Who doesnt like the Underlcass Hero Era?

[kevin5064]

i'm just curious. am i the only one on this message board who absolutely hates the Underclass Hero album? dont get me wrong i still like the band but this album was a major let down and they lost soooo many fans in the US (most likely elsewhere too) because of it. It was just a major step down for them.

what i think went wrong:

1. deryck did everything himself and allowed no input (i.e. not letting cone wander off in his bass lines...seriously its CONE when hasnt he been able to do that?)

2. no greg nori. i believe he took a major part in the building of sum 41 songs. i think he set everything in line and made sure it didnt suck. in most of the Guitar Tab books he is listed as one of the song writers for nearly all of the songs, especially on chuck.

3. no dave. this is obvious. the guitars were shit and every song was nearly played the exact same. cone even said so in the making of video and deryck got pissed.

4. the support tour that followed the album was a let down as well. this was the only thing that could have saved the album IMO. the guitar tones were super flat/trebbly and had no 'thickness' to them. Sum 41 was once my favorite live band (before UH era i saw them twice and it was brilliant) then once i saw them for the third time everything deryck said seemed planned out and there was no energy. it was like they played the shortest vesions of the songs (mostly 'greatest hits' songs) and got off the stage ASAP. Tom is a good guitarist but his backing vocals are no good and hes a little choppy on the lead parts. oH and there was only like 2 songs played off of Chuck, lame.



what they need to do to improve:

1. deryck needs to let the others in on the writing process. if not, then why not just leave the band and go solo?

2. bring in a fucking producer. someone good and well known that can set them straight.

3. throw in some GOOD guitar rhythms and leads like the had on every album previous to this.

4. return to your old level live performance. get new equipment or something, because what their using now is WEAK.


it kills me to even have to compare their performances over a span of only 2-3 years but w/e. now which sum 41 would you rather be paying to see?
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[/rant]


share your thoughts please.

[Peterr]

Underclass hero is the only reason I like sum 41

[Queso Man]

First of all, those videos weren't performed under the same conditions were they? Live performances can't be compared like that. Different places give off different sounds.

Second off, I think you're extremely biased against what you think you know. You don't know how the actual process of the band has changed since Dave left. Nor do you know the song composing process of them. That's something only the band knows, and it's not up to us to judge this aspect.

How do you know how many fans they lost? I thought Underclass Hero was fucking kickass. Not everyone liked Chuck (I do) and Underclass Hero, being different, does not make it a step down for them. Have you listened to the lyrics? It's obvious Deryck has monumentally excelled in this, so what if you don't like his guitars, appreciate what he has improved on. Deryck has found happiness, why don't you


And I saw them on tour last year. AMAZING

[Jeremy Kill]

I found Underclass Hero was an attempt to recapture their old fame as well as be like Green Day's American Idiot. Deryck even starts wearing a shirt and tie to shows nowadays.



http://theresnosolution.com/forum/viewt ... 21#p136300

After reading this article, you find that Dave and Greig were essential to how far Sum 41 had developed from Does This Look Infected? all the way into Chuck.

http://www.guitarworld.com/article/sum_41_blow_up

I didn't absolutely hate the album, but it definitely wasn't their best work ever.

Also, ticket sales for their last tour were shit. The venues were downsized from a capacity of thousands to only a few hundred. And I don't even think they sold those shows out.

And the biggest difference in their live sound is evidenced best by performances of Over My Head.

They're both Summer Sonic, so acoustics shouldn't be a problem.

[kevin5064]

First of all, those videos weren't performed under the same conditions were they? Live performances can't be compared like that. Different places give off different sounds.

Second off, I think you're extremely biased against what you think you know. You don't know how the actual process of the band has changed since Dave left. Nor do you know the song composing process of them. That's something only the band knows, and it's not up to us to judge this aspect.

How do you know how many fans they lost? I thought Underclass Hero was fucking kickass. Not everyone liked Chuck (I do) and Underclass Hero, being different, does not make it a step down for them. Have you listened to the lyrics? It's obvious Deryck has monumentally excelled in this, so what if you don't like his guitars, appreciate what he has improved on. Deryck has found happiness, why don't you


And I saw them on tour last year. AMAZING

i know for fact the difference in sound is real regardless of the location because i saw them twice in 04 and once in 07 the sounds in the videos are the exact same.

we obviously know how the writing process goes because steve and cone ALWAYS say "deryck writes the songs" and we saw how deryck acted towards any outside opinion in the making of UH.

and I KNOW they lost fans after UH because every single person i know who loved sum 41 has completely lost faith in the band after the album was released. and both the shows i saw them play in 04 were large sold out venues in the same town. and in 07 they played a much smaller venue (same town) that only holds maybe 500 people and it was nowhere near sold out.

lastly. ALBUM SALES. every album before UH has gone platinum in the united states. underclass hero hasnt, not because of lack of promotion, but because when people downloaded the album they found nothing special about it and most people found the title track to be a rip off of fat lip (not my opinion, this is what many say.) so they didnt feel the need to buy it.

