We Are the Champions of the World: The Best Of The Lawrence Arms

• 1On with the Show01:20
• 2Great Lakes/Great Escapes02:49
• 3Alert the Audience!02:04
• 4100 Resolutions03:28
• 5The Devil's Takin' Names01:59
• 6Beautiful Things03:01
• 7Quincentuple Your Money03:00
• 8The Slowest Drink at the Saddest Bar on the Snowiest Day in the Greatest City03:12
• 9Are You There Margaret? It's Me, God.03:35
• 10Right as Rain Part 202:38
• 11Seventeener (17th and 37th)02:38
• 12Chapter 13: The Hero Appears02:50
• 13The Ramblin' Boys of Pleasure02:44
• 14Light Breathing (Me and Martha Plimpton in a Fancy Elevator)02:57
• 15Like a Record Player02:02
• 16You Are Here02:46
• 17Boatless Booze Cruise Part 103:27
• 18Brick Wall Views04:12
• 19Sixteen Hours01:07
• 20Turnstiles02:27
• 21An Evening of Extraordinary Circumstance02:55
• 22The Northside, The L&L and Any Number of Crappy Apartments03:09
• 23Porno & Snuff Films02:36
• 24Demons02:14
• 25The Rabbit and the Rooster02:53
• 26Catalog01:28
• 27Black Snow02:26
• 28Laugh out Loud02:57
• 29Warped Summer Extravaganza (Turbo Excellent)01:42
• Total Runtime01:16:36

Info for We Are the Champions of the World: The Best Of

Formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1999, The Lawrence Arms have remained unchanged since day one. Sure, the band’s brand of anthemic punk has evolved over their nearly two decades together, but at the core of it all, they’re still just three guys who like to play music together. In honor of the band’s 19 years in the game, on March 30, Fat Wreck Chords will release We Are The Champions Of The World, a 29-song best-of album that chronicles the band’s steady evolution over the past two decades.

Culled from the band’s entire discography, which includes their releases on Asian Man Records, Epitaph Records, and FAT, We Are The Champions Of The World serves as both a retrospective and an introduction to the Chicago institution. The tracklist was handpicked by the band—bassist-vocalist Brendan Kelly, guitarist-vocalist Chris McCaughan, and drummer Neil Hennessy—in order to show how these three friends went from making gritty, lo-fi records to becoming some of the sharpest songwriters in all of punk.

Oh,and just so we’re totally clear here, it’s not a greatest hits album. “I think you have to have hits to make a greatest hits,” says Kelly, “So we approached the song selection in an attempt to be indicative of our evolution, rather than focus on our ‘hits,’ of which, frankly, there are none.” Instead, We Are The Champions Of The World showcases every part of the band’s storied career, from their 1999 debut album A Guided Tour Of Chicago, all the way up to 2014’s Metropole. “In the end, I’m super grateful for the collective experience and history of being in this band with two guys I have known forever and love dearly and are my fam,” says McCaughan. “I guess that’s what this record kind of means and reaffirms for me.”

With liner notes written by both Kelly and McCaughan, the pair reflect on how each song came to be, sharing anecdotes about what inspired them to put pen to paper. But of course, they aren’t trying to tell you what the songs are actually about, because what’s the fun in that? “I don’t think that it’s cool to be prescriptive in song meanings because that leads to the erroneous conclusion that the song has one meaning: the songwriter’s intent,” says Kelly. “In truth, songs have no meaning until a listener connects with it and imbues it with what it means to them. I did offer a few of my interpretations of Chris’s songs, and vice versa, because even though I play and sing on his songs, I didn’t write em, so I’m interpreting them along with any other listener.”

The Lawrence Arms

The Lawrence Arms
Chicago’s Lawrence Arms are a gritty but clever punk rock three-piece that trace their beginnings back to 1999. Their involvement in bands and the punk scene goes back many years prior however, as the members were involved in Windy City mainstays Slapstick, The Broadways, and Baxter. The band takes it’s name from a run-down building the members resided in called the Lawrence Arms, which was located in a very lower-class area of uptown Chicago. For the record, they were eventually evicted from the place in the middle of the night.

Their latest album, Oh! Calcutta!, comes at a time when the stars have seemingly aligned and their presence is at an all-time high. Singer Brendan and his outspoken anti-Bush opinions have been all over TV this past year and he was even a feature interview on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He got off easy though and they only made fun of his tattoos. And you can have a look at any punk forum on the web and you’ll come to find that The Lawrence Arms are the subject of many a hotly-debated discussion regarding their relevance. But forget about the chatter on the internet, Alternative Press recently described them “One of the best honest-to-God punk-rock bands around today.” Things are indeed looking up for the boys, but let’s get historical…

After a couple releases on Asian Man Records, The Lawrence Arms chose to work with Fat Wreck Chords from among several interested labels and released Apathy and Exhaustion in early 2002. Their Fat Wreck debut was recorded after 13 months of constant touring and is an aptly-titled product of a band that endured every mishap and triumph of an arduous tour. For over a year The Lawrence Arms lived on the road, and every bit of defiance, debauchery, and desperation, comes through on Apathy and Exhaustion. Their next sonic conquest came in the form of their second Fat full length, The Greatest Story Ever Told, an exalted title no doubt, but one that they managed to live up to. In typical Larry Arms fashion, the band waxes intellectual whilst making repeated tributes to American pop culture. No one is safe, and everyone from Kafka to the cast of Perfect Strangers play a part in The Greatest Story Ever Told.

Talking shit has long been The Lawrence Arms calling card. Especially onstage. Everyone from Dashboard Confessional to Joyce Carol Oates have fell victim to the band’s drunken tirades. Some of their fans will tell you that their shows seem more like a celebrity roast—just without the subject in attendance. This new LP is no exception, and this time around it’s Van’s Warped Tour that bears the bullseye. Lyrics on their folky bonus track for example: These thieves in their flip-flops and bro attitudes are the very reason we do what we do, When I say ‘fuck the man’, it’s what I believe, No matter who that man happens to be… Ouch! What could possibly be the reason for such contempt? Maybe because they’ve been 86’d from the tour on account that they were shit-talking the whole operation while they were playing it. Yeah, that’ll do it.

The Lawrence Arms seem like the very last punk band who are doing what they want. “Keeping it real”, is the phrase, I believe? And their new record, Oh! Calcutta!, is fixin’ to be a real breakthrough for the guys as they have a full head of steam and a tour with NOFX in the Spring. Touring is what they do best, and they have spent the last many months jet-setting the globe: Europe with Millencolin, Japan with No Use For A Name, and Australia with Anti-Flag. Let us not forget their more recent States-side tours with Lagwagon, Against Me!, and chums Hot Water Music. Look for them to be drinking straight from the tap and playing the hits from Oh! Calcutta! in a shitty club near you.

This album contains no booklet.