The secret Green Day side project that wasn't, Foxboro Hot Tubs made a splash late last year when the first half of this LP was released for free to the hurdled internet masses. Recorded over a few sloppy drunken sessions, this record is fun, but it lacks the purpose and conviction of a true Green Day record... even though it's made by the same exact folks. Moreover, the musical references this time around are way too obvious for Green Day standards: for starters, a ripoff of Iggy Pop's “Lust For Life” on the extremely melodic “Mother Mary,” with Fratellis styled “Ba ba ba's” in the song's chorus. It's really a fantastic tune, but it was a little bit half-assed coming from Green Day.

Ditto for “Alligator,” a song that shamelessly lifts the chorus hook and guitar riff from The Kinks' “You Really Got Me.” Meanwhile, The Kinks influence also rears its head in “Red Tide,” which, although derivative in the guitar department, features some delightful falsetto vocals from singer Billie Joe Armstrong – who is herein renamed Reverend Strychnine Twitch.

There are a few very, very good tracks on here, though. “Sally” is a fine mix of tasty, whirling organ and guitar taken straight from “I'm Not Your Stepping Stone,” with a punk-as-hell chorus. Then there's “Dark Side of Night.” Ever want to hear the guys from Green Day offer their take on The Guess Who? Here's your chance. It's the most chill you'll ever hear them, and the simple fact that the song's main melody comes from a wind instrument makes it a standout track.

Here's the real problem with this album (and why it's receiving such a paltry rating): this musical pie is incredibly half-baked.

When I first heard the original set of songs, there was a certain sloppy charm to them. They were obvious nods to the garage rock of the 60's – and, yes, early 2000's – but they weren't meant to be commodified. The album was released for free as an internet-only EP and then, at some point, the idea became to put them out commercially. Quirky samples, most culled from the 1960's film, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, preceded the songs in their free versions, but were cut out from the final release. Also omitted from the final version was the rollicking “Highway 1.”

As said earlier, there are definitely some real keepers on here, but the laziness that stems from this being a mere “side project” has led to some problems. The Network (Green Day's earlier side project from 2003) gave us a mix of 1980's post-punk and new wave that the band would never dare try under its own moniker – save for the Network-esque American Idiot b-side, “Governator.”

Foxboro Hot Tubs sounds a little too like Green Day to be an alternative and, to tell the truth, some of the songs here should have been Green Day songs. Instead of working these songs to their fullest potential and piecing them into a worthy follow-up to their last album, Green Day has instead opted to put them out as the Hot Tubs' Stop Drop and Roll. The result comes off as more than a bit lazy and, though it's worth the few bucks it costs to purchase, it's not worthy of the Green Day name.

2 cheap shots out of 5 for the not-quite-Green Day album.
Stand Out Tracks:
"Dark Side of Night"
"Sally"
"Red Tide"