''Get Fired'' is the debut album by the

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

-based

pop punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti- suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other p ...

band the

Smoking Popes Smoking Popes is an American pop punk band from the northwest suburbs of Chicago. They are composed of brothers Matt Caterer (bass), Josh Caterer (lead vocals/guitar) and Eli Caterer (guitar/backing vocals) and Mike Felumlee (drums). History ...

, released in 1993 by

Johann's Face Records Johann's Face Records (a.k.a. JFR) is a Chicago-based record label which was started by Marc Ruvolo and Gar Brandt in 1989. Ruvolo had been working at Roadkill Records and was looking to start a label with his friend, Brandt. The label has releas ...

. It was recorded in 1993 at Sonic Iguana Studios in

Lafayette, Indiana Lafayette ( , ) is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located northwest of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette, Indiana, West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home t ...

with recording engineer Mass Giorgini. The raw production and punk rock sound of the album are in contrast to the higher production values and more

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

-leaning sound of the band's later works. Tim DiGravina of

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 dat ...

gave ''Get Fired'' three stars out of five, calling it "a fine document of a great, somewhat under appreciated band that would later scale higher peaks." He calls "That's Where I Come In" "the real gem" of the album: "It revolves around a brilliant hook and a sadly sweet motif of a girlfriend who just wants 'to be somebody's baby.' Vocalist Josh Caterer sounds morose and overjoyed at the same time, happy to be with a girl he loves, but unhappy that where he comes in is as a crutch." DiGravina also notes "Off My Mind" and "Days Just Wave Goodbye" as more aggressive tracks than the band's usual material, comparing the former to the

Deftones Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first f ...

and the latter to

The Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Poli ...

and

Joy Division Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Sumner and Hook formed the band after att ...

. The Smoking Popes re-recorded the songs "Let's Hear It for Love" and "Can't Find It" for their 1997 album '' Destination Failure''. Remarking on the differences between the recordings, DiGravina notes that the ''Get Fired'' version of "Can't Find It" is faster and that "It's hard to say which version of the song is better; this raw, punk sounding recording or the more-produced version which was to come." All nine tracks from ''Get Fired'' were reissued on the compilation album ''1991–1998'' in 1999, the original album having gone out of print. Reviewing the compilation, Ari Wiznitzer remarked that ''Get Fired'' demonstrated growth in Josh Caterer's songwriting and guitar playing, citing "Let's Hear It for Love" as an example: "Tracks like these are the Smoking Popes at their best, as Josh Caterer's smooth vocals slide effortlessly over the band's distorted canvas." Several of the songs from ''Get Fired'' were

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of ...

by other artists for the 2003 ''

Smoking Popes Tribute The ''Smoking Popes Tribute'' is a tribute album to the Chicago-based pop punk band the Smoking Popes. It was released March 25, 2003 by Double Zero Records, a label founded by former Smoking Popes drummer Mike Felumlee. Following the Smoking Po ...

'' album. Death on Wednesday covered "Let Them Die", former Smoking Popes drummer

Mike Felumlee Mike Felumlee, a native of Crystal Lake, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago), is chiefly known as the current drummer for the rock band The Smoking Popes. He is known to a lesser extent for his stint of several years as drummer in the band Alkaline ...

performed "Don't Be Afraid", Notaword covered "Off My Mind", and Grade contributed a version of "Days Just Wave Goodbye". Alkaline Trio also covered "Off My Mind" for a split single with the Smoking Popes in 2006. In 2009 Asian Man Records announced plans to reissue a remastered version of ''Get Fired''. It was remastered by Carl Saff and released on October 12, 2010.

Track listing

Personnel

Band

* Josh Caterer –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

*Eli Caterer – guitar *Matt Caterer –

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 s ...

–

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

Production

* Mass Giorgini – recording engineer *Carl Saff –

remastering Remaster refers to quality enhancement of sound and/or picture of a previously existing recording. Remastering may also refer to: *Software remastering Software remastering is software development that recreates system software and software appl ...

(2010 re-release)

References

External links

*
Get Fired
' at the official Smoking Popes website, including song lyrics. {{Authority control Smoking Popes EPs 1993 debut albums