Have a Ball is the first studio album by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, released in 1997 on the Fat Wreck Chords independent record label.[1] The album is made up entirely of "Hits of the '60s and '70s", with the exception of Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl", originally released in 1983.

Have a Ball
Studio album by
Released1997
GenrePunk rock
Length28:48
LabelFat Wreck Chords
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes chronology
Have a Ball
(1997)
Are a Drag
(1999)

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [2]
Maximum Rocknroll(favorable)[3]
Nanaimo Daily News     [4]

Larry Katz of the Boston Herald said that the album was an "unforgettable" album of 1997, despite being relatively little-known, and that the band's gimmick of recording cross-genre covers was a "darn good" joke.[5] Noel Murray, writing in Nashville Scene, praised the record as being fun while not overly long, and said that the rearrangements of familiar older songs allowed listeners to better appreciate the writing of those songs.[6]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Original performerLength
1."Danny's Song"Kenny LogginsLoggins and Messina2:10
2."Leaving on a Jet Plane" (from Denver)John DenverJohn Denver2:32
3."Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" (from Paul)Paul SimonPaul Simon2:42
4."One Tin Soldier"Dennis Lambert, Brian PotterOriginal Caste2:01
5."Uptown Girl" (from Billy)Billy JoelBilly Joel2:22
6."I Am a Rock" (from Garf)Paul SimonSimon & Garfunkel2:04
7."Sweet Caroline" (from Diamond)Neil DiamondNeil Diamond2:53
8."Seasons in the Sun"Jacques BrelTerry Jacks2:27
9."Fire and Rain" (from In Your Barcalounger)James TaylorJames Taylor1:24
10."Nobody Does It Better" (from The Spy Who Loved Me)Carole Bayer Sager, Marvin HamlischCarly Simon2:28
11."Mandy" (from Barry)Scott English, Richard KerrBarry Manilow2:27
12."Rocket Man" (from Elton)Elton John, Bernie TaupinElton John3:15

Personnel

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Frampton, Scott (Sep 1997). "Best New Music". CMJ New Music Monthly. No. 49. p. 13.
  2. ^ AllMusic review
  3. ^ Lujan, Ray (September 1997). "Music Reviews". Maximum Rocknroll. No. 172. Retrieved 2024-03-02 – via Internet Archive.
  4. ^ Denomme, Terry (1999-02-05). "Digging rock out of an early grave". Nanaimo Daily News. Retrieved 2024-03-01 – via ProQuest.
  5. ^ Katz, Larry (1998-01-04). "The great unknowns: These albums from '97 would be unforgettable, if you'd ever heard of them". Boston Herald. Retrieved 2024-03-01 – via ProQuest.
  6. ^ Murray, Noel (1997-12-04). "Records - LL Cool J, Mike Watt, and the Pulsars". Nashville Scene. Retrieved 2024-03-01 – via Access World News.