Monkeys for Nothin' and the Chimps for Free
Encyclopedia
Monkeys for Nothin' and the Chimps for Free is the sixth studio album from Reel Big Fish
, and their first studio album since being dropped by Jive Records
. It was released on July 10, 2007.
The CD is accompanied with a 22 minute DVD of the "Making of Monkeys for Nothin' and the Chimps for Free". According to the documentary, this album was originally proposed as a fourth disc to the band's live album
, but the band had decided they had enough live material and so decided to this album as a compilation of B-sides and re-recordings alongside some new songs. This documentary also contains footage of the band mixing a song which does not appear on the final album, about 20 minutes into the video. The song would later be released (without vocals) as a bonus track for A Best of Us for the Rest of Us
.
The vinyl was made available on the Spring 2008 tour and was limited to 1000 units. Each album was split amongst two discs, the first a picture disc and the second a light green vinyl.
The title is a mondegreen
of the line "Money for nothin' and your chicks for free" from the Dire Straits
song "Money for Nothing
."
The band's MySpace page indicates that 19 songs were recorded during the sessions, leaving 2 songs that will not appear on the store-bought album. One of these, "Bang! The Mouse Explodes," is available on the iTunes and vinyl releases of the album. Portions of the 19th track can be heard on the DVD packaged with the CD. This 19th song would eventually be stripped of its vocals and released as a digital bonus track with A Best of Us for the Rest of Us
.
Reel Big Fish
Reel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Huntington Beach, California, best known for the 1997 hit "Sell Out". The band gained mainstream recognition in the mid-to-late 1990s, during the third wave of ska with the release of the gold certified album Turn the Radio Off. Soon after, the band...
, and their first studio album since being dropped by Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
. It was released on July 10, 2007.
The CD is accompanied with a 22 minute DVD of the "Making of Monkeys for Nothin' and the Chimps for Free". According to the documentary, this album was originally proposed as a fourth disc to the band's live album
Our Live Album Is Better Than Your Live Album
Our Live Album Is Better than Your Live Album is a 2-disc live album by ska-punk band Reel Big Fish composed of both an extended length Reel Big Fish live set list, and a DVD of a March 2006 live show that also includes documentary footage on the band. The DVD portion was directed by Jonathan...
, but the band had decided they had enough live material and so decided to this album as a compilation of B-sides and re-recordings alongside some new songs. This documentary also contains footage of the band mixing a song which does not appear on the final album, about 20 minutes into the video. The song would later be released (without vocals) as a bonus track for A Best of Us for the Rest of Us
A Best of Us for the Rest of Us
A Best of Us for the Rest of Us is a greatest hits compilation from ska-punk band Reel Big Fish. It was released on July 20, 2010 and sold exclusively through Best Buy stores...
.
The vinyl was made available on the Spring 2008 tour and was limited to 1000 units. Each album was split amongst two discs, the first a picture disc and the second a light green vinyl.
The title is a mondegreen
Mondegreen
A mondegreen is the mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase as a result of near homophony, in a way that gives it a new meaning. It most commonly is applied to a line in a poem or a lyric in a song...
of the line "Money for nothin' and your chicks for free" from the Dire Straits
Dire Straits
Dire Straits were a British rock band active from 1977 to 1995, composed of Mark Knopfler , his younger brother David Knopfler , John Illsley , and Pick Withers .Dire Straits' sound drew from a variety of musical influences, including jazz, folk, blues, and came closest...
song "Money for Nothing
Money for Nothing (song)
"Money for Nothing" is a single by British rock band Dire Straits, taken from their 1985 album Brothers in Arms. It was one of Dire Straits' most successful singles, peaking at number one for three weeks in the United States, and it also reached number one for three weeks on the U.S. Mainstream...
."
Track listing
On the back cover of the album, tracks 1 through 10 are credited as "Monkeys" whilst tracks 11 through 17 are credited as "Chimps." The Chimps section of the album consists of re-recordings. A video has been released for the song "Party Down".The band's MySpace page indicates that 19 songs were recorded during the sessions, leaving 2 songs that will not appear on the store-bought album. One of these, "Bang! The Mouse Explodes," is available on the iTunes and vinyl releases of the album. Portions of the 19th track can be heard on the DVD packaged with the CD. This 19th song would eventually be stripped of its vocals and released as a digital bonus track with A Best of Us for the Rest of Us
A Best of Us for the Rest of Us
A Best of Us for the Rest of Us is a greatest hits compilation from ska-punk band Reel Big Fish. It was released on July 20, 2010 and sold exclusively through Best Buy stores...
.
Personnel
- Aaron BarrettAaron BarrettAaron Asher Barrett is the lead singer, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter for the band Reel Big Fish. Prior to forming with Reel Big Fish, Barrett played trombone in another ska-punk act, The Scholars, along with future Reel Big Fish bandmates Scott Klopfenstein and Grant Barry...
- lead guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, lead vocals - John ChristiansonJohn Christianson (musician)John Christianson is one of the current trumpet players in the California-based ska punk band, Reel Big Fish in which his nickname is "Little Johnny Christmas."...
- TrumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air... - Scott KlopfensteinScott KlopfensteinScott Allen "Scotty" Klopfenstein is an American musician and a former member of the band Reel Big Fish. He plays trumpet, guitar, keyboard, and sings....
- TrumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, vocals, additional guitar on "Party Down" - Dan ReganDan ReganDan Regan is the trombone player for the Southern California-based ska punk band Reel Big Fish. Regan has also played trombone in The Littlest Man Band with Scott Klopfenstein and currently has a hip-hop side project under the alias Black Casper.- External links :...
- TromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate... - Ryland SteenRyland SteenRyland David-Burton Steen is the current drummer for the California-USA-based ska punk band, Reel Big Fish....
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Matt WongMatt WongMatthew Wong, is a bassist and one of the founding members of the California-based ska punk band, Reel Big Fish...
- Bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Additional musicians
- Molly Barrett - Southern belleSouthern belleA southern belle is an archetype for a young woman of the American Old South's upper class....
on "I'm Her Man" - David Irish - Group vocals, additional cursing on "Another F.U. Song"
- Brian KlemmBrian KlemmBrian Wayne Klemm is the guitarist for the Orange County-based third-wave ska band Suburban Legends. He joined Suburban Legends in 1999, shortly before the release of Origin Edition, although he did not play guitar on the album. Klemm also briefly joined Big D and the Kids Table in 2009 as their...
- Guitar solo fighter on "I'm Her Man" and additional cursing on "Another F.U. Song" - Jon Kubis - AccordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
on "Please Don't Tell Her I Have a Girlfriend" - Captain MorganCaptain MorganCaptain Morgan is a brand of rum produced by alcohol conglomerate Diageo. It is named after the 17th-century, Welsh privateer of the Caribbean, Sir Henry Morgan...
- Credited for humorous effect on the song "Everybody's Drunk". - Kiersten Stevens - Rape Whistle on "Everybody's Drunk"