I started listening to them when I was 15 and, somehow, I listen to them WAY more now than I did as a teenager... and I listened to them a lot back then!
You really need to do it - it's SO great! This will be my fourth year in a row & I don't plan to ever stop going.
I watched an interview with J.R. last year and he mentioned they were writing new stuff, but I don't remember there being anything concrete about recording. You never know with these guys, though - they are really good about keeping things under wraps and then surprising people. I do know they're planning more vinyl re-issues :D Anthem & B-sides coming next, according to Vinnie!
Ha came over today to get this thread started. I should've expected that you would've been in the beta and got it started already =p I ended up ordering 3 versions of the Live Record...
Hey - welcome, buddy! I was wondering when you'd get over here! Im actually wishing I had ordered two each of the rockview / losing streak records so I could keep one sealed & play the other... ah well - I should just be happy I got them at all with how fast they sold out. Only one live record for me, but im hoping to use it's release and the fact that it contains KEHOE to convince them to play it live at wake & bake, this year.
Saw them last year in my home town - super small venue - and probably the best show I've ever been to. They've still got it.
OH GOD! I've been sitting here for a few minutes trying to figure out the best record to suggest to you, first! My personal favorite LTJ album is Borders & Boundaries, and one that I honestly think would be a great introduction to the band - it's not very heavy on the ska "riffs," but it still has a ton of horns (and, in my opinion the horns sound better on this record than anything else they've done). If you're interested in the more ska-heavy LTJ stuff, losing streak & hello rockview are two of the best ska punk albums of all-time, I'd say. Anthem is a fantastic record, but it's very light on the horns & ska compared to the stuff leading up to that album; however it's a great rock / ska rock album - it's one of their most popular release for good reason. Everything after Anthem is very good, too - but Anthem & earlier are my favorite LTJ records. I could easily recommend any of their albums - it just depends on your musical preferences... and really, their greetings & salutations release from 2012 sounds so much like earlier LTJ that it easily ranks up there with the best of their stuff. For being a ska punk band, LTJ have a good amount of variety in their discography.
I might give Anthem a go based on your description since I don't have any preference towards ska and I haven't listened to much ska. It sounds like a good way to ease into it. Thanks for the rec!
Lol I picked random stuff along the way since Anthem, though I didn't really start collecting till maybe four years ago or so? Most of that had a lot to do with being a broke college kid haha. I have almost half of the variants and stuff on my own, and then the rest of what gets posted is through the help of other super fans who scan their records or take pics for me haha.
My LTJ collection is sad... very sad. As far as vinyl goes, I only have losers, kings..., greased, & borders & boundaries (well, plus the three I pre ordered that haven't shipped yet!). I have the metalheads & GNV rock city singles, the cereal box, & giant glow in the dark bobblehead. My prize possession, though is from wake & bake 2014; I bought an enormous tour banner of the evolution kid holding the pez dispenser & got the whole band to sign it - it's hanging up at my house.