ALBUMS WE WISH HAD MADE THE LIST: ANDREW W.K. – I GET WET

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 at 5:00pm by Gary Suarez

21best1

andrew-wk-i-get-wet

Andrew W.K., I Get Wet (Island, 2002)
Andrew W.K. – vocals
Jimmy Coup – Guitar
Erik Payne – Guitar
Frank Werner – Guitar
Gregg Roberts – Bass
Donald Tardy – Drums

Produced by Andrew W.K., John Fields, Scott Humphrey, TSD, Frank Vierti

It has been suggested by some of our commenters that I don’t belong here. Be it my distaste for deathgrind, my inability to appreciate the tr00 kvlt nature of Norwegian black metal, or the fact that I don’t give a flying fuck about Protest The Hero, I’ve always felt like an outsider around you people. Yet at no point did I feel so out of place than during the countdown of the 21 Best Metal Albums of the 21st Century… So Far. Sure, I participated. I submitted a list. I presumed many of my picks would never make the cut (Unsane’s Visqueen; Zozobra’s Harmonic Tremors), but also acknowledged less esoteric favorites of mine from the past nine-and-a-half-years (Boris Pink; Down’s III: Over The Under) that I thought had a shot. Still, nothing could have prepared me for the sheer disappointment these past few weeks when none of my favorite albums made the goddamn list.

Rather than be mature about this sad state of affairs, I am now going to explain why everyone who voted in this poll is a fucking butthole for not selecting Andrew W.K.’s 2002 masterpiece, I Get Wet.

From the opening riff, it’s pretty obvious that this record is going to fucking rock. Seconds later, when the vocals come in, there’s no mistaking that I Get Wet is the ultimate party album. After all, the first track is called “It’s Time To Party,” and the upbeat lyrics firmly support that statement. Clearly, Andrew W.K. is devoted to the institution of the party, which is essentially what rock-and-roll music is all about. “Party Hard” (video here) and “Party Til You Puke” continue this theme and inspire all sorts of unbridled awesomeness.

But I Get Wet isn’t just about partying. No sir. It’s also about the ladies. Considering the majority of those who voted in this poll have never even kissed a girl [Uhhhh... - Ed.], it’s understandable how they didn’t relate to the sex positive message in such killer cuts as “Girls Own Love” and “She Is Beautiful” (video here). Such positivity extends even as Andrew addresses hardship, as evidenced on “Got To Do It,” arguably the most motivational metal song ever written. If you’ve got adversity to overcome, this is the fucking album for you. Hell, just the wicked fast tempos of these songs themselves trigger optimism aneurysms!

If you like guitars, you’ll love I Get Wet. The music is at least 80% guitar thanks to all the multitracking. The actual vocals comprise an additional 110% of the album, especially since it sounds like thirty Andrews are shouting the lyrics at any given time. Throw in another 20% for bass, drums, keys, and programming, and you’ve got yourself 210% of an album, one that is truly worthy of Nigel Tufnel’s “up to eleven” amplifier.

Andrew’s 2003 follow-up, The Wolf, attempted to recreate the magic of I Get Wet, and while that did offer plenty of fist-pumping anthems, it could never match the motherfucking juggernaut of modern rock that came before it. Came all over your mom’s back, that is.

partypartyparty

-GS

[Gary Suarez party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party party. He also writes for Brainwashed and usually manages the consistently off-topic No Yoko No. Say, why don't you follow him on Twitter?]


74 COMMENTS on “ALBUMS WE WISH HAD MADE THE LIST: ANDREW W.K. – I GET WET

  1. Andrés Ruiz says:

    Fuck this list, how bout that?

  2. Andrés Ruiz says:

    Seriously though, I’m just wondering how far it is that you can stretch the meaning of what metal is. If this album deserves a mention, then why not something by a band, say, like 311?

    Have we reduced the definition of metal to include anything with an electric guitar and a drum set?

  3. Visqueen is way better then blood run and it would of been kick ass if Zozzobra made the list. Any old man gloom album would be just fine with me on the list as well
    Horrorpops really?

    P.S. I dont understand the deal with protest the hero around these parts

  4. Tim says:

    If this list was a Major League hitter, this would drop his average from 2 for 21 to 2 for 22. As Anal Cunt said, “It just gets worse.”

