Rancid - And Out Come The Wolves (1995)

There's a saying that there can never be too much of a good thing, and Rancid could've coined the phrase. Their irresistible old-school punk and their ska-in-the-garage guitar sound are sure to please anyone who thought the Clash were the best that '70s punk had to offer. Yet, considering their loyalty to the original punk aesthetic, Rancid sound surprisingly fresh. "And Out Come The Wolves" proves the band knows their fans and can still live by their causes. They're self-proclaimed "Roots Radicals", but this is a '90s band. "Lock, Stop, And Gone" is crammed with details of modern L.A., where there's "a fire on the corner and it's never gonna stop" and where "the killer in the neighborhood never got caught". There's also bewilderment at the fact that the punk that was sure to keep them on the fringes is a high-profile career now–"too much attention unavoidably destroyed us", they claim on "Journey To The End Of East Bay". Throughout album, Rancid keep their edge. They won't succumb to rehashing punk, instead giving it new life through their uncompromising songs. With so many '90s new-jack punks on the scene, Rancid are the real thing–not a band jumping on a bandwagon, or one that waited around for a style to be hip again, but true originals.

In the wake of the Offspring's success, Rancid became a hot band, earning a dedicated cult and sparking a major-label bidding war. After flirting with a handful of major labels, the band decided to stick with Epitaph and returned with And Out Come the Wolves. While the title is a veiled reference to the attention the band gained, the album doesn't mark an isolationist retreat into didactic, defiantly underground punk rock. Instead, Rancid develop their own identity on the record, which ironically makes them more accessible. Although they continue to draw heavily from the Clash and the Specials – and their roots in the ska-punk band Operation Ivy are quite clear throughout the record – the band plays with such energy and conviction, it's easy to forgive their derivativeness. On the whole, And Out Come the Wolves is a little too long to make a major impact, but individual tracks are classic moments of revivalist punk, including the skittering 2-Tone tribute "Time Bomb".

~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Maxwell Murder
02. The 11th Hour
03. Roots Radicals
04. Time Bomb
05. Olympia WA.
06. Lock, Step & Gone
07. Junkie Man
08. Listed M.I.A.
09. Ruby Soho
10. Daly City Train
11. Journey To The End Of The East Bay
12. She's Automatic
13. Old Friend
14. Disorder And Disarray
15. The Wars End
16. You Don't Care Nothin'
17. As Wicked
18. Avenues & Alleyways
19. The Way I Feel

Produced by Jerry Finn & RANCID
Recorded at Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, CA. & Electric Lady Studios, NYC

all songs written by Armstrong/Frederiksen/Freeman except 2 by Armstrong/Frederiksen/Freeman/Eric Dunn
Additional personnel: Paul Jackson (Hammond organ), Bashiri Johnson (percussion), DJ Disk (scratches).

• Tim Armstrong - vocals, guitar
• Lars Frederiksen - vocals, guitar
• Matt Freeman - bass, background vocals
• Brett Reed - drums

Release Date: August 22, 1995
Label: Epitaph
Catalog No.: 86444-2