| "Super Rad!" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Aquabats | ||||
| from the album The Fury of The Aquabats! | ||||
| Released | 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1997 | |||
| Genre | Ska | |||
| Length | 3:02 | |||
| Label |
| |||
| Songwriter(s) | The Aquabats | |||
| Producer(s) | Jim Goodwin | |||
| The Aquabats singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Super Rad!" is a song by American band the Aquabats which appears on their 1997 album The Fury of The Aquabats! .
Issued by the Aquabats' then labels Goldenvoice and Time Bomb Recordings, "Super Rad!" was the band's first widely distributed single, and what AbsolutePunk called "single-handedly the gem responsible for putting [The Aquabats] on the map". [1] Musically, the song follows in the ska-influenced style the Aquabats were then known for, featuring a heavily brass-driven melody as well as the surf-inspired lead guitar lines which characterized much of the band's early material. "Super Rad!"'s lyrics have been described by reviewers as an introductory "mission statement" of sorts in reference to the band's superhero-themed persona, exemplified in the chorus "We're on our way/Here we go/We're gonna take over". [1]
Despite not attaining any chart success, "Super Rad!" nevertheless received heavy airplay on college radio and stations such as Los Angeles' influential KROQ-FM during the short-lived American ska revival of the late 1990s, bringing the Aquabats their first taste of moderate mainstream exposure. [2] [3] As such, it is considered to be one of the band's most popular songs, and is almost always performed at every one of their concerts.
As the Aquabats started to attract mainstream attention in late 1997, singer Christian Jacobs (The Bat Commander) began to conceptualize adapting the band's superhero mythology for television. In a 2013 interview with the Nerdist, Jacobs mentioned that the video for "Super Rad!" was one of his attempts to show studios that the Aquabats could be "appealing comedic characters in addition to a good band". [4] The video was directed by comedian Bobcat Goldthwait, who also worked with the band in developing and directing their 1998 unaired television pilot The Aquabats! for Buena Vista Television. [5]
Like most of the Aquabats' video projects, the music video for "Super Rad!" features a deliberately campy and brightly colored aesthetic reminiscent of Saturday morning cartoons and 1970s television such as the works of Sid and Marty Krofft. [4] The video's loose plot follows the Aquabats as they're dispatched individually by "The Professor" (Parker Jacobs) to rescue a young Aquacadet being menaced by a duo of thugs. Featuring heavy slapstick humor, each of the Aquabats endures various physical beatings and pratfalls before collectively saving the day.
Actor Ed Begley Jr. makes a brief cameo appearance in the video, driving a General Motors EV1 to which a jogging Jaime the Robot is attached via extension cord. In one scene, the Bat Commander fights with a costumed monster then known as the "Cyclopfenstein" (a portmanteau of cyclops and Scott Klopfenstein, trumpeter for the ska punk band Reel Big Fish, who frequently toured with the Aquabats); the design for this creature would later be used to develop the character of Muno for the children's television series Yo Gabba Gabba! , of which Jacobs co-created. [6]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Super Rad!" | 3:02 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Super Rad!" | 3:02 |
| 2. | "Lobster Bucket!" | 2:41 |
The Aquabats are an American rock band formed in Huntington Beach, California, in 1994. Throughout many fluctuations in the group's line-up, singer the MC Bat Commander and bassist Crash McLarson have remained the band's two constant fixtures. As of 2024, the Aquabats' members include saxophonist Jimmy the Robot, drummer Ricky Fitness, guitarists Eaglebones Falconhawk and Chainsaw, the Prince of Karate, trumpeter Cat Boy and keyboardist Gorney.
The Return of the Aquabats is the debut album by American band the Aquabats, independently released on Horchata Records in December 1995, and subsequently re-issued by Fearless Records.
The Aquabats vs. the Floating Eye of Death! is the third studio album from American band The Aquabats, released on October 26, 1999, on Goldenvoice Records.