  5. Rancidcorpse says:

    WHAT?

  6. alex haskett says:

    i dont care what people say, i like andrew wk and i think i get wet is a great album, i always put it on if im round someones house (or at my house) having some drinks n stuff because its a really fun record

  7. Ziltoid says:

    Unfunny joke post. Really, ICP was funny for a second, but this is just lame.

    • Canvas Of Flesh says:

      Yea, I think at this point their best bet is to forget this shit list ever existed and never bring it up again.

  8. Ja5oN says:

    I know right? I propose that a list (top 5 or 10) be made of every genre & sub genre of metal, i.e…Black, Death, Doom, Drone, Folk, Glam, Gothic, Grind, Groove, Industrial, Melodic Death, Metalcore, Neo-Classical, “Nu-Metal”, Post-Metal, Progressive, Sludge, Speed, Stoner, Thrash, Viking, etc…. Any takers?

  9. Sean says:

    Best write up in weeks, I’m still laughing. Good to see some still have a sense of humor even after the constant and pointless what is metal debates. Well done Gary!

  10. Dr.J says:

    Burn Gary Suarez.

  11. Diesel Computer says:

    I am actually in my cube cranking this album on headphones as I type this. This record does indeed fucking rock. A big fat dose of un-ironic party rock and roll is too much for some people to handle. Also, fuck Protest The Hero.

  12. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! Well put, Gary.

    If really hate this album, then you hate fun. And you should just set yourself on fire. Humanity is done with you.

  13. vincent says:

    One of my favorite albums of all time. Made me really happy for a few years.

  14. iolanach says:

    Andrew W.K. has some fun, sing-a-long songs. No doubt about it.

    But it’s not metal.

    And it certainly shouldn’t be anywhere near a “best of” list.

    • SP420 says:

      I’m shocked too that someone would hold this in such high regard.There’s no substance to it whatsoever beyond the immediate value.

  15. Dave says:

    I have this album, and it is a fun album…but this isn’t metal. Then again the list was shit. This cd is better then most of the shit that did make the list. Still, not metal.

  16. John says:

    Anyone that hates this album is fucking retarded and should immediately shoot themselves.

    • Andrés Ruiz says:

      Clearly the inability to enjoy this noise heavily suggests a great degree of mental handicap.

      Just what the hell is the average IQ of metalheads these days? Jesus Christ, grow up people.

  17. mahkiavelli says:

    Fuck yeah – PARTY HARD!

  18. Jackson says:

    regardless of how good it may be, its still not metal, but neither was a good chunk of the list

  19. RJMrgn says:

    Awesome choice. Backed so hard.

  20. Bicro says:

    Good album, awesome artist.

  21. Shanetera says:

    I agree one million percent. Best album of that decade and best artist EVER.

  22. hibernum says:

    The best thing about Andrew W. K. is this right here:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KMV3dc2PbI

    The next man on the moon will be Chinese!

  23. xXxDarkfoxXx says:

    Great Rock n’ Roll record (but it quite metal).

  24. sinistatroy says:

    i dont know much about this album but in line with some other comments about bands i cannot for the life of me like.
    gojira -way of all flesh
    protest the hero -fortress
    cynic- traced in air
    i bought, stupid me, bought all of these thinking they were must own, must have, no way they could suck albums by the hype this site gave them. i was wrong. ive forced myself the listen, probably 5 times to each album, just cause i know shit can grow on you. not this shit, none of it. that is all.
    and i cant believe there wasnt one vote for beyond the permafrost. and fuck the shift key

  25. notballs says:

    FUCK YEAH, Andrew W.K.! Aside from being the nicest guy in the entire music industry, this album is fun as hell and makes you headbang.

  26. kazz says:

    If nothing else, you have to give Andrew W.K. credit for his lyrical genius:

    PARTY HARD PARTY HARD PARTY HARD PARTY HARD/ SHE IS BEAUTIFUL SHE IS BEAUTIFUL SHE IS BEAUTIFUL

    How does he do it?

  27. AxeRipper says:

    I agree 210% sir!

  28. Centurion says:

    I have no problem with Andrew W.K. but I’m not to sure about putting him on a top 21 metal list.
    Still fun to listen to regardless though.

