''Let's Get It Right the First Time'' is a

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

band

SNFU SNFU was a Canadian hardcore punk band formed in Edmonton in 1981, relocated to Vancouver in 1992, and disbanded in 2018. They released eight albums, two live records, and one compilation amid many lineup changes and several temporary breakups. ...

. The album was released in 1998. Although the record was billed as a live album and reportedly recorded at The Starfish Room in Vancouver in late 1997, SNFU biographer Chris Walter notes that the album was tracked almost entirely in the recording studio. Chris Walter. ''What No One Else Wanted to Say''. Vancouver: GFY Press, 2014, pg. 169

Background and recording

SNFU's recording contract with

Epitaph Records Epitaph Records is an American independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, most acts signed to the label were punk and pop punk acts, while there are many post-hardcore and emo bands ...

was due to expire in November 1997, and the band did not anticipate a renewal. Encouraged by Peter Karroll and John Zazula of

Megaforce Records Megaforce Records is an American independent record label founded in 1982 by Jon Zazula and his wife Marsha Zazula to release the first works of Metallica, and devoted primarily to hard rock and heavy metal. It has offices in New York City (w ...

, they decided to cut a live album to have new material when their contract with Epitaph expired. In October 1997, the group entered Bakerstreet Studios in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

to record a faux live album. They interspersed stage banter and crowd noise from a show in The Starfish Room with an identical set list, while recording the instrumental tracks and vocals in the studio. Guitarist

Brent Belke Brent Belke (born February 1, 1965 in Edmonton, Alberta) is a Canadian guitarist and composer. After playing in the punk and alternative rock bands SNFU and The Wheat Chiefs between 1981 and 1998, Belke began a career composing music for film a ...

later noted that the band overdubbed

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in ...

into the song "Reality Is a Ride on the Bus" "just to see if anyone was paying attention."

Release

The album was released in mid 1998 by Megaforce. Shortly before its release, founding guitarist Brent Belke and longtime drummer

Dave Rees David Rees (born June 15, 1969 in Seattle, Washington) is an American-Canadian musician and television editor currently based in Montreal, Quebec. Rees played drums in the punk rock band SNFU and the alternative rock band Wheat Chiefs, and se ...

quit. The band met

Sean Stubbs Sean R. Stubbs is a Canadians, Canadian musician. He has served as the drummer in the industrial rock bands Numb (band), Numb and Jakalope, and the punk rock band SNFU. He has also been a member of alternative rock singer-songwriter Bif Naked's ...

, a former drummer in Bif Naked's band who was employed at Studio X and working on post-production for the album. Stubbs would go on to replace Rees and join SNFU for touring in support of the record. Karroll also briefly served as the group's manager before departing in 1998. After its first pressing with Megaforce, the album was later re-released by the Three Days Dead label out of

Caerphilly Caerphilly (, ; cy, Caerffili, ) is a town and community in Wales. It is situated at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley. It is north of Cardiff and northwest of Newport. It is the largest town in Caerphilly County Borough, and lies wit ...

, Wales.Walter 195

Reception

The album was received well by audiences and critics. Writing a retrospective review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, critic Vincent Jeffries calls the album "less

f a F, or f, is the sixth Letter (alphabet), letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is English alphabet#Let ...

self-indulgent 'best-of' compilation" than a document that "captures the zealous insanity of SNFU in their element." Awarding the album three out of five stars, Jeffries concludes that the record is "a fitting monument to their well deserved longevity."

Track listing

All songs written by

unless otherwise noted.

Musicians

* Mr. Chi Pig (

Ken Chinn Kendall Steven Chinn (October 19, 1962 – July 16, 2020), known under the stage name Mr. Chi Pig, was a Canadian punk rock vocalist and artist born in Edmonton and long residing in Vancouver. He fronted the hardcore punk band SNFU from 1981 unt ...

) - vocals *

Marc Belke Marc Belke (born February 1, 1965 in Edmonton, Alberta) is a Canadian musician and former radio personality. He played guitar in the punk and alternative rock bands SNFU and The Wheat Chiefs, and sang lead vocals in the latter. He was later an ...

- guitar * Brent "Bunnt" Belke - guitar * Rob Johnson - bass *

- drums

References

SNFU albums 1998 live albums {{1990s-punk-album-stub