By Julene Paul

The “live album” is a difficult medium to master, often resulting in poor quality recording and a slew of songs that sound exactly like their studio counterparts, except with crappier recording technology. Legendary ska band Reel Big Fish is out to change that sentiment with the ironically titled Our Live Album Is Better Than Your Live Album, a live album that captures the essence of Reel Big Fish’s playful live performances. Never known to follow, Reel Big Fish split with Jive Records in 2006 after a long period of dissatisfaction with the label. Our Live Album… is the first record they’ve self-released, and serves as a “Greatest Hits with a Twist” album for the cult heroes.

But let’s go back to 1992, when Reel Big Fish first formed in the cultural Mecca of Orange County, California. The original line-up included vocalist and guitarist Aaron Barrett, drummer Andrew Gonzales, and bassist Matt Wong, and originally functioned as a cover band of popular music. In the mid-to-late nineties, however, the third-wave of ska exploded on the West Coast with bands like No Doubt and Sublime experiencing major success. Reel Big Fish adopted its ska sound by adding a horn section, and their reputation as strong, funny songwriters spread quickly throughout the underground ska scene.

Their independently released debut album, Everything Sucks (1995), spread by word-of-mouth in the ska scene, established Reel Big Fish as a major force in the music world. Reel Big Fish then signed with Mojo Records and produced their most successful album yet, Turn the Radio Off (1996), featuring the mega-hit, “Sell-Out.” The early success of “Sell-Out” has caused some sources to refer to the band as a one-hit wonder, but most dedicated fans enjoy Reel Big Fish’s full spectrum of work.

Subsequent releases, though often recognized and applauded, have not received the same commercial success as earlier efforts. After the release of Why Do They Rock So Hard? (1998), the band’s line-up significantly changed, as horn players Grant Barry and Tavis Werts did not return and drummer Gonzales left to dedicate more time to his family. In 2001 Jive Records bought out Mojo Records, and it was then that members of Reel Big Fish claim the problems between major label and independent band began.

The release of Cheer Up! (2002) brought more unrest with the label, and more changes occurred involving the band’s line-up. 2005’s We’re Not Happy ‘Til You’re Not Happy did not achieve major commercial success, and, fulfilling the band’s dream, Jive Records finally dropped Reel Big Fish from its label.

Despite all of this unrest, however, Reel Big Fish is a band that has managed to maintain its strong, dedicated fan base by playing notoriously fun and energetic live shows. The real magic of Reel Big Fish is revealed through their live shows, and their latest self-released title, Our Live Album Is Better Than Your Live Album (2006) is the live album they’ve always wanted to produce.

Of the ironic album title, Aaron Barrett, vocals and guitar, says, “We called it Our Live Album Is Better Than Your Live Album because it’s a little overly confident in an almost sarcastic way. That’s our sense of humor, I guess. We think it’s funny to be pompous and ridiculously egotistical. Also, it really is THAT good of a live album. They really are usually pretty bad.”

But Reel Big Fish’s strength as a live band drove the band to release a live album, against all odds. “I think people really enjoy our live show and they know they can count on us to give them great music,” says Barrett. He adds jokingly, “And we always play the hits and the old songs live!”

Barrett thinks both old fans and new will receive Our Live Album Is Better Than Your Live Album well. “I think fans will love it because it really captures the RBF live experience, all the funny stuff and how awesome the songs sound live,” says Barrett. “I think new listeners will enjoy it because it really lets you see our personality, and the songs really come across because of the incredibly good recording. It’s not like most live albums where you have to know the songs already to enjoy it.”

Reel Big Fish has large catalog of covers other musicians’ songs, ranging from the unexpected to the hilarious. When asked about the band’s choices, Barrett replied, “There are many different factors involved in choosing each cover we do. Sometimes it’s because we think it would be funny (A-Ha’s “Take On Me”), sometimes the message goes with what the album is about (Morrissey’s “We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful”), and sometimes we are asked to do a song or cover a certain artist for various compilations and tribute albums (The Stray Cat’s “Stray Cat Strut,” Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf,” Lita Ford’s “Kiss Me Deadly”).”

“We put out the live album because we feel that we are our best onstage and the magic that happens up there has never been properly captured in the studio,” says Barrett. “Also,” he adds, with trademark frankness, “Jive Records owns all of our previous recordings, so this is sort of a way for us to take our music back.”

Reel Big Fish’s 2006 split with Jive Records wasn’t quite the blow you might expect to a band still searching for its niche in the sometimes ruthless music industry. In fact, the feeling was mutual. Barrett says, “We had been asking them to let us go for quite a while and I guess after the low album sales of We’re Not Happy ‘Till You’re Not Happy (2005) they decided finally that it wasn’t worth keeping us around.”

However, unlike some bands left bitter after splits with big record labels, Barrett remains remarkably optimistic. Barrett says, “Well, I would have to say that now is the time of the independent artist! We can do everything they can do with the Internet on our side. The only thing the big labels have going for them is that they have the big bucks, and that can really help with promotion. If you can get a really sweet record deal that is very fair and find a label that really cares and ‘gets’ your band then I say go for it. It really helped us a lot being on Mojo, but when Jive Records bought them out it became a problem. It is definitely important to find a good trustworthy manager who knows all about the music business and has your best interests at heart. I’d say that’s definitely step one…no, write good songs, that’s step one!”

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Learn more about Reel Big Fish by visiting reelbigfish.com.