[Jeremy Kill]

All my friends who've I've shown Underclass Hero to (none of my friends had ever listened to the album. Even after two years, I still had to show it to them) they all say the same thing Kevin said. This is the vague dialogue during the first time I showed them the song:

"Okay, what does this riff remind you of?"
"Every other Sum 41 song?"
"Fat Lip!"
"Yeah."
"... 'I don't want to waste my time!'"
"... 'Become another casualty of society!"
"God! Turn it off!"
"Okay, okay, I'll turn it off."

We didn't even get past the first chorus!

[upperclasszero]

im so thankful this underclass hero era is over, but im scared shitless as to whats coming next

[d4rkst4r]

meh, i dont hate it but it isnt their best work. i just really picked up the sense that they werent being themselves.

[Jeremy Kill]

meh, i dont hate it but it isnt their best work. i just really picked up the sense that they werent being themselves.

I had that same feeling.

[mpowerman]

its true.... they lack energy, they lacked ticket sales, albums sales, their singles were not played as much, it was dissapointing....But it was an attempt. and i personally feel it was not the "fun" sum 41 we all love. With the exception Of a few songs the album was very mellow....and i agree i have seen sum 41 3 times and the latest concert was definitely a step down from the "go Chuck yourself tour". They will urn it around though... i hope.

[Billy41]

im so thankful this underclass hero era is over, but im scared shitless as to whats coming next

I liked UH, but not as much as the other albums. If the next album is going to be UH-ish, I'll loose my faith in Sum 41

[stevo32]

I personally like the UH album, but i think that chuck and does this look infected were better, a lot better;
I noticed too that in 2007 the live shows had a lack of energy, that was the thing that made me love sum 41; but i've noticed also that in 2008, after deryck's back injury, things started to go better and better and if you see for example the live at orange lounge is completely different than the summer sonic in 2007. For Dave all of us know the importance that he had in the band, but he 've done a choice and i respect it. Instead for Noiri i don't know : i think that a good producer is important, but thinking that a producer is so important for the work of a band makes me sad. So my hope is that with 2009 they wil have again the same energy of old days, of tzunami concert, or live in tokyo in 2003, the same enthusiasm that in UH era (especially in 2007) i didnt see.

[Emil]

I agree pretty much with everything here. Even though Deryck pulled the same jokes on every on the GCY tour too but it was still alot more energy. In my opinion the best shows they did was back in 2003 when i last saw them.

[K.]

i don't think uh was that bad ...

[upperclasszero]

If the next album is going to be UH-ish, I'll loose my faith in Sum 41

same =/

[Patrick]

Over my head really sounded like crap. I loved it, when they were playing it during the Chuck era.

[Druska]

definitely not my favorite Sum 41 album

[cool kids]

meh, i dont hate it but it isnt their best work. i just really picked up the sense that they werent being themselves.

same here.

[Heather]

Well my first Sum41 experience Pieces and Chuck and I liked it and got the other albums, but when UH came out thats when I really got into it, I like the vibe, and I listened to them before green day so I never made the connection, still don't.

Just my opinion: I think UH is more artistic and has a story to tell. If you listen to the album all the way throuh it goes through a jouney. Its very thought out if you open your mind
Like UH is like where they are now (some ways starting in the present),
then Walking Disater, Speak of the Devil, Dear Father, and CYLB is saying what has happened or explaining their troubles,
then March of the Dogs and The Jester are the "stand up and fight" senarios,
then With Me is kinda saying don't give up on me I'll make it through this,
Pull the Curtain and KOC getting the last they can take, finding out something needs to change,
the Best of Me is finally saying sorry and forgiving yourself, moving on and becoming a better person,
CFIMT is them telling the world hey open your eyes we did,
the So Long Goodbye is the end of one journy and the start of a new one

don't really know wher Ma Poubelle fits in..lol

oh and I watched the videos, I like the second hell song one better, deryck seemed to be more animated
but the over my head 07 was weak, is it the exact same venue?

I do agree that the album solos are weaker without dave

and I also agree its not a edgy or hard hitting, agressive

again Just how I interpret it

[Hentaiman]

Well, yeah, I can't say I hated UH but it was definitely not their best, and probably my least favorite Sum 41 album now, although at the time I was really into it, and I liked it a LOT more than AKNF, it looks now that its not nearly as good as AKNF. But yeah, overall its not such a bad album, I actually like alot of tracks from it, including Speak of the Devil, Count Your Last Blessings and Pull the Curtain, they are like some of the best Sum 41 songs lyrically and also some of the best musically (at least, Pull The Curtain, its really fuckin' unique!), so overall its not that bad. But yeah, I could see from the shows in 2007 they lacked the energy and enthusiasm live, plus the guitar sound really wasn't great.