Send "Screeching Weasel " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters |
 There were apparently a few reasons for Fat Wreck Chords to rerelease this 1998 album by Screeching Weasel, besides the fact that it may have been just as well forgotten. Beyond the fact that this is the last album the band recorded on that label (though they did a couple more for other labels, Emo and Teen Punks in Heat), and the fact that they have reformed and are touring (without Jughead, the only consistent member other than Ben Weasel, and arguably just as important), there is the reason that five songs were “discovered” that didn’t make it onto the original release. So now we get a fully remixed, remastered, resequenced, repackaged album, just in time for a Weasel revival. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the band and a new album is due in March—still without Jughead.The history of Screeching Weasel is pocked with break-ups and reformations, refusals to tour, taunting of fans, and long legal battles. Now it appears Ben Weasel has control of the band and its songs, and Fat Wreck Chords has gone on to release more of its back catalogue. The drama of the band getting back together played out on Twitter feeds, with Weasel all excitement and Jughead all betrayal. On Last Call with Carson Daly, Ben Weasel came clean about his resistance to touring over the years. Apparently, he suffers from agoraphobia (see “Only a Test”, where he sings about panic attacks), but fortunately he has faced his fear and overcome it just when it seems reforming Screeching Weasel may be financially viable. Punk bands always get criticized by fans for almost every move they make, especially if monetary gain is suspected as a motive, but Weasel is unabashed about the fact that the band is his job and that it should make him money. Weasel’s has never shied from controversy; in fact, he has always maintained his persona as an Archie Bunker of punk (continuing the tradition of Johnny Ramone), baiting left wing punks with his conservatism and religiousness, and this volatility, while often disagreeable and wrong, has made him interesting....full text |
| Themarshalltown |
| One of the most mildly disappointed memories of my punk rock teen years was getting Television City Dream and thinking, “man, this is a great, angry, punk rock album but why does it sound like shit?” Okay so, maybe I didn’t think it sounded like ‘shit’ but I do remember recognizing the difference in audio quality between Bark Like a Dog and Television City Dream. It wasn’t a crucial denouement, being a punk rock kid and all, because you know, back in the day, when you sounded crisp and clean you had sold out. Really. But don’t tell Ben Weasel that, because more than a decade after its original release, his vision for what the album should have sounded like has come to fruition. Remastered and resequenced to include additional bonus tracks of outtakes/b-sides (along with new artwork), the reissue of Television City Dream does the most important thing it aims to do; maintain the original urgency and anger of the record while giving new buyers an incentive to pick up the release. Originally released tracks like “Your Morality”, “Count to Three” and “Speed of Mutation” all sound even better than they did in 1998- the low-end of the recordings have been given that missing crunch it deserves. The audio quality is now reminiscent of the levels found on Major Label Debut, which I contend is still one of the best sounding Screeching Weasel releases available. The bonus tracks are a welcome addition to the mix. Four of them were released a year after the album on the Four On the Four split (“Punk Rock Explained” and “Video” are the picks of the bunch) while the fifth, “My Own World”, was released by G7 Welcoming Committee in 1999. So while they aren’t necessarily new or unavailable, they are part of the completing process of Television City Dream....full text |
| Punknews |
| There are a few geniuses in punk rock and Ben Weasel is definitely one of them. Whether it's in Screeching Weasel, The Riverdales, or his solo shit the man can write a kick ass tune and he has been doing it for years. Television City Dream is a bit of a change for Screeching Weasel. Gone are the Dan's (Vapid and Panic) and on board are Mass Giorgini and Dan Lumley as well as some dude who has not been seen or heard from since. As a longtime Weasel fan I have to say I was a bit skeptical at first since the Dan's have been there for most of Screeching Weasel's best days... but the newcomers do a great job and TVCD is actually a pretty fantastic album. Another bit of a change is TVCD is a total mix of punk compared to "Bark Like a Dog", their last full length album which was almost all straight up pop punk. With this album Screeching Weasel is back with their fast and furious songs which you will notice right away with the opener "Count to Three". There is also the sequence of "Plastic Bag", "I Don't Give a Fuck", and "Only a Test", all of which clock in at under a minute. But of course there is also the poppy punk that Screeching Weasel made famous. Gems on this album include "Outside of You", "Burn it Down" and one of the best Weasel tunes of all time "Speed of Mutation". This album is a great mix of songs and has some great lyrics. It's good to see Screeching Weasel back with some bite and attitude which this album provides. While it might not be their best album it is certainly a great album and a solid release....full text |
Screeching Weasel lyrics
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