Brad

The original Brad 7" was released over ten years ago, but with the resurgence of the Hanson Brothers over the past couple of years, Brad has been reissued with some bonus features that you can't quite pack onto a seven inch single. For instance, despite what vinyl enthusiasts claim, CD-Rom video doesn't work too well on the vinyl format. Besides the video, the Hanson Brothers provide us with three outtakes from the Sudden Death sessions. The EP isn't necessarily designed to supplant any of your favorite Hanson Brothers records, but it does provide a nice bookend, particularly if indeed the Hanson Brothers decide to retire from hockey any time soon..

"Brad" finds the band doing a Weird Al on their cerebral alter-egos, Nomeansno. The original version, "Dad", was quite sinister, but "Brad" is about an annoying kid brother and doesn't feature quite as much family dysfunction. The three Sudden Death outtakes are all uniformly pretty decent, with "Stay Home" being a bit better than the others. You also get the B-side to the original Brad 7". The real treat is the highly amusing "Rink Rat" video, recorded live in London. The band's stage show is always a hoot and you get to see all the details from drummer Ernie Hanson's wandering around the stage in a daze to Tommy Hanson's drooling. What more could you ask? The only thing that would make this more authentic is the stench of locker room sweat that pervades every Hanson Brothers show..
-John Chedsey