2000 Great Songs #1226: Take Our Test

After 1984's sprawling Double Nickels On The Dime, two vinyl slabs of pithy punk/jazz/rock eclecticism, SoCal's post-punk innovators Minutemen made a bit of a pivot. The 1985 Project: Mersh EP presented itself as a self-aware move in a more commercial direction--but, of course, it was only tangentially commercial. Yes, the songs were longer, and there were a few nods to Creedence-styled rock, but it was still not exactly an escape from college radio. 

Still, "Take Our Test" was as close to a pop song as the band would come (alas, their run was tragically cut short later that year with the passing of frontman D. Boon, though the reconstituted Firehose would continue moving in that direction). "Test" was the track that made it easier for those of us in the college DJ crowd who liked-didn't-love the band to give them a fair shot, a few minutes of propulsive indie guitar jangle with a catchy chorus, yet still sounding little like anything else around.

Cover by The Breakfast Boys: