A Best of Us for the Rest of Us

A Best of Us for the Rest of Us (stylized a best of us...for the rest of us) is a greatest hits compilation from ska-punk band Reel Big Fish. It was released on July 20, 2010 and sold exclusively through Best Buy stores. It was later released digitally through Amazon MP3 and iTunes with four bonus tracks and without the acoustic tracks.

Because the band's former label, Jive Records, owns the master recordings of all their old material, almost all of the songs on the album are re-recorded versions. Only the last three tracks included on the first disc ("Another F.U. Song", "Party Down", and "Slow Down") are previous recordings from Monkeys for Nothin' and the Chimps for Free.^[1]

The physical album contains a second "skacoustic" disc of 14 acoustic versions of Reel Big Fish songs.^[1]

The album title is a reference to the Seinfeld episode "The Strike" in which Frank Costanza shouts "Festivus for the rest of us!"

Track listing

Disc 1: A Best of Us for the Rest of Us

All songs written and composed by Reel Big Fish (except where noted otherwise). 

Disc 2: Skacoustic

Deluxe version disc 3: The Best Songs We Never Wrote

Other Versions

A Best of Us for the Rest of Us (Bigger Better Bonus Deluxe Version) is a three-disc deluxe edition of the album released on June 21, 2011. The first disk is the same as the one from the standard version, except the two covers have been moved to the third disc and replaced with new tracks. The second disk features the "skacoustic" recordings from the standard version of the album, with a different version of "She Has A Girlfriend Now" and eight additional acoustic tracks. The third disk consists of cover songs from the band's previous albums, including two that were previously released on the standard edition of the album.

Skacoustic is a digital release of the deluxe edition's second disc. The album was released on November 28, 2011 through iTunes and Amazon. It contains all twenty-two previously released "skacoustic" tracks.

Personnel

Reel Big Fish

• Aaron Barrett – lead vocals, lead guitar, synthesizer, organ, slide guitar
• Dan Regan – trombone, group vocals
• Scott Klopfenstein – trumpet, vocal harmonies, guitar
• Ryland Steen – drums, cymbals, shakers, tambourine, guero, background vocals, group vocals
• Derek Gibbs – bass guitar, group vocals
• John Christianson – trumpet, group vocals

Additional Musicians

• Peter Wasilewski (Less Than Jake & Spring Heeled Jack) – saxophone on "Trendy"
• Katrina Kinzler – vocals on "She Has a Girlfriend Now"
• Laila Khan (Sonic Boom Six) – vocals on "She Has a Girlfriend Now (Skacoustic)"
• Brian Klemm (Suburban Legends) – additional cursing on "Another F.U. Song"
• Matt Wong – bass guitar on "Another F.U. Song," "Party Down," "Slow Down"

References