On Reggie and the Full Effect's new record, Songs Not To Get Married To, James Dewees is ready to come clean about his role as songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and mad scientist behind Reggie and the Full Effect. "Paco's dead now," proclaims Dewees, AKA Reggie, AKA Paco, AKA Klause from Common Denominator, AKA Fluxuation. "This record's more about me getting divorced; about working really hard for a really long time, then having everything taken away from you for no reason whatsoever other than somebody has the power to do it," he says. "Big man crushes small man syndrome." Granted, the history of the band's comical antics, song titles such as "The Fuck Stops Here," and the record's seemingly too-literal-to-be-true title might lead one to believe that Dewees merely jests about his inspiration for Songs Not To Get Married To. But Dewees insists that he is all too sincere about the theme for his latest masterpiece. The album opens with "What the Hell is Contempt?" a song, he says, inspired by his divorce court proceedings. "They called me up and said that were going to sue me for contempt," remembers Dewees. "And I was like 'what the hell is contempt?'" I don't even know what it is and I'm going to get sued for it."
But don't get out your handkerchief just yet. Songs Not to Get Married To, isn't all seriousness. Songs like the grinding metal number "The Trooth,"—which Dewees says is "about me having to go get a tooth pulled in the middle of recording. I tried to save it but they threw the tooth away. It was fucking gross."— and the dance-y "Dethnotronic" featuring Common Denominator and Hungary Bear, as well as snippets like "Guess Who's Back" and "Laura's Australian Dance Party" are all classic Reggie: switching genres at the drop of a hat, mixing irreverence and humor with razor-sharp guitars and sugar-coated melodies. And like Under the Tray, Songs Not To Get Married To was recorded at producer Ed Rose's Black Lodge Studios in Kansas, and includes guest spots by what Dewees refers to as his "all star friends," including Ryan and Robert Pope of The Get Up Kids, Benjamin Perri of From Autumn to Ashes, and Sean Ingram and Cory White from Coalesce. "I can always call in my all-star friends to help me out when I need them," says Dewees with a laugh. "With everybody being from the same small scene, we're all friends. Even as the scene is getting bigger, our friendships are all still like they were before. We all go out and get drunk together and bum cigarettes and money from each other all the time."
Though there is still the requisite silliness and genre-melding that fans of Reggie and the Full Effect have come to expect, Song Not To Get Married To is nevertheless a cathartic, one might even say serious record, at least by Reggie standards. "Everybody who's heard it so far has noticed that it was more serious," agrees James Dewees. "There's actually lyrics and songs not just about girls running away." But there are also plenty of fake accents, techno dance beats and Slayer-esque metal riffs to allay any concerns that Reggie has gone totally straight. "It’s still Reggie," says Dewees. "There's still the humor there, it's just taking things a little more serious, doing it a little bit more subtly."
Songs Not To Get Married To is a look at the man behind the curtain, the record that finally proves once and for all that James Dewees is Reggie and the Full Effect, and that Reggie and the Full Effect is, in fact, James Dewees. Such a personal record deserves a personal bio, or at least a personal end to a regular bio. So here is a message from James Dewees, AKA Reggie, to you, the recipient of this bio. The message is as follows: "This is my new record. It is a little less silly than the last three, but I recently got divorced and lost everything so I don't have much to celebrate these days. However, I am still a happy camper, just single camping now. I hope you enjoy the new record and if my ex-wife is one of those unknown people who gets one of these bios…wow, you scored hella good huh?"
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Customer Rating
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| # |
Song Name |
Popularity |
| 1 |
What The Hell Is Contempt
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18% |
| 2 |
Get Well Soon
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22% |
| 3 |
What The Hell Is Stipulation
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8% |
| 4 |
Caving
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12% |
| 5 |
The Trooth
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2% |
| 6 |
Guess Who's Back
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0% |
| 7 |
Take Me Home Please
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15% |
| 8 |
Thanks For The Misery
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6% |
| 9 |
The Fuck Stops Here
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3% |
| 10 |
Love Reality
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2% |
| 11 |
More Australian Dance Party
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1% |
| 12 |
Dethnotronic
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10% |
| 13 |
Playing Dead
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4% |
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Vote for your favorite songs by clicking the green checkmark above |
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| People Who Bought This Item Also Bought |
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| Reviews are written by people that purchased this item from Interpunk |
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| Anthony from Apo, AE |  |
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Jul 24 2006 |
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A lot more Emotion, James Dewees is defiantly more pissed of than he was on previous recordings. This is in my opinion the best Reggie album. It’s like every feeling felt after going through a bad break up, all compiled onto one CD. Its an emotional rush listening to this album.
