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A Day To Remember have long-been a hot topic of conversation in the music scene. With their daring mix of pop-punk and hardcore the five-some from Ocala, Florida have had to work hard to get to where they are and to gain the respect of fans from both genres, and by ‘working hard’ I don’t mean by riding the press wagon for all it’s worth, I mean by focusing on the things that are important to them: their music and their fans. Whilst some bands are too busy promoting their new neon colored clothing line or name dropping their famous ‘BFF’s’ to notice that their music stinks like a warped tour toilet, ADTR like to make sure their time is spent wisely perfecting their craft; whether it be with new songs, live shows or finding new ways to interact fans, you can be sure these guys will give it their all. But why bother with all the little details themselves? Why not get someone else to do it? It’s simple – ADTR understand their fans like no one else does. They realize that fans aren’t simply just a source of ‘income’, they’re people who respect and enjoy a bands music, lyrics and performance. They buy t-shirts and hand out flyers because they want to represent the band and want others to share their experience. At the end of the day it all comes down to the people that listen to their music. So when the fans speak, ADTR listens and when it comes to the Homesick reissue it seems they listened well.

I couldn’t help but smile when I saw the packaging for the Homesick Special Edition; the bright pink and black cover just screams A Day To Remember – the contrast of the dark colors on the original cover (which can be seen through the stenciled lettering of ‘ADTR’) with the bright colors of the new one seems to emulate what ADTR are all about – mixing two completely different things together and making them work perfectly.

Inside the box is a case decorated with the Homesick artwork which folds-out to reveal the CD and DVD, placed either side of the ‘Special Edition’ stamped band logo. Is it sad that I love how it’s symmetrical? Next I pick up the special edition booklet (which is almost identical to the special edition cover of For Those Who Have Heart)  and am happy to notice it’s nice and thick – hopefully this means lots of extra content. It contains the usual – the song lyrics (accompanied by fantastic live and behind-the scenes shots of the band  on Warped this summer, by Gage Young), writing/recording/production credits and thank yous – which is what’s expected of an album booklet but it’s nearer the back that we reach the good stuff. As I turn the page I suddenly find myself staring at lots of different people’s skin. No the guys haven’t created a naked calendar for your wall, it’s the ADTR fan tattoo album featuring people’s ADTR inspired tattoo’s from around the globe. Most seem to revolve around ADTR’s references to friendship and ‘having heart’ and it’s encouraging to see how people are picking up on ADTR’s positive themes. Not to mention it’s pretty impressive to be able to say you’re featured in your favorite bands CD booklet right? A prime example of ADTR showing their fans how much they appreciate their dedication. The guys end the book with one last thank you – to the fans of course “We do the best we can to make it something that you guys will enjoy/We love you all” and I can’t help but believe they truly mean each word.

So, onto even more extras! Let’s start with the CD. It contains all twelve original songs from Homesick, no new songs unfortunately (but with their hectic tour schedule they’re very unlikely to have had time to properly work on one) but we do have two acoustic covers of fan favorites: title-track ‘Homesick’ and ‘Another song about the weekend’. Much like the original, Mckinnon jumps straight into the vocals on Homesick yet it’s interesting to hear a different pace with the acoustic guitar – it’s definitely toned down with the removal of Alex’s drum fills and crashing cymbals in the chorus, and the replacement of chants in the beginning with harmonies brings out a softer side to the song which works perfectly with the lyrical content. Even without the heavy guitar and drum breakdowns you can tell this is an ADTR track, and not just because of Mckinnon’s recognizable vocals. You can really appreciate both the original and acoustic version almost as if they were two completely different songs, and enjoy them both as much for different reasons. The same goes for the acoustic version of ‘Another song about the weekend’- my personal favorite of the two. It’s the many different musical features of this version that gives it a completely new feel, not only are ADTR using acoustics (the change in tuning makes the guitar sound really rich and the playing is spectacular) but they incorporate strings, harmonies, chants and even some piano which gives the        softer version of this song an epic bought of emotion that could match that of the harder original. ADTR truly prove that they can vary their sound just the way they want and still create pieces that provoke the same reactions and emotions.

This re-issue really is a must have for any ADTR fan, mainly because it was created with you and only you in mind. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a special edition with this much extra content unless it had a extra price tag to match which just goes to show how much this band wants to show it’s gratitude to it’s fans. They could have easily released a separate DVD with all the live performances on and people would have still bought it but that’s not what ADTR is about. So whether you’re an ADTR fan on not, definitely check out the Homesick: Special Edition, I’m not afraid to admit it’s my favorite album of 2009, and if you enjoy it all I can say is: ‘Welcome To The Family’.

Rating: 9/10

Top Tracks: Another Song About The Weekend

Downfall Of Us All

NJ Legion Iced Tea

Mr Highway’s Thinking About The End

For Fans Of: New Found Glory, The Devil Wears Prada, Silverstein

Tracklisting:

1. The Downfall of Us All

2.  My Life for Hire

3.   I’m Made of Wax, Larry, What are You Made of?

4.   NJ Legion Iced Tea

5.   Mr. Highway’s Thinking About the End

6.   Have Faith in Me

7.   Welcome to the Family

8.   Homesick

9.   Holdin’ it Down for the Underground

10.  You Already Know What You Are

11.  Another Song About the Weekend

12.  If It Means a Lot to You

13.   Homesick (Acoustic)

14.  Another Song About the Weekend (Acoustic)

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