Five Lessons Learned

Infobox Album
Name = Five Lessons Learned
Type = Album
Artist = Swingin' Utters


Released = 1998
Recorded = Winter of 1997-98, at Motor Studios, San Francisco, California
Genre = Punk rock, punk revival, folk rock, folk, ska
Length = 38:07
Label = Fat Wreck Chords
Producer = Fat Mike, Ryan Greene, Swingin' Utters
Reviews = *Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:fr5a8qbmbtn4 link]
Last album = "A Juvenile Product of the Working Class" (1997)
This album = "Five Lessons Learned"
(1998)
Next album = "Brazen Head E.P."
(1999)

"Five Lessons Learned" was the fourth full-length album (not including E.P.s and compilations) by Californian punk rock band Swingin' Utters. Released in 1998, it was their second album on Fat Wreck Chords.

Background

This album's title track was used on the video game Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, perhaps making it the band's most widely-heard song. "I Need Feedback", however, was the only single released from this album. [ [http://www.fatwreck.com/record/detail/573 Fat Wreck Chords, "I Need Feedback"] accessed 1 Sep 2008]

"Five Lessons Learned" is mainly an album of short, fast songs in the 'punk revival' style - "I Need Feedback" borrows a riff from The Damned's Neat Neat Neat - but there is also a ska-esque song ("Unpopular Again"), and an Irish folk-style song ("Fruitless Fortunes"), hinting at the band's future direction, and that of the side-project, the Filthy Thievin' Bastards.

The outer and inner cover art is by photographer Steve Zeigler [ [http://www.stephenzeigler.com/ Stephen Zeigler, Photographer] accessed 1 Sep 2008] and features black-and-white shots involving guns, crime and murder scenes (in one picture, the date "2-14-47" is etched in chalk).

The presence of the head of the Fat Wreck Chords label, NOFX's Fat Mike, is felt in that he co-produces and plays bass guitar on "Unpopular Again". Another of the many guest musicians is Chris Shiflett, later of Foo Fighters.

Track listing

# "Five Lessons Learned" "(Koski/Aust Koski)" – 1:55
# "Tell Me Lies" "(Huber)" – 2:09
# "A Promise to Distinction" "(Koski)" – 2:08
# "The Stooge" "(Koski)" – 3:27
# "(The) Picture's Perfect" "(Huber)" – 2:37
# "This Bastard's Life" "(Huber)" – 3:05
# "As You Start Leaving" "(Koski)" – 2:44
# "I Need Feedback" "(Huber)" – 3:27
# "Good People" "(Koski)" – 2:18
# "As Sure as I'm down" "(Bonnel)" – 2:01
# "Untitled 21" "(Huber)" – 2:36
# "Unpopular Again" "(Huber)" – 3:16
# "New Day Rising" "(Koski)" – 1:49
# "Two Jacks Shitty" "(Bonnel)" – 1:43
# "Fruitless Fortunes" "(Koski)" – 2:52

Personnel

* Johnny Bonnel (vocals)
* Max Huber (guitars, vocals, bass on track #8, percussion)
* Greg McEntee (drums and percussion)
* Darius Koski (guitar, vocals, accordion, violin, bass on tracks #1, #4 & #5)

Additional musicians

* John Maurer (bass on tracks #2, #3, #6, #7, #9, #10, #13 & #14)
* Howie Pyro (bass on track #11)
* Fat Mike (bass on track #12)
* Rockin Lloyd Tripp (upright bass on track #15)
* Seth Lorenzi (Hammond and Vox organs, electric piano)
* Max Butler (mandolin)
* Chris Shiflett (lead guitar on tracks #8 and #11)
* Ryan Greene (tambourine on track #12)
* Spike Slawson (backup vocals on tracks #5 and #8)
* Morty Okin (trumpet) [http://www.newmortyshow.com/]
* Van Hughes (trombone)
* David Murotake (tenor saxophone)
* Tom Griesser (baritone saxophone)

External links

* [http://www.swinginutters.com Official Swingin' Utters website]
* [http://www.allmusicguide.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:3a9gs31ia3pg "Five Lessons Learned" on the All Music Guide]