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| Tim from East Tawas, MI | |
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Aug 15 2005 |
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boring...relatively speaking. the folks who "cried", notations below, are possibly lacking in life's experiences. I'm a Reggie fan, but this album - although *good* in many respects - was a let-down in too many others.
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| Russell. from Parma, OH | |
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May 27 2005 |
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This album came out, coincidentally, the same time I had a break up. Funny, relevant and angry. Everything I could think of to describe my feelings this album worded beautifully. By far my favorite reggie album (and I love them all). This album is quality and it gets better every time I listen to it. Reggie has always had a great crossover of the genres quality, and this album does that even better than the others. Excellent album.
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| Rodney from Sarasota, FL | |
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May 12 2005 |
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I have never eally been a huge fan of Reggie albums but this one struck me in a different way. I love the way James mixes pop and metal on this one. It is a great cd. By far his best one yet.
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| Katherine from Manchester, CT | |
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May 2 2005 |
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Possibly the best Reggie album to date. You can feel James's pain and anguish coming through the speakers, I have to say I cried during one of the songs it was so emotional. The inclusion of a Common Denominator and Fluxuation song lighten up the mood, but strenght in this album lies with its moving lyrics and original music. I'd buy this ten times over.
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| Brandon from San Luis Obispo, CA | |
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Apr 17 2005 |
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What do I think? Is this the best-smelling Reggie in North Alabama? To quote the CD, "Hell yeeeeeeeah, alright!!!" This CD feels like the most solid and likable collection of songs for Reggie to date, and even the silly stuff feels like "serious" music that they put effort into. Okay, don't play it at your wedding, but play it everywhere else! Song I was extra stoked about: "The Fuck Stops Here"
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| Austin from Aliquippa, PA | |
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Apr 9 2005 |
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The new Reggie CD is a bit different than the other albums. This CD has a more serious, less comedic vibe that contrasts from the last couple of albums that were full to the brim of parody type comedy and ridiculousness. Songs not to get Married to does reveal the emotional turmoil that James has gone through with the divorce of his wife. But he's not corny or whiny about it; its more like a sophisticated "fuck her" type of expression. James also screams a few times and sings in a way thats more hard and angry than previous cds; although its different from some of the old stuff it still sounds great. As long as you enjoy Reggie's great vocals and the unique synthesizer-based music that has put Reggie on the map, you will dig this new album. This IS the best review for this album. You SHOULD go buy this album. And a t-shirt.
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| Kevin from Houston, TX | |
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Apr 8 2005 |
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After reading Alternative Press Mag's review of this album I was a little skeptical about what this new Reggie disc would sound like. I knew that Jame Dewees went through a pretty tough and nasty divorce. So obiviously it has to reflect the tone of the album. Just like Rancid's 2003 release "Indestructible" was (partially) about Tim Armstrong's divorce with Brody Dale (Distilliers). Now onto the record it self. It is hands down the best Reggie album since the "1984:Greatest Hits". Infact this is my favorite Reggie album, bar none! It's amazing! Dewees made a record that fully recognized the pain and confusion he went through. And he did it without sounding cheesy or too mopey. I think the last two Reggie albums ("Under The Tray" and "Promo") were very splotchy and only contained a few good jams. To me "Songs Not To Get Married To" is a full return to Dewees creativity that we have all been waiting for. So good job James! This is one of the best albums of 2005 so far. It's a great theme record despite what any snot-faced journalist may say.
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| Robert from Thorndale, PA | |
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Apr 1 2005 |
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it is a known fact that artists produce their best work in periods of emotional stress. "songs not to get married to" is a case in point. it is the first reggie record that doesn't come off as an inside joke; it comes off as a brutally honest display of ones' feelings. the songs on the first half of the record have a much harder/more serious sound to them. "guess who's back" is a nice segue to the second half of the record which is traditional eighties synth reggie. "the fuck stops here" is an exception as it sounds like it came off of a Ministry album. "playing dead" closes the album with a long slow ballad which nicely ties together the album's theme. i think a lot of teens will have trouble relating to this record, yet a lot of twenty somethings plus will enjoy listening to it with a nice cold beer. don't expect too much fun on this release.
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| Reviews are written by people that purchased this item from Interpunk |
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"Reggie and the Full Effect"
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