Quantity Is Job 1
Encyclopedia
Quantity Is Job 1 is an EP
by the band Five Iron Frenzy
. It was released November 3, 1998 on Five Minute Walk. The album was the bands first release distributed by EMI, and most of it was written in a two-week period before being recorded. Unlisted on the package are tracks nine through seventeen, which include both "These Are Not My Pants (The Rock Opera)" and a studio outtake. Musically, the album captures the band's slapstick
humor style in a way that almost equates to a live show. Douglas TenNapel created the artwork. Despite being billed as an EP, the album is roughly the same length as the band's other LPs.
after Super Bowl XXXII
("Get Your Riot Gear"), the constant rumors of the band's demise ("The Untimely Death of Brad"). The album also contains a cover of ELO
s "Sweet Talkin' Woman
." Perhaps the most cryptic song is the opener "My Evil Plan to Save the World", which according to Reese Roper is about "all of us that have ever thought that our own small minds could come up with a plan greater and more perfect than God's."
"All That Is Good", which (according to one reviewer) is a reprise from 1 Thessalonians 5:21, was written in response to the 1998 Ska Against Racism tour. In it the band questions the effectiveness of their faith and ministry on those around them.
Quantity also contains examples of Five Irons' "edgy sarcastic humor." The eight tracks of the "Pants" sequence is a multi-genre "rock opera
" about a pair of pants
which has no apparent owner. For the sequence, which was completely improvised in the studio, each band member was assigned a style. Styles include rap, reggae
, and country western, among others. The sequence, according to Cross Rhythms
, "actually IS more ridiculous than it sounds!", and has been called in other places "brilliance personified".
Another example is "The Untimely Death of Brad", which is about the dangers posed by the Internet
and tabloid culture. The song stems from a show where Brad was not available due to a wedding he was attending and Bret Barker replaced him on stage. Reese Roper joked that Brad was not performing because he was dead and, what happened next was "... someone made this posting on the internet that he was dead... It seemed there were always new rumors about it." The band helped to promote the rumors (in jest) by writing this song, releasing Brad Is Dead, a vinyl EP, and telling audiences that he had "passed on" at shows where he did not appear.
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
by the band Five Iron Frenzy
Five Iron Frenzy
Five Iron Frenzy is a Christian ska band formed in Denver, Colorado in 1995 and disbanded in 2003. The band announced they were recording new material on November 22, 2011....
. It was released November 3, 1998 on Five Minute Walk. The album was the bands first release distributed by EMI, and most of it was written in a two-week period before being recorded. Unlisted on the package are tracks nine through seventeen, which include both "These Are Not My Pants (The Rock Opera)" and a studio outtake. Musically, the album captures the band's slapstick
Slapstick
Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...
humor style in a way that almost equates to a live show. Douglas TenNapel created the artwork. Despite being billed as an EP, the album is roughly the same length as the band's other LPs.
Lyrical content
Lyrical themes addressed include unconditional love ("Dandelions"), the events in DenverDenver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
after Super Bowl XXXII
Super Bowl XXXII
Super Bowl XXXII was an American football game played on January 25, 1998 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1997 regular season...
("Get Your Riot Gear"), the constant rumors of the band's demise ("The Untimely Death of Brad"). The album also contains a cover of ELO
Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
s "Sweet Talkin' Woman
Sweet Talkin' Woman
"Sweet Talkin' Woman" is a 1978 single by The Electric Light Orchestra from the LP Out of the Blue. Its original title was "Dead End Street", but it was changed during recording, perhaps to avoid confusion with a 1966 hit of the same title by the Kinks...
." Perhaps the most cryptic song is the opener "My Evil Plan to Save the World", which according to Reese Roper is about "all of us that have ever thought that our own small minds could come up with a plan greater and more perfect than God's."
"All That Is Good", which (according to one reviewer) is a reprise from 1 Thessalonians 5:21, was written in response to the 1998 Ska Against Racism tour. In it the band questions the effectiveness of their faith and ministry on those around them.
Quantity also contains examples of Five Irons' "edgy sarcastic humor." The eight tracks of the "Pants" sequence is a multi-genre "rock opera
Rock opera
A rock opera is a work of rock music that presents a storyline told over multiple parts, songs or sections in the manner of opera. A rock opera differs from a conventional rock album, which usually includes songs that are not unified by a common theme or narrative. More recent developments include...
" about a pair of pants
Trousers
Trousers are an item of clothing worn on the lower part of the body from the waist to the ankles, covering both legs separately...
which has no apparent owner. For the sequence, which was completely improvised in the studio, each band member was assigned a style. Styles include rap, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, and country western, among others. The sequence, according to Cross Rhythms
Cross Rhythms
Cross Rhythms is a Christian media organisation based in Stoke-on-Trent, England.-History:The roots of what was to become Cross Rhythms go back to two separate sources which merged in 1991. In 1983, broadcaster Chris Cole started a 30-minute weekly Christian music radio show on Plymouth Sound FM, a...
, "actually IS more ridiculous than it sounds!", and has been called in other places "brilliance personified".
Another example is "The Untimely Death of Brad", which is about the dangers posed by the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
and tabloid culture. The song stems from a show where Brad was not available due to a wedding he was attending and Bret Barker replaced him on stage. Reese Roper joked that Brad was not performing because he was dead and, what happened next was "... someone made this posting on the internet that he was dead... It seemed there were always new rumors about it." The band helped to promote the rumors (in jest) by writing this song, releasing Brad Is Dead, a vinyl EP, and telling audiences that he had "passed on" at shows where he did not appear.
Track listing
- "My Evil Plan to Save the World" – 3:26
- "All That Is Good" – 3:23
- "Dandelions" – 3:18
- "One Girl Army" – 3:05
- "Sweet Talkin' WomanSweet Talkin' Woman"Sweet Talkin' Woman" is a 1978 single by The Electric Light Orchestra from the LP Out of the Blue. Its original title was "Dead End Street", but it was changed during recording, perhaps to avoid confusion with a 1966 hit of the same title by the Kinks...
" – 3:18 (ELOElectric Light OrchestraElectric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
cover) - "When I Go Out" – 0:10
- "Get Your Riot Gear" – 3:45
- "The Untimely Death of Brad" – 4:20
- The gibberish just before this track, at the end of "Get Your Riot Gear", is "Brad is dead. Let's kill Brad." backwards.
- "These Are Not My Pants (The Rock Opera) (Salsa)" – 0:34
- "These Are Not My Pants (The Rock Opera) (Meat Loaf)" – 0:55
- "These Are Not My Pants (The Rock Opera) (Country)" – 0:46
- "These Are Not My Pants (The Rock Opera) (Heavy Metal)" – 0:49
- "These Are Not My Pants (The Rock Opera) (R&B)" – 0:54
- "These Are Not My Pants (The Rock Opera) (Reggae)" – 0:43
- "These Are Not My Pants (The Rock Opera) (Cha Cha)" – 0:50
- "These Are Not My Pants (The Rock Opera) (Hip Hop)" – 1:17
- "When I Go Out/Kingdom of the Dinosaurs" – 8:57 (4:59 of silence)