Even as the pop-punk boom of the mid ’90s had major labels and MTV scrambling to cash in, some bands still never got a fair shake amid the hoopla. Enter Smoking Popes, a Chicago band who seemed poised for a breakthrough but never earned much more than a taste of mainstream success. This is a shame, because their 1994 album, Born To Quit, was every bit as good as anything produced during the genre’s mid ’90s feeding frenzy.
While the lot of the era’s punks got by on “fuck you” attitude and spirited energy, the Popes were sweetheart punks with hearts on their sleeves in place of chips on their shoulders. Born To Quit is every bit as cranked and agitated as anything on Dookie, but the anger comes from an earnest, sensitive place, an honesty that’s refreshing in the face of so much canned rebellion. Frontman Josh Caterer’s crooning falsetto quivers like Morrisey on a Ramones kick, while “Gotta Know Right Now”, “Mrs. You and Me”, and “My Lucky Day” leave little up to the imagination lyrically. Musically, the production is crisp; the guitars soar, and the record hits a nice balance between sour and sweet.
Ironically, the record’s gentleness proved to be as much its downfall as its strength, as the punk craze clearly favored bratty bad boys over the Popes’ relatable, nice guy pining. But more than 15 years later, Born to Quit still holds up. As a reissue, not much has changed. The songs sound the same, and there’s not much in the way of bonus material save for a lone outtake (“Blanket in the Park”) and cover song (Willie Nelson’s “Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground”). But the reissue gives the album a much-deserved second chance to find a new audience, proving that nice guys aren’t always doomed to finish last.
Essential tracks: “Gotta Know Right Now”, “Mrs. You and Me”