Punk may be dying, but don't tell that to Fear. After ten years' absence, Fear is back again with Have Another Beer With Fear, a raw, aggressive punk album. In the late seventies, Fear was one of the most influential punk bands on the LA scene. Original band members were Lee Ving (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Philo Cramer (guitar), Derf Scratch (bass) and Johnny Backbeat (drums). The band's defiant, nihilistic attitude was captured on Director Penelope Spheeris' vintage film The Decline of Western Civilization. The essential Fear album is their debut recording The Record with searing rock 'n' roll that broke down the musical boundaries of their generation. Fear was noted for their fever- pitch live appearances, with their most famous being a Saturday Night Live appearance where band and fans in true punk style created a sea of slam dancing and utter chaos.
In the early eighties, band changes saw Scratch replaced by the Red Hot's Flea, replaced by the Dickies' Lorenzo. In 1985 Fear released More Beer, an album with nothing really new to say. A drummer change brought Nina Hagen's Spit Stix to Fear. But nothing new really happened and More Beer was the last album until now.
Unfortunately, Have Another Beer With Fear breaks no new ground. The band experience seems submerged and subdued. The music is the same driving, thrashing punk beat with some interesting details. With or without lyrics, the songs seem pretty much the same. None really stands out as a possible single with the exception of "I Believe I'll Have Another Beer". The album's beer theme is in the title and four tracks: "Drink Some Beer", "Beerfight", "Free Beer" and "I Believe I'll Have Another Beer". This third Fear album probably suffers from the big punk problem - the music needs the band and the audience together. If you like basic punk, you'll like this album.
