Are We Not Men? We Are Diva!

Are We Not Men? We Are Diva!
Studio album by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
Released May 13, 2014
Recorded 2013 – 14
Studio Studio 606
Genre Punk rock
Length 34:11
Label Fat Wreck Chords
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes chronology

Sing in Japanese
(2011)		 Are We Not Men? We Are Diva!
(2014)

Are We Not Men? We Are Diva! is a cover album from punk rock supergroup Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. The album consists of covers of songs originally performed by divas. It was released on May 13, 2014 on Fat Wreck Chords.[1]

Prior to the album's release, the band put out two singles. The first was their cover of Paula Abdul's track "Straight Up". On May 5th, the released a cover of Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" as a second pre-release single.[2]

Speaking about the album, guitarist Joey Cape said in an interview that "we always cover songs that one might consider to be guilty pleasures. 'Beautiful' clearly fits the bill. It is a great song but not necessarily something a fan of any of our bands would even consider." The title is a reference to Devo's album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!.[3]

The album continues the band's tradition of marrying cover versions with elements of classic punk songs. For example, this album's version of "Speechless" borrows the intro to "Sonic Reducer" by Dead Boys, "On the radio" uses the intro to "Brickfield Nights" by The Boys, "Beautiful" uses the intro to "Superficial Love" by TSOL, "Straight Up" lifts the intro from "Evil" by 45 Grave, and "Karma Chameleon" uses the intro to "Everybody's Happy Nowadays" by Buzzcocks.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Alternative Press [4]

At Alternative Press, Brendan Manley rated the album four out of five stars, remarking how the band "achieves bona fide diva-dom, estrogen aside."[4]

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s)Original performer Length
1. "I Will Survive"  Freddie Perren, Dino FekarisGloria Gaynor 2:27
2. "Straight Up" (uses the intro from "Evil" by 45 Grave, composed by Dinah Cancer, Paul Cutler and Don Bolles)Elliot WolffPaula Abdul 2:59
3. "Believe"  Brian Higgins, Stuart McLennen, Paul Barry, Steven Torch, Matthew Gray, Timothy PowellCher 3:08
4. "Beautiful" (uses the intro from "Superficial Love" by T.S.O.L.))Linda PerryChristina Aguilera 2:12
5. "My Heart Will Go On"  James Horner, Will JenningsCeline Dion 2:44
6. "I Will Always Love You"  Dolly PartonDolly Parton 2:12
7. "Top of the World"  Richard Carpenter, John BettisThe Carpenters 2:09
8. "Speechless" (uses the intro from "Sonic Reducer" by The Dead Boys)Stefani GermanottaLady Gaga 3:19
9. "Karma Chameleon" (uses the intro from "Everybody's Happy Nowadays" by The Buzzcocks, written by Pete Shelley)George O'Dowd, Jon Moss, Mikey Craig, Roy Hay, Phil Pickett, Alfie MaloneCulture Club 3:45
10. "Crazy for You"  John Bettis, Jon LindMadonna 2:48
11. "On the Radio" (uses the intro from "Brickfield Nights" by The Boys, written by Stein "Casino Steel" Groven and Matt Dangerfield)Donna Summer, Giorgio MoroderDonna Summer 3:36
12. "The Way We Were"  Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Marvin HamlischBarbra Streisand 2:53

Band

Additional musicians

References

  1. ↑ "Me First and the Gimme Gimmes detail new album". Punknews.org. March 13, 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
  2. ↑ "Me First and the Gimme Gimmes cover Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" on 'Are We Not Men? We Are Diva!'". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved 2014-05-06.
  3. ↑ "Me First and the Gimme Gimmes cover Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" on 'Are We Not Men? We Are Diva!'". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved 2014-05-06.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Manley, Brenden (2014). "Me First And The Gimme Gimmes – Are We Not Men? We Are Diva!". Alternative Press (Alternative Press Magazine, Inc.). June 2014 (311): 109. ISSN 1065-1667. Retrieved May 5, 2014.