Charge!! is the fourth studio album by American comedy rock band The Aquabats, released on June 7, 2005 by Nitro Records.
The Fury of the Aquabats! is the second studio album by American rock band the Aquabats, released on October 28, 1997, by Goldenvoice Records and Time Bomb Recordings.
Myths, Legends and Other Amazing Adventures, Vol. 2 is a compilation album by American band The Aquabats, released on November 7, 2000 by Fearless Records. The album is a collection of studio outtakes, b-sides and miscellaneous unreleased tracks recorded during the production of the band's 1999 studio album, The Aquabats vs. the Floating Eye of Death!.
Christian Richards Jacobs is an American musician, television producer, and actor. He is perhaps most recognized as the co-creator of the award-winning Nick Jr. series Yo Gabba Gabba!, on which he additionally serves as a writer, director, composer, and voice actor.
Yo Gabba Gabba! is a children's musical television series created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz and developed by Kay Wilson Stallings. The series is about five costumed toys come-to-life and their friend DJ Lance Rock. It is co-produced by the Magic Store and Wildbrain Entertainment. Its first episode premiered on Nickelodeon on August 20, 2007, as a part of its Nick Jr. block. Its original run ended on November 12, 2015.
Ian Fowles is an American musician, author, and actor, best known as the current guitarist for the Orange County rock band The Aquabats, in which he performs under the stage name and persona of EagleBones Falconhawk. Prior to joining The Aquabats, Fowles was also one of the founding members of the hardcore punk band Death by Stereo.
Chad Albert Larson is an American musician, best known as the co-founder and bass guitarist for the Orange County rock band The Aquabats, in which he performs under the stage name and persona of Crash McLarson. From 2012 to 2014, Larson also played Crash McLarson on The Hub original series The Aquabats! Super Show! and on the series' 2019 YouTube-based revival The Aquabats! RadVentures!.
Richard Falomir is an American musician and composer, perhaps best recognized as the current drummer for the Orange County rock band The Aquabats, in which he performs under the stage name and persona of Ricky Fitness.
The Aquabats! Super Show! is an American action-comedy musical television series which aired from March 3, 2012 to January 8, 2014 on The Hub Network, later resuming as an independent YouTube series from September 2019 to July 2021. The series was created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz, both the creators of the Nick Jr. Channel series Yo Gabba Gabba!, and Jason deVilliers.
Hi-Five Soup! is the fifth studio album from American band The Aquabats, released on January 18, 2011 by Fearless Records.
The discography of The Aquabats, an Orange County, California-based rock band, consists of six studio albums, one compilation album, one soundtrack album, two EPs, one live album, one video album and three music videos, among other recordings.
Parker LeGrand Jacobs is an American artist, musician, author and actor. He is known for his work as an art director on the children's television series Yo Gabba Gabba!, for which he has been nominated for four Daytime Emmy Awards, as well as for his involvement with the Californian bands GOGO13, The Aquabats and The Sandfleas.
GOGO13 is an American ska band formed in 1993 by singer and artist Parker Jacobs and currently based out of Huntington Beach, California.
"Pool Party!" is a song by American band The Aquabats which appears on their 2000 album Myths, Legends and Other Amazing Adventures, Vol. 2, which itself was a compilation of B-sides and unreleased tracks from the recording sessions for the band's 1999 studio album The Aquabats vs. the Floating Eye of Death!.
The Sandfleas are a fictional gang of masked hooligans within the mythology of the superhero-themed American comedy band The Aquabats, who featured prominently as the latter's "arch enemies" in their stage shows and related media during the late 1990s.
"Burger Rain" is a song by American band The Aquabats, released as a 7" single in July 2017.
The Aquabats! Super Show! Television Soundtrack: Volume One is a soundtrack album for the first season of the American television series The Aquabats! Super Show!, consisting primarily of songs performed by the series' eponymous rock band, The Aquabats.
