The One Voted Most Likely to Succeed

The One Voted Most Likely to Succeed is the fifth studio album by Canadian punk rock band SNFU. The album was released in 1995 on Epitaph Records, their second of three albums on Epitaph.[1]

The One Voted Most Likely To Succeed
Studio album by SNFU
Released	May 4, 1995
Recorded	December 1994 – January 1995
Genre	Punk rock
Length	29:35
Label	Epitaph
Producer	SNFU, Dave Ogilvie
SNFU chronology
Something Green and Leafy This Way Comes (1993) The One Voted Most Likely To Succeed (1995) FYULABA (1996)

Background and recording

SNFU signed a three-record deal with Epitaph in 1993. But Something Green and Leafy This Way Comes, their experimental first release with the label, failed to chart and received only tepid reviews.[2] They spent 1994 touring heavily and planning a follow-up record.

SNFU entered Mushroom Studios in Vancouver to record their fifth studio album in late December.[3] They spent two weeks recording the album with producer Dave Ogilvie, noted for his work with Skinny Puppy. Guests Mike "Gabby" Gaborno and Bif Naked, both longtime friends of the band, made guest vocal appearances on the album's final track, "One Last Loveshove". Mixing occurred in a studio owned by Canadian rock musician Bryan Adams and was completed by mid-January.[4]

Release

The band filmed promotional videos for the songs "Big Thumbs" and "Eric's Had a Bad Day" with director Eric Matthies.[5] These songs were both also released as promotional singles. The album was released by Epitaph on May 4, 1995, while the band was touring in Europe.

The band and label had high expectations for the album, which was released at the height of the third wave of punk rock.[6] Ultimately the record did not chart as well as did contemporaneous albums by label mates such as The Offspring and Rancid, despite selling modestly well by punk rock standards.[7]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[8]
Punknews.org	[9]

The album was generally received well by critics. Writing a retrospective review for AllMusic, critic Vincent Jeffries calls the album a "rewarding" effort in which "the group offers a more familiar [...] sound" than on their previous record.[8] Jeffries adds that the skilled, and now veteran, punk musicians "handle the record's more difficult material with grace and power."[8] Ultimately, Jeffries assesses the record as "one of their best '90s releases."[8] CMJ's Juliana Day gave the album a positive review, calling the record "one adrenaline burst after another, prefabricated but easy to bang your head to."[10] Punknews.org reviewer TomTrauma praised singer Ken Chinn's effort on the album.[9] TomTrauma concluded that the album, "a classic by mid-'90s standards," "remains essential listening for fans of that era, and Canadian punk fans in general."[9]

Track listing

All songs written by SNFU

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Rusty Rake"	1:59
2.	"Better Place"	1:45
3.	"Big Thumbs"	2:21
4.	"Drunk on a Bike"	2:49
5.	"Manuel"	2:51
6.	"My Mold Collection"	2:19
7.	"Bumper Stickers"	1:27
8.	"Eric's Had a Bad Day"	3:11
9.	"King of Skin"	1:45
10.	"Mutated Dog"	2:55
11.	"Bizarre Novelties"	1:26
12.	"Lovely Little Frankenstein"	2:33
13.	"One Last Loveshove"	2:25

Musicians

SNFU

• Mr. Chi Pig (Ken Chinn) - vocals
• Marc Belke - guitar
• Brent "Bunnt" Belke - guitar
• Rob Johnson - bass
• Dave Rees - drums

Guests

• Mike "Gabby" Gaborno and Bif Naked - vocals (track 13)

References

1. Chris Walter. What No One Else Wanted to Say. Vancouver: GFY Press, 2014, pg. 146
2. Walter 126
3. Walter 140
4. Walter 141
5. Walter 143
6. Walter 146
7. Walter 152
8. Jeffries, Vincent. "The One Voted Most Likely to Succeed - SNFU". AllMusic. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
9. "SNFU - The One Voted Most Likely to Succeed". Punknews.org. June 11, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
10. Day, Julianna. Record Review. CMJ Number 22, June 1995.