by Stephen SPAZ SchneeWith Smashing!, their third album, the Freds up the ante and offer their best album to date. One thing that many critics have failed to notice is that the Freds have a great sense of humor, as displayed on the album's self-deprecating opener, "Everybody Loves Me." In fact, although they take their music very seriously, it's apparent that every track is filled with a sense of "fun." If you want to put on your dancing shoes, then throw on "Brick by Brick," "Big Time," "Favorite Thrill," and the glorious "Living on a Dream." If you want to sit back, listen, and just tap your toes, then "Till the Sun Goes Cold," "Radio," and the jaunty "Place I Know (The Fairy Song)" should do the trick. Even their cover of the First Edition's "Ruby Don't Take Your Love to Town" is first-rate. Although "ABC" and "Mr. Bad Vibe" sputter when they should really blast off, they are still highly listenable slices of the RSF magic. Once again, though, the album failed to ignite the charts, although it deserved to outsell practically anything that did. After this release, Rob Manzoli (the one with hair) left the Fairbrass brothers to carry on as a duo. But anyone who thought that Manzoli was the musical brains behind the Freds and the Fairbrass brothers were the "faces" would be proven very wrong with their next release.