Ziona’s been telling me for a long time now that Fred Schnider’s solo album Just Fred really rocks but as someone who is only sorta into the B-52s, I let that recommendation slide. I’m an idiot.
I put my iPod on random the other day and came across a very familiar voice singing “Coconut.”
“Aw,” I thought. “This is a cute song. Maybe I should turn it up…”
PUT THE LIME IN THE COCONUT!
AH! My poor ears! I hadn’t been ready for the sudden change in volume. Or tone for that matter. The kinda beachy/surf rock that I’m used to from Fred was replaced by this punk-rock riff and Fred just screaming his head off like he’s about to punch someone’s face in.
Where in the world did this come from? Just Fred is pretty damn punk. It took a while for me to make the connection between the roots of the B’s and this rockin’ little gem I forgot that I had. It’s noisy, rough, and incredibly entertaining to hear.
What impressed me most was the edge in Schneider’s voice. I usually have to really be in the mood to hear the B-52s because his voice grates my nerves from time to time. But man, there are times when he sounds vicious. I could easily picture him playing the Caledonia with Pride Parade or someone one night and just absolutely killing it.
Closing verdict? Fred Schneider’s a badass. Gonna listen to the B’s in a whole different way now.
athensmusicjunkie.com 
wow – havent thought about this LP for awhile. gonna pull it out. i saw Fred and his band at the 40 Watt when he was touring behind this record. it was no joke. rock show.