    I should stop being lazy and actually put albums I would of liked to see sooo
    here it is in no specific order

    Archons – The Consequences of Silence
    Agalloch – The Mantle
    Behemoth – DemiGod
    Emperor – Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire & Demise
    Septic Flesh – Sumerian Daemons
    Wintersun – Wintersun
    Dark Tranquility – Fiction
    Akercocke – Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone
    Dying Fetus – Destroy the Opposition
    Bloodbath – Nightmares Made Flesh
    Hypocrisy – Virus
    Children of Bodom – HateBreeder
    Daylight Dies – Dismantling Devotion
    Insomnium – Above The Weeping World
    Enslaved – Ruun
    Darkest Hour – Deliver Us
    SYL – Alien
    Meshuggah – Nothing
    FalkenBach – Heralding: The Fireblade
    Kalmah – They Will Return
    The Project Hate MCMXCIX – Armageddon March Eternal

    There are pleantly of other albums I would put on there also but those are the first 21 albums to come to mind and i would have to go through a decade of music to decide really what is the best of the best.

    Also, I welcome any comments/disagreements you have with my list.

  29. Gecko says:

    OK, I’m almost done laughing. Wait, one more. OK, now I’m done. Honestly though, I absolutely love this CD. It’s hysterical. It’s just a fun, stupid party record. It’s one of those records you can put on and crush a few beers to before you head out for the night. It just puts everyone in a stupid goofy mood, and you can’t really argue with that kind of fun. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t exactly call it metal. Not by a long shot. But I guess the guest appearance on Aqua Teen Hunger Force will be enough for me not to care!

  30. ryan says:

    andrew wk sounds like britney spears on crack

  31. Sin and Death says:

    “…I don’t give a flying fuck about Protest The Hero…”

    You and me both, brudda. Protest the Hero would be hard pressed to make their vocals any more gay.

    Anyway, listening to Andrew W.K.’s I Get Wet is like snorting a line of yayo a mile long. It’s all about sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll, ahem, and metal. Fuck yeah!

    And who could forget the classic “We do what we like, and we like what we do!” The strength of that line alone was enough to make me buy that album. Besides, pianos rule.

  32. Mike says:

    That Andrew W.K. is a metal great alright. All of his albums should be on this list. Him and Fred Durst really define what metal truly should be. Way to fail miserably Gary. I enjoy Stone Sour’s latest album quite a bit, but I’m not stupid enough to somehow think it’s one of the best albums of the 21st Century when there’s dozens if not hundreds of albums that are so much better.

  33. icebeast says:

    I don’t like this album because I hate having fun. Partying is a waste of time. I hate major chords because they sound too happy; I prefer things that sound like they were recorded in a toolshed on an iceberg by very angry people.

  34. So does Andrew WK own Santos House party or what?

  35. Coons says:

    Does this album have anything to do with partying?

  36. Diesel Computer says:

    It seems like most reasonable people took this whole list with a grain of salt. I personally enjoyed all the jackasses getting bent out of shape about an arbitrary list compiled by complete strangers.

  37. Frank says:

    DUDE! Andrew W.K. is METAL AS FUCK!!!! I saw them at Ozzfest a couple years back in Tampa, and all he could talk about was how awesome it was to be playing the place where all his favorite death metal bands are from. He even had 2 dudes from Obituary come on stage and they played a song!

    • Frank says:

      Also, he played Warped Tour the next year. My band played too so we were chilling backstage. I went to use the bathroom, and Andrew had taken a shit so wretched that everyone cleared out, even the dude showering. That’s fucking metal

  38. EarthIsGay says:

    Andrew fucking rules.

  39. Ben says:

    Andrew W.K. sucks the testicles of 73 year old hermaphrodites. This is fact.

  40. Sam` says:

    What the hell’s wrong with this critic? This numbnut Gay Suarez!?! Andrew WK is not even close to metal? We need to ban this idiot from this site!

  41. israelizach says:

    This album sucks.
    The list sucks.
    Metal sucks!

  42. nug says:

    hes doing this show on cartoon network about blowing shit up haha. pretty bad ass

  43. Thomas Wincek says:

    Anyone who questions the credentials of this album should google the names that proceed the first paragraph. Anyone actually know who Donald Tardy is?

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