The lead-off track "The Way" blends the road song ethos of fellow Texan Robert Earl Keen with the happy pop irony of Elvis Costello. The result is a radio-friendly single that sounds derivative of neither. With its ringing, almost ambient guitar sound, "Fire Escape," arguably the album's best song, harkens back to vintage R.E.M. "Out of My Head" is a warm, mellow, organ-driven love letter that comes out as a combination of World Party, The Dave Matthews Band, and Squeeze with Paul Carrack ("Tempted"), filtered through a laid-back, Southern rock jam band sensibility. "Better Than It Was," "Sooner or Later," Warm, Fuzzy Feeling," and "Slow Drag" are also solid tunes.

All things considered, ALL THE PAIN MONEY CAN BUY displays a remarkable vocal and instrumental versatility for a band's 2nd album, perhaps owing to the fact that, like Lennon and McCartney, like Jaggar and Richards, Fastball's Tony Scalzo (bass, keyboards) and Miles Zuniga (guitar, keyboards) share the songwriting chores, and each has a distinctive writing style, as well as a distinctive vocal style. This partnership has produced in ALL THE PAIN MONEY CAN BUY a album superior to anything yet produced by Fastball's closest musical competition--Train and Smash Mouth.

I don't know where I'm going to
Yes, Fastball sounds not too original, but that is true of ALL pop, or so-called, rock bands, so give performers in this genre a break. I bought this CD because of "The Way". Upon hearing it on the radio, I thought it had an Elvis Costello quality about it. That, my friends, is meant as a compliment. I had no idea who Fastball were, and it took several times listening for a back announcement before I heard the band's name and could buy the CD. It was somewhat dissappointing to discover that "The Way" is far and away the best cut on this CD. However, I've found all of Tony Scalzo's songs to be of merit, in particular, his "Warm Fuzzy Feeling". Oh, I know, it is an utterly simple, straight-foward song that sounds an awful lot like many others by other artists over the years, and, yes, it is short, but didn't the vaunted Beatles songs make thier musical strike and leave the scene before you realized it was a really great little song? And they were extremly commercial, as well! Sorry to say that should the day arrive when Fastball should break-up, only Mr. Scalzo seems assured of not having to change carreers. All the below par tracks are consistanly Mr. Zuniga's. To go from Scalzo's witty "The Way" and then release Zuniga's droning "Fire Escape" (the lyrics are utterly unispired-"I don't want to be President, Superman, or Clark Kent...) as the next single to air on radio stations must have been a political decision: someting like, "Tony got his release, not let's let Miles have his." I anticipate Fastball getting better, and am very curious to hear thier next release, and I will scan for Mr. Scalzo's contributions, for he seems to be the Garrison Kiellor of this ensamble: he's IT. He is everything tolerable about Fastball.
This band reminds me of the Gin Blossoms, except somewhat more upbeat with less drunken self-pity. That's not a compliment, I like drunken self-pity. But "All the Pain" is a good album nonetheless, especially "Fire Escape" which, when I recently heard it during a montage sequence on an old episode of "Buffy" brought back some intense college nostalgia. "Out of my Head" is also excellent, and it was nice they didn't stretch the song another 90 seconds just to fill out radio's length requirements. Short and to the point. Song for song, I consider this album inferior to the Blossom's "Cracked Rear View" but that is a matter of taste. By any definition, good, solid pop-rock with a backwater twist.
Why am I just now geting around to reviewing this album? After all it has been one of my favorite albums since 1998. I have played it so much I am now in need of a replacement copy. Simply put this Austin, TX band is one of the best there is. The songs on this album are catchy, clever and very good. Miles is the better songwriter of the two, but Tony's songs are still far superior to anything on the radio today.

The Way
Great CD. One of the best I own!!
On this second album, these rockers from Austin, Texas, demonstrate a flair for perfect mid-'60s pop epitomized by the Kinks and the early Who. The opening track, "The Way," was an early break-out hit for the trio, but the entire album offers similarly uptempo serenades. It's a surprising direction for a band known for its hard-rocking live sets, but an early clue of their fondness for romantic hokum came on their remake of Bacharach & David's "This Guy's in Love with You" from 1997's Lounge-A-Palooza tribute album. Some of these songs actually come off tougher live, but that doesn't detract from the simple pleasures of this record, which is smooth, smart, and moving. --Steve Appleford
Includes Three Previously Unreleased Bonus Tracks: Freeloader Freddy, this Guy's in Love with You, Sweetwater Texas (Live).