang of Four drummer Hugo Burnham. [12] "Bad Dog" is about S&M. [13] "Kicking (That Gone Fishing Song)" is about a young man with cancer. [14] "My Past Lives" deals with the concept of reincarnation. [15] The rerelease includes a cover of Terry Jacks's version of "Seasons in the Sun". [16]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Robert Christgau | A− [17] |
Dayton Daily News | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Los Angeles Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Orlando Sentinel | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Newsday wrote that "Too Much Joy is a pie-in-the-face to those who feel cutting edge rock has to have its source in adversity... There are knowing, snide stabs at the music business, pop culture, and their co-generationalists." [23] The Orlando Sentinel concluded that "cleverness rarely requires sincerity... It does require something more to carry an album though." [20] Robert Christgau noted that, "where formerly Tim Quirk spoke his lyrics in tune, now he mocks, expostulates, kid-drawls, projects, so that sometimes they sound smarter (and sassier) than they read." [17] The Los Angeles Times wrote that "they're at least as funny as Mojo Nixon desperately wants to be, and 20 times as tuneful." [19]
Trouser Press opined: "Sharpening both instrumental skills and songwriting wit, TMJ hit their stride on Son of Sam I Am, an accomplished rock album." [24] The New York Times determined that "songs like 'Worse' and 'Clowns' ... capture paranoia, kitsch overload, frustration, and the shrug that allows them to live with it all." [25] The Edmonton Journal said that "there's much more than bratty kitsch and a spunky garage band beat going on with this cheeky foursome." [26] The State appreciated that "there's plenty of teenage angst, but not one discouraging note amongst these power chords." [27]
AllMusic wrote that "most of the songs are sweet-and-sour power pop." [3]
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Making Fun of Bums" | |
2. | "Song for a Girl Who Has One" | |
3. | "Clowns" | |
4. | "My Past Lives" | |
5. | "That's a Lie" | |
6. | "Hugo!" | |
7. | "Kicking (That Gone Fishing Song)" | |
8. | "Life Is Flowers" | |
9. | "Connecticut" | |
10. | "Bad Dog" | |
11. | "1964" | |
12. | "Worse" |