Simple Plan - No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls

You can tell a lot about a band by the company it keeps. Simple Plan's close chums include Good Charlotte and Blink 182, giving one a fair hint of the sound the group's debut, though, judging by song titles like "I’m Just a Kid," "The Worst Day Ever," and "God Must Hate Me," it’s clear these Canadian pop-punkers are aiming for a younger demographic still. Ignore the bikini-clad babes that festoon the sleeve--there’s none of Blink 182’s smutty double-entendres here. Frontman Pierre Bouvier writes about skipping school, crashing dad’s car, and lusting after girls that don’t know he exists. "Every day," he sob, "is the worst day ever." The music itself is far from glum. "I’d Do Anything" is a beaming Green Day-style chugger, while "When I’m With You" is a tale of obsession and heartbreak that owes more to the Go-Go's than Rancid. Seasoned punk fans will be put off by the excessive juvenilia, but the new wave should lap this up. --Louis Pattison Amazon.com

Great Band, Great Album!

I love the band. I got their newest self-titled album the day it came out, and I've loved every song. But about this album, it's got a lot of well written songs, although it's not anything at all like Blink-182 or Green Day or any of the other bands that people keep comparing Simple Plan to. They are their own sound, with their own music. They appeal mostly to a young demographic right with this album and with Still Not Gettin' Any, but they have definitly matured with the newest one. Bottom line? If you are into the new pop-punk style, get this album! June 17, 2008

Best Band Ever!!!

This is the first band that I have felt a true connection to. I don't agree with the people saying that this band sucks. In a way I think that Simple Plan is trying to reach out and tell the world what it's like to lose your family or have a bad life and yet still pull through because great things will happen to you. This band is truly a good band and if your reading these reviews don't only believe that they are bad because some people said they didn't sound right or the music was awful. Try for yourself what they sound like. You never know what they might sound like to you. I know many people who say they are bad and yet I still love them. They have great songs like Perfect who show what a bad relationship that a boy had with his father and yet it still turned out OK in the end. Really give these guys a chance and tell for yourself what you think of them. January 25, 2008

Music without compromise

If the radio hits "I'm Just A Kid" and "Perfect" don't instantly thrash you in the face with the entire theme of this album when they first reach your ears, it seems nothing could. Both albums from Simple Plan, the Canadian quartet who have slammed their way into the hearts of thousands of young listeners, have a very adolescent feel, even more so than bands like Good Charlotte or Linkin Park. As countless commentators have pointed out, they're by no means emo or hardcore--but they must be accepted for what they are, not run over for what they aren't.

From budding crushes gone wrong ("When I'm With You", "I'd Do Anything", "Addicted") to parental conflicts ("One Day" and "Perfect") and everything in between, Simple Plan definitely appeal to the youngest audience possible--or at least the youngest listeners can be when they start developing individual tastes in music. One look at the CD's cover seems to tell you what fantasies were swirling in these pop-punkers' minds, but one listen to the actual songs proves that not even early Blink 182's slapstick act can stand up to these guys. You simply can't tell them to act their ages.

But does this blueprint work when put into action? Past a few mediocre songs and vocals that can get annoying, ultimately, it does. Surprisingly, the track that best shows what these rockers are capable of isn't one that voices any tween frustrations, but rather a catchy one praising the singer's one-of-a-kind girlfriend: "My Alien", in which frontman Pierre Bouvier claims that "she has two arms to hold me / And four legs two wrap around me" over a catchy, munching guitar beat.

As a start their debut proves that they can not only produce memorable riffs and tunes that are perfect to sing along with, but its apt title proves that they can deliver energetic music without compromise, despite a theme that isn't nearly as perfected or as universally approved of as that of their peers. May 2, 2007

Zero Stars Suckers!

College Kid (20 yrs old)
Sorry, don't have password

Will somebody tell me why this band is still in existence? I mean c'mon is this what people call music? This crap isn't even close, all it is is a bunch of whiny men (I use that term very losely) complaining about how much their lives sucked in high school. Let me tell you somethin' a**holes, there are a lot of kids today who've had to go through more pain than you could ever dream of going through. I had a very happy childhood, so this isn't about my personal life. I know kids that have dealt with horrible things, yet have come out stronger and better and still don't complain. It makes me sick to think that people actually feel sorry for these gutless losers. I wonder if Pierre's parents forgot to circumcise him, maybe that's why he sounds sexually frustrated.

Seriously, how can anybody like these losers. Here's the lyrics to one of their songs:
I'm just a kid
my life is a nightmare
nobody cares tonight (AW, poor baby, do you want your mommy now, jackass)
And I don't give a s**t if these lyrics aren't correct to all you adolescent peabrains who reviewed before. I am fed up with babies like these imbeciles getting attention for their "traumatic childhoods" when there are kids constantly being abused, thrown around from home to home, and treated like animals every day. You think because a pretty girl didn't want to go out with you was so traumatic, you're entitled to everyone's sympathy. Here's my advice: F**K OFF! Btw, at least your parents halfway cared about you, you ungrateful, spineless bastards.

P.S. By the way, for all you SP lovin' morons who think you're so cool because they are "heavy" or "rock hard": you're not. My Pantera CD's can and always will blast this band right off the planet. Think I'm playin', see for yourself, idiots. SP wouldn't know what heavy is to save their lives. It is time for good music like Pantera, Metallica, Stone Sour, Black Sabbath, Demon Hunter, Breaking Benjamin, Tool, AIC, etc. and individuals with talent to make headway again. HAve a nice life, babies. December 30, 2006

Enough is Enough!

I respect people's own opinions of what they like and don't like. But seriously, folks, stop comparing this to blink 182. I am so sick of blink being categorized with simple plan, good charlotte, and sum 41. Blink 182 had to work through a lot of crap for 7 years before they finally got to make it this big. All these new bands did was cash in on other band's success.

I know that blink is not the most punk band out there, but they never reached this kind of a poppy mess. Every single song sounds the same. It sounds to me like they took All The Small Things (probably blink's crappiest, poppiest song ever), made it more poppy, and repeated that for 12 tracks.

And I wouldn't be as mad if they would just be labelled differently. Even though blink's 1999-2003 albums were mislabelled, they EARNED the punk label early in their career, back when they produced good NOFX and descendents style albums. Even then, they had a distinctive sound that set them apart from other bands of the time. That's another thing that bothers me. All of these "pop-punk" bands now sound the same.

If you want some good punk or pop-punk music, try blink's stuff from 1992-1997. Even better, get into the real punk bands like The Sex Pistols, The Descendents, Anti-Flag, and NOFX. November 27, 2006

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