''Oz Factor'' is the second album by the

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

-based punk rock band

Unwritten Law Unwritten Law is an American punk rock band formed in 1990 in Poway, California. They have released seven full-length studio albums and have toured internationally, including performances on the Warped Tour. They are notable for their singles " ...

, released in 1996 by

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

. The songs "Superman" and "Denied" became minor hits on local rock radio stations. Unwritten Law supported the album by touring with

Bad Religion Bad Religion is an American punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilitie ...

. It was the band's last album with bassist John Bell, who left the band following the supporting tours.

Production

The album was produced by

Greg Graffin Gregory Walter Graffin (born November 6, 1964) is an American singer and evolutionary biologist. He is most recognized as the lead vocalist and only constant member of punk rock band Bad Religion, which he co-founded in 1980. He embarked on a s ...

, of Bad Religion. Brian Baker, also of Bad Religion, appeared on the album as well. The songs "Suzanne" and "Shallow" are re-recordings of songs from the band's debut album, '' Blue Room''.

Critical reception

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'' thought that "only a few tracks (notably 'Shallow' and 'Tell Me Why') bear a strong resemblance to Bad Religion's high-speed folkie-punk, but everything on ''Oz'' has been heard somewhere before." ''

The San Diego Union-Tribune ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...

'' determined that the album "gets its mosh-pit kick from Wade Youman's breakneck drums and John Bell's antsy bass and its pop snap from the band's twisted way with a catchy tune." ''

The Tampa Tribune ''The Tampa Tribune'' was a daily newspaper published in Tampa, Florida. Along with the competing ''Tampa Bay Times'', the ''Tampa Tribune'' was one of two major newspapers published in the Tampa Bay area. The newspaper also published a ''St. Pe ...

'' opined that "the title track boasts blistering rhythm work and loose-limbed downshifts a la NOFX."

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 ...

wrote that the album "sounds like a lighter-weight and much lamer version of Green Day's ''Dookie'', having the same power pop take on skatepunk."

Track listing

Personnel

Band

*Scott Russo –

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

*Steve Morris –

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

*Rob Brewer –

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

, backing vocals *John Bell –

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

*Wade Youman –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

Additional musicians

* Brian Baker – guitar solo on "Suzanne"

Production

– producer *Paul DuGre –

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

, mixing *Rob Hunter – assistant engineer and mixing *Alex Perialas – additional engineering *George Marino – mastering

Artwork

*David Coleman – art direction *Bagel – cover illustration *John Dunne – photography

References

External links

Oz Factor @ discogs.com
{{Authority control Unwritten Law albums 1996 albums Epic Records albums