Are We Not Men? We Are Diva!

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Not to be confused with Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!.
Are We Not Men? We Are Diva!
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes - Are We Not Men cover.jpg
Studio album by
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
ReleasedMay 13, 2014 (2014-05-13)
Recorded2013–14
StudioStudio 606 West
(Northridge, Los Angeles, California)
GenrePunk rock
Length34:11
LabelFat Wreck Chords
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes chronology
Sing in Japanese
(2011) 		Are We Not Men? We Are Diva!
(2014) 		Rake it In: The Greatestest Hits
(2017)

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 5, they 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!.[2]

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
SourceRating
Alternative Press4/5 stars[3]

At Alternative Press, Brendan Manley rated the album four out of five stars, remarking how the band "achieves bona fide diva-dom, estrogen aside."[3]

Track listing[]

No.TitleWriter(s)Original performerLength
1."I Will Survive"Freddie Perren, Dino FekarisGloria Gaynor2:27
2."Straight Up" (uses the intro from "Evil" by 45 Grave, composed by Dinah Cancer, Paul Cutler and Don Bolles)Elliot WolffPaula Abdul2:59
3."Believe"Brian Higgins, Stuart McLennen, Paul Barry, Steven Torch, Matthew Gray, Timothy PowellCher3:08
4."Beautiful" (uses the intro from "Superficial Love" by T.S.O.L.)Linda PerryChristina Aguilera2:12
5."My Heart Will Go On"James Horner, Will JenningsCeline Dion2:44
6."I Will Always Love You (from Dolly)"Dolly PartonDolly Parton2:12
7."Top of the World"Richard Carpenter, John BettisThe Carpenters2:09
8."Speechless" (uses the intro from "Sonic Reducer" by The Dead Boys)Stefani GermanottaLady Gaga3:19
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 Club3:45
10."Crazy for You" (uses a ukulele interpretation of the intro from "The Tide Is High" by Blondie, written by John Holt)John Bettis, Jon LindMadonna2:48
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 Summer3:36
12."The Way We Were"Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Marvin HamlischBarbra Streisand2:53

Personnel[]

Additional musicians[]

  • Samon Rajabnik - keyboards
  • Jamin Barton - sax
  • Joe Raposo - upright bass
  • Darius Koski - accordion
  • Eric Melvin - backing vocals
  • Paddy Skinner - backing vocals

References[]

  1. ^ "Me First and the Gimme Gimmes detail new album". Punknews.org. March 13, 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "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. ^ Jump up to: a b 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.
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