Too Much Joy - Green Eggs and Crack

From the smirky album title on down, Too Much Joy's debut album is clearly the work of over-educated, under-employed, upper-middle class kids with far too much time on their hands and the pager number of a good neighborhood dealer. Recorded in fits and starts between 1983 (when the trio were still in high school) and 1987, these 14 songs are often extremely clever and catchy, though an understandably sophomoric sense of humor prevails in the lyrics of songs like "Grandma Went to Athens Once" and "Bored With Love." Occasional juvenile lines aside, the garage-level playing actually enhances the punk-inflected pop tunes, and the rough-edged lo-fi production has its charm, especially in comparison to the group's occasionally too-slick, major-label records. Read More