Rocktober First Tracks Song #6: "It's Time to Party" by Andrew W.K.

We haven't done any first tracks from debut albums from this millennium yet, so let's change that, okay?  In November 2001, a 22-year-old son of a University of Michigan law professor released an album with a cover photo showing blood streaming from his nose because he his himself with a cinderblock and complemented that with animal blood.

Andrew W.K.'s I Get Wet was (and still is) 12 energetic songs that mix punk, metal, pop, and Phil Spector's Wall of Sound.  The first time I ever heard of Andrew W.K., I kid you not, was from my Wills and Trusts professor in law school, and I checked out the album and thought it was great.

What make this album great, though, is that behind that wall of sound and bombast are well-crafted pop hooks. This isn't just some hard-on blowing off steam by yelling into the mic; this is someone who is calculatingly harnessing pop sensibilities while blowing you away sonically.  If you combined mid-'70s Springsteen and Meat Loaf with Black Flag, The Ramones, The Replacements, and Motörhead, this might very well be the result.  

And, of course, the album features various songs about partying, including the first track, which sets the mood for the album.  "It's Time to Party" is a minute and a half of energy that tells you exactly what time it is.  It's beauty lies in its simplicity.  The video, which I believe was made about ten years after the album came out, is also about partying.  And who wouldn't feel like partying with Andrew W.K.'s inviting big ol' grin?