Blue Skies, Broken Hearts...Next 12 Exits

Infobox Album
Name = Blue Skies, Broken Hearts... Next 12 Exits
Type = Album
Artist = The Ataris

Recorded = June 1998 at Orange Whip Studios (Santa Barbara, California)
Released = 13 April 1999
Length = 36:31
Genre = Pop punk
Label = Kung Fu
Producer = Joey Cape
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:ogjleaw44xd7 link]
Last album = "Look Forward to Failure"
(1998)
This album = "Blue Skies, Broken Hearts... Next 12 Exits"
(1999)
Next album = "Let it Burn" (split with Useless ID
(2000)

"Blue Skies, Broken Hearts... Next 12 Exits" is the second-full length album by The Ataris, released on Kung Fu Records in April 13 1999. "Blue Skies" is considered by many fans to be the strongest album of The Ataris and gave the band a big following. The album marked a change from the more straightforward pop punk of Anywhere but Here in both production and style. With a new band and added guitar, Kris Roe's songs took on more depth, became slightly heavier, yet retained the catchiness and identifiable issues that had given the Ataris their original fanbase. The album also includes the anthem San Dimas High School Football Rules, which was the last song played at The Ataris shows up until the end of the So Long, Astoria tour. The album contains a clip from the movie "A Bronx Tale" at the end of "Your Boyfriend Sucks".

It is interesting to note that although Patrick Riley was credited as a second guitarist, he did not play any guitar on this album. All guitar parts were played by Kris Roe. This was the same for all albums up until So Long, Astoria, when John Collura joined the band and immediately took over second guitar duties both live and in the studio.

Kris Roe took the photograph for the album cover. It's a photograph of the "Blue Skies" trailer park sign along the 101 freeway in Santa Barbara. It also coincides with that fact that driving North on the 101 there are 12 exits to get off in Santa Barbara.

Track listing

#"Losing Streak" – 1:52
#"1*15*96" – 3:54
#"San Dimas High School Football Rules" – 2:47
#"Your Boyfriend Sucks" – 2:48 (The dialogue sample is from the 1993 film A Bronx Tale)
#"I Won't Spend Another Night Alone" – 3:49
#"Broken Promise Ring" – 3:26
#"Angry Nerd Rock" – 2:34
#"The Last Song I Will Ever Write About a Girl" – 2:49
#"Choices" – 1:33
#"Better Way" – 2:03
#"My Hotel Year (acoustic)" – 1:26
#"Life Makes No Sense" – 1:42
#"Answer:" – 2:11
#"In Spite of the World" – 3:37