Reggie and the Full Effect - "Congratulations Smack and Katy" (2003)

Reggie and the Full Effect began nearly ten years as the side project/alter ego of Get Up Kids keyboardist James Dewees. In 1999, their debut Greatest Hits ’84-’87 was released on the Get Up Kids label imprint Heroes and Villains. That album is a mix of tracks ranging from emo to electro pop to metal tied together with humorous interludes with titles like “Pick Up the Phone Master P.” It’s an interesting listen. Reggie continued in 2000 with their second album Promotional Copy which followed largely along the same lines musically and even introduced more sides of Dewees, such as the fake Swedish metal band Common Denominator on the song “Dwarf Invasion.” (Yes, it’s as ridiculous and hilarious as it sounds.) In 2003, their third album Under the Tray was released. This was when I first became aware Reggie and the Full Effect. Today’s song is a great slice of power pop perfection. In 2005 came Reggie’s fourth album Songs Not To Get Married To, which as the title suggests chronicled Dewees’ divorce. The album retained some of the old Reggie humor with tracks like “Love Reality” and “Deathnotronic” but also showed a more serious side with “Get Well Soon” and “Thanks for the Misery.” There are some great songs on the record, but as you can imagine, it can be a downer. I’ve yet to pick up their recently released fifth album, Last Stop: Crappytown. All of the songs on the album are titled after the subway stops that Dewees would take to get to rehab after he decided to get clean. From what I’ve read, the album is a much more serious departure for Dewees and leans heavily toward his metal influences. I’m sure there are some gems on the record, I just haven’t checked it out yet. In between recording and touring for Reggie and the Full Effect, Dewees also became a touring member of My Chemical Romance and could possibly be joining the band to record their next album. Today’s song is probably still my favorite Reggie tune. It just has a light, summer feel to it and it’s great to sing along with. Plus the video is sheer genius.


Reggie and the Full Effect - "Congratulations Smack and Katy"