Whereas fIREHOSE's debut, 1986's Ragin', Full On, was issued quickly to get the new outfit off the ground (two of the three members were still reeling from the death of their previous band's frontman, the Minutemen's D. Boon), their sophomore effort, 1987's If'n, included more cohesive and focused songwriting. Touring together had obviously made Watt-Hurley-Crawford tighter as a unit, and several of their best all-time compositions reside here. Although the debut incorporated other musical forms besides punk and hard rock (funk, jazz, etc.), If'n was the first fIREHOSE release to feature folk-style originals -- such as Crawford's "In Memory of Elizabeth Cotton." Standouts include the album opening highway anthem "Sometimes," the groovy '50s feel of "Honey, Please," the laid-back "Backroads," and the irate rockers "Anger" and "For the Singer of R.E.M." Also featured are several Mike Watt lead vocal spots -- the perennial concert favorite "Making the Freeway" (included on the 1993 mini-album Live Totem Pole EP), the humorous "Me & You Remembering," "Operation Solitaire," and the closing epic "Thunder Child." -- Greg Prato (allmusic.com)

They sound more like a regular rock band and also more like the Minutemen, which isn't a contradiction because the Minutemen were evolving into a regular rock band when D. Boon died--one that resembled this fluidly funky outfit a lot more than the weird and wimpy hippies of the debut. This time Ed Crawford provides enough garage hooks to get by, meaning Mike Watt doesn't disappear amid the new guy's mannerisms. I only wish Mike Watt's Central American mention held like his Richard Hell mention and his Michael Stipe tribute. B -- Robert Christgau