Album Review: The Mr T. Experience – MTX Forever: A History Of the Concept Of The Mr. T Experience

The bewilderingly titled “MTX Forever: A History Of the Concept Of The Mr. T Experience“, which from this point on will be be known simply as “MTX Forever“, is a essentially a best of The Mr. T Experience, a band who spent many years perched on top of the Lookout! Records heap of pop-punk bands. “MTX Forever” is a release that collects together 24 songs that span the band’s thirty year discography, it also kicks off a planned series of reissues of The Mr. T Experience‘s back catalogue via their new home of Sounds Rad Records. This herculean task has been undertaken by Dr. Frank, the band’s sole continuous member, who has spent the past two years searching, archiving and transcribing their long history of releases.

If you know The Mr. T Experience then you’ll already be fully aware off what is on this album and you probably already own most of the tracks, quite possibly on well worn vinyl or on an ageing CD, so this album is not for the established fan, although the compeletists out there will probably appreciate the painstaking remastering process. “MTX Forever” is a snapshot of the three decade existence of the long running underdogs, over the last thirty years The Mr. T Experience have released a dozen albums alongside a steady stream of singles, EP’s and compilation appearances. For those unfamiliar with the band this is a fine starter pack containing a varied twenty four cuts from the extensive back catalogue, and on that basis it ticks all the boxes, and will whet the appetite for the upcoming series of remastered reissues that are set to appear over the coming months and years.

It should noted that Dr. Frank didn’t get his title by issuing unnecessary prescriptions, alongside the expected pop punk staples of infectious choruses and love songs, and those are all present and correct, there’s a lyrical intelligence and insight present in some of the tracks on here that you don’t often find, at least not from the majority of those that have hopped onto the pop punk bandwagon. The obvious flaw is that, other than an overdue studio polish being applied to the tracks, “MTX Forever” brings nothing new to party, but that isn’t to say that wouldn’t be welcomed with open arms upon arrival, if you’re late to this virtual party then “MTX Forever” is an eclectic and eccentric collection of Ramones influenced pop punk.

“MTX Forever” can be pre-ordered on vinyl via Sounds Rad Records here