Various Artists – Vans Warped Tour 2007 Compilation

I remember the first time I got the Warped Tour compilation from SideOneDummy Records. I think it was back in 2002 and I was slowly but surely expanding my musical knowledge of the punk scene. I’m flipping through some mix cds and I see this bright yellow cd for less than ten bucks with over fifty bands on it, I quickly buy it and fall in love with it. It introduced me to so many new bands all of whom I went out and bought more music by and followed their careers. I watched who they toured with and figured out who influenced them and my musical background grew even more. It was great, and there’s still some songs on that mix CD that I go back to and play constantly. It’s now five years later and, suffice to say, I’ve grown a bit and discovered many new bands since then – and one quick look at the new Vans Warped Tour 2007 compilation and it’s clear that there isn’t a single band on there that I haven’t heard before. However, I still see the charm that is embedded within the compilation – even with it’s many downfalls.

You see, for someone who is well versed in the who’s who of the punk rock underground, then the Vans Warped Tour 2007 compilation is probably not for you. It follows the same structure it does every year, with fifty bands spread over two cds and covering a wide variety of genres – hitting everything from Big D & The Kids Table to Bayside to As I Lay Dying and The Casualties. Pretty much every song on the album is already widely available (although Bad Religion, Alkaline Trio, Buck-O-Nine and The Unseen do all lend unreleased material to the compilation) and while it is in support of the longest running music festival, none of the songs are actually recorded live at all.

So with that you’ll always get the same complaints, none of the songs are new and it doesn’t flow particularly well jumping from genre to genre; but that is why these yearly Warped compilations aren’t for those people already embedded in the underground. No, instead it is for people who, like I was five years ago, are just getting into the scene, style and genre. Maybe you’re getting ready for your first trip to The Warped Tour or you’re just trying to expand your knowledge past the bastardization that is forced down your throat on MTV and the radio, whatever it is, this compilation – like the many before it – is a perfect introduction to the who’s who of the current scene; and if you’re new to it, then there will be plenty of new bands for you to discover. You may pick it up because The Used, Bedouin Soundclash or The Matches are on there and in the mean time you’ll be introduced to acts like Gogol Bordello, Smoke Or Fire, Meg & Dia, Tiger Army, The Briggs and more.

No, this isn’t a great compilation. In fact, it’s rather forgettable (which is surprising for it’s size); but that’s because, for me, there’s nothing new on here. But for the thirteen year old kid going to Warped Tour for the first time, this could open doors to a scene unlike any other. I still say the 2002 compilation is better and older punks than me will say the 98 version is even better than that and in five years new punks will be remembering this one with fond memories too.