Funny How It Sticks With You - Once again I m very late in saying what should be said. This is easily one of the hundred greatest rock albums ever. Fastball is THE greatest band you never heard of. Most people hear their songs on the radio and think they re hearing someone else. They think, Oh that s an Elvis Costello song or Tom Petty or Eagles but it Fastball. The way you tell is it s usually better. This album shows there songwriting genius. Luckily someone already committed sacrlege so I will reiterate. Tony Scalzo and Miles Zuniga are the Lennon-McCartney of this era. There s not a single false note on this album. Ever song is brilliantly clever without being pretenious in anyway and where as almost every band, even the great ones, try to unsuccessfully break out of their one sound and represent as many different genres as possible, Fastball does succeed and seemingly effortlessly. Often the best movies and songs take time to warm up to and many that are immediately accessible wear thin fast. All the cuts here have the amazing trait of being immediately accessible and never wearing thin. In fact their songwriting has the trait of sounding familiar but not like some other song. It s called great songwriting. Become familiar with the two greatest tunesmiths working today and if you get the chance to see them live make sure you don t miss it. Plus they re really personable, cool guys. Well, Tony anyway. Oh lighten up Smiley. This album is a ten out of five. You can t go wrong buying any Fastball album though.
Great catchy tunes album!!! - I absolutely love this album. All the songs are great to listen to and I know almost all the lyrics by heart. This is a great band. I was hooked with their music when I bought All the Pain Money can t buy. That album also had great songs, but this album has unforgettable songs. From start to finish, It s great. These songs are great pick you up after a hard days work, which is what Funny how it fades away says. They undeniably have a Beatlesque sound from songs like Goodbye and especially Love is expensive and free. The way the lead guitarist, Tony Scalzo, and the bass guitarist, Miles Zuniga, alternates lead vocals is what makes both albums great. I also recommend getting the limited edition of this album which has a great live recording of The Way.
Soft Side of Fastball - Fastball s Harsh Light of Day is the second album I ve listened to by the group from Austin, Texas. This was a much-anticipated album for me after listening to All The Pain Money Can Buy. This albumen didn t quite live up to all of that hype. Fastball seems to have reached a mellower state after All The Pain Money Can Buy, perhaps they bought too much pain? The song You re An Ocean was good, but definitely wasn t the Fastball I had expected. I was looking for much more like This Is Not My Life, instead of the pop sounding album I got. I liked the album, it just wasn t the Fastball I wanted.
Overlooked and under appreciated - Not a perfect album. . . but a great one. At times the production is a little intrusive, but the songs rise above. Great songs from both Tony and Miles from start to finish. Do yourself a favor. Do yourself a favor and grab this one today.
BUY IT!!!! - Honestly, I can t say enough for this AWESOME cd. This has been said in other reviews, but Fastball does have a sound that can be described as Modern-Day Beatles. All of the songs have their own character and all speak directly to my heart. I know it sounds corny, but I have a close relationship with this cd, now. It is amazing how greatly this band matures with time. I will leave you with this: Buy It!!!!!!