Artist: Lifetime
Album: Somewhere In The Swamps Of Jersey
Label: Jade Tree
Tracks: 2 disc/45 tracks
Reviewed By: Chaz "Young, Loud And Scotty" Murphy

Lifetime is my all time favorite band. I even have a tattoo of their first seven inch on my ribs. In case you don't have any clue who Lifetime is, here is a little lesson for you. Lifetime is one of the most influential punk bands of the past decade and some change. They come from the great state of New Jersey. They have release three full lengths (Background, Hello Bastards and Jersey's Best Dancers) and three seven inches (s/t, Tinnitus and The Boy's No Good). The members of the band have gone onto other bands such as Paint It Black, Kid Dynamite, Good Riddance, Zero Zero, The Fire Still Burns and Jets To Brazil. They were and still are amazing. The lived from 1990-1997.

I have been collecting their vinyl and cds for about seven years now and this album is the grand daddy of all Lifetime collections. The first plus to this album is the 52 page booklet filled with various band pictures and lyrics. This a double cd and contains 45 tracks. Track 1 is the title track for this album and was featured on their only Jade Tree seven inch (The Boy's No Good) and is one of the best Lifetime songs ever. Track 2-6 were featured on the Tinnitus seven inch. This was the transition period for Lifetime from when they went from a slow speed hardcore band to a more pop punk style but with a hardcore flash. Track 7-9 are all unreleased demo versions of songs off Jersey's Best Dancers.

Track 10 is claimed to be unreleased but I have had this song in my music library for about six or so years now. The song was released on a previous Lifetime compilation album called Seven Inches. This album was released twice. It was originally released on Glue Records and then a few years later was re-released with new art work and two extra tracks on Black Cat Records. The first extra track was a cover of the Embrace song Money and the second extra track was a cover of the Billy Braggs song New England. Got That? Okay. Track 10 is the Billy Braggs cover and track 11 is the Embrace cover, which was also released on the Land Of Greed...World Of Need comp. Tracks 12-21 are also semi-unreleased. They are remix tracks of Background (minus the live tracks). It was actually done very well and makes the Background LP a lot more listenable. Thank you!

Tracks 22-26 are from the Lifetime S/T seven inch from 1991.

Tracks 27-45 are from the full length version of Background. They include all the original ten versions and then the live versions of each song, just like the Background LP from Glue Records. YEAH! Although that album wasn't all that great, it's still a part of Lifetime and a must have for all true Lifetime fans.

Lifetime has been the soundtrack to so many times, good and bad, in my life and I really can't express how much this release means to me. They have again played another song in my life recently. They have been my favorite band for about eight years now and will always be there on the top of my musical mountain. Thank you guys.