Have a Ball

Inarguably the world's greatest punk-pop cover band, Me First & the Gimme Gimmes take on popular singles of the 1960s,'70s, and '80s with their 1997 Fat Wreck Chords debut, HAVE A BALL. Consisting of members of Swingin' Utters, NOFX, No Use for a Name, and other Cal-punk peers, the semi-supergroup gleefully tears through guitar-driven, abbreviated versions of easy-going tunes such as Paul Simon's "Me & Julio Down By the Schoolyard," Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl" (impressively nailing the vocal harmonies), and Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline," both paying tribute to and sending up the original numbers. For those seeking to jump into the Gimme Gimmes' reliably silly discography, this outing is a fine place to begin.