Turn the Radio Off

Reel Big Fish recorded it's self-released debut album, "Everything Sucks", in 1995. "Everything Sucks" became a word-of-mouth underground hit in ska-punk and college circles, which gave the band enough leverage to sign with the indie label Mojo Records. The label's president, Jay Rifkin, and former Oingo Boingo bassist John Avila co-produced "Turn the Radio Off", which marked Reel Big Fish's first album for Mojo. "Turn the Radio Off" was unleashed in August 1996, and over the next year, the group continually toured in support of the album's release, expanding their fan base all the while. In spring 1997, the single "Sell Out" began receiving heavy airplay from several influential modern rock stations in the U. S., which soon translated into MTV support for the song's quirky video. By summer, the song had become a moderate modern rock hit, and the album had charted in the Top 100.