Fall Out Boy - Believers Never Die: Greatest Hits Review

Posted by Daniel Wilcox on 11.17.2009

For a band that's been around for just seven years, they sure do have a lot of hits.



Fall Out Boy - Believers Never Die: Greatest Hits
Review by Daniel Wilcox

Patrick Stump – vocals, rhythm guitar
Joe Trohman – guitar
Pete Wentz – bass
Andy Hurley - drums

1. Dead on Arrival
2. Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy
3. Saturday
4. Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down
5. Dance, Dance
6. A Little Less Sixteen Candles, a Little More “Touch Me”
7. This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race
8. Thnks fr th Mmrs
9. “The Take Over, the Breaks Over”
10. I’m Like a Lawyer with the Way I’m Always Trying to Get You Off (Me & You)
11. Beat It [feat. John Mayer]
12. I Don’t Care
13. America’s Suitehearts
14. What a Catch, Donnie
15. Alpha Dog
16. “From Now on We Are Enemies”
17. Yule Shoot Your Eyes Out
18. Growing Up

Fall Out Boy’s first ever greatest hits compilation encompasses six years of hits spanning from the band’s biggest albums; Take This To Your Grave, From Under the Cork Tree, Infinity on High and Folie a Deux. Some editions of the album features the bonus tracks “Yule Shoot Your Eyes Out,” a bittersweet, “Jingle Bells”-sampling Christmas song that appeared on a punk-rock Christmas compilation in 2003, and “Growing Up,” the only track here that appeared on the band’s 2003 debut Fall Out Boy’s Evening Out With Your Girlfriend, and has somehow become a live favourite.

While it may not be the cool thing to be a Fall Out Boy fan, there’s no denying the fact that they write some ridiculously catchy tracks. I also find a lot of worth in the lyricism of Pete Wentz, although in later albums the band has undoubtedly relied too much on “whoa-oh” choruses and sing-alongs. Furthermore, a lot of the band’s biggest and best songs are missing, because they’ve only included singles. This record is missing the pop-punk fun of “Sophomore Slump...,” “Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner” and “Chicago is So Two Years Ago.” There are, however, plenty of punk elements in the first three tracks to satisfy older fans, including the mammoth “Grand Theft Autumn.”

Elsewhere lies those huge choruses I was talking about. “Dance, Dance,” “Thnks fr th Mmrs” and “I Don’t Care” are just big, big songs, very melodic and upbeat. But there are plenty of moments that suggest that the band has genuine talent rather than a manufactured ability to write a big chorus. The vocals throughout are pretty superb, never more so than on “I’m Like a Lawyer...” and “What a Catch, Donnie,” the latter being nearly flawless.

Then there are two brand new songs. “Alpha Dog” is a reworked version of “Alpha Dog and OMEGAlomaniac,” a demo of which was made available last year. It’s got another big ass choruses and features some lyrics, but I’ve no idea what they could be about, which is part of the fun; “Welcome to the new déjà vu / I can almost see the wizard through the curtains.” The other new song, ““From Now On We’re Enemies”,” doesn’t have the hit potential that “Alpha Dog” does and probably wouldn’t have made it onto any of the band’s previous three records. But it’s one of few low points.

Of course, the release of this record and the “um”-ing and “ah”-ing of Pete Wentz and co. will cause fans to worry about the future of Fall Out Boy. I’ve suggested that the band will take a break for a year or two, as other bands have come in and taken up a significant amount of the band’s limelight that they once hogged in 2005-2006. As the song “Alpha Dog” says Fall Out Boy aren’t “the first, or the last, but [they’re] possibly the prettiest.” In that they make the most fun records, not that their hair is the best permmed. Or whatever.

Essential downloads: “Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy,” “Sugar We’re Goin’ Down,” “Dance, Dance,” “A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More “Touch Me”,” “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race,” “Thnks fr th Mmrs,” “I’m Like a Lawyer with the Way I’m Always Trying to Get You Off (Me & You),” “Beat It,” “What a Catch, Donnie,” “Alpha Dog” and “Yule Shoot Your Eye Out.”

The 411: Fall Out Boy is obviously a flawed band, hence the fact that as many people despise it as do like it. But this Greatest Hits compilation is concrete evidence, testimony to the fact that they have no equals when it comes to writing catchy, quirky, pop-rock hits. Obviously most fans will have the majority of these songs, but there's some great stuff on here from their earlier days (well, 2003) that people may not be familiar with, and if nothing else, the new material should keep fans happy for a little while. But make no mistake, the guys in Fall Out Boy want you to miss them, so when they come back they can be as big as they were when "This Ain't a Scene" hit.

Final Score:  8.5   [ Very Good ]