Mike Felumlee (Smoking Popes drummer) ranks his favorite Popes LPs

Hey, Mike here! I thought it’d be fun to rank the Smoking Popes studio albums from my least favorite to my most favorite. I didn’t include the 2001 LP The Party’s Over since it’s a covers record. I played drums on five out of the seven albums listed here, and it’s been an incredible journey performing on them and touring around the country playing these songs for the better part of 30 years.

We’re still going strong, and hopefully we’ll begin work on another LP soon. If we do, I’m curious to see where it’ll stack up against the rest. So, what’s my favorite Smoking Popes LP? Let’s find out!

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7 – This is Only a Test (2011)

Rating: 6/10

Maybe I’m a little biased since I didn’t drum on this album, but I just don’t think it’s quite as strong as the others. That said, it still has some excellent standout tracks—Wish We Were (which is really fun to play live!) and Mono come to mind. It’s a solid record overall, but to me, it’s missing a bit of the authenticity and personal feel that Josh’s best lyrics usually bring. 

6 – Stay Down (2008)

Rating: 6.5/10

Stay Down is actually pretty great when it comes to the songwriting. There are several standout tracks—Welcome to Janesville, Grab Your Heart, First Time, and If You Don’t Care all come to mind. It even includes Sweet Pea, a song we originally recorded during the Destination Failure sessions but didn’t end up using. That one has a really fun groove to play.

I’ve ranked this one a bit lower than the others because, while the songs are strong, the performances and arrangements sometimes feel a little rushed.

*note: Maybe I’ll Stay is one of Eli’s favorite songs on this album.

5 – Get Fired (1993)

Rating: 7/10

Any time I listen to this LP, I can’t help thinking, “If only we knew how to play when we recorded this.” If we were ranking the albums purely on technical performance and sound quality, this one would definitely come in last. But there’s something special about it.

We recorded the whole thing in just two days, and we were basically just kids figuring it out as we went. Somehow, that combination captured a weird kind of magic. There’s an authentic youthful energy running through the entire record. It’s sloppy, and it doesn’t sound great, but the songs are super catchy, and there’s an undeniable sense of angst and urgency that gives Get Fired its charm.

4 – Into The Agony (2018)

Rating: 8/10

This was our first LP after a bit of a hiatus, and the first one with me back on drums since 1997’s Destination Failure. It’s not perfect—there are a few songs I don’t really connect with—but it also includes some tracks that I think rank among the very best Smoking Popes songs. When You Want Something, Someday I’ll Smile Again, and Amanda My Love would be highlights on any record in our catalog.

We tracked Into the Agony with our good friend Reuben Baird, who’s now our touring bass player. He did an excellent job engineering the sessions. All the rhythm tracks—drums, bass, and guitar—were recorded live, and I think that gives the album a great energy. This is one I’ll be proud of for a long time.

3 – Destination Failure (1997)

Rating: 9/10

Destination Failure is easily—and by far—the best sounding and tightest Smoking Popes album. We recorded it over several months with the legendary Jerry Finn. It was the first time we made a record where every single note and drum hit was under a microscope. We did multiple takes of everything until each part was played perfectly. It wasn’t the most fun way to record music, but the results speak for themselves. Every tone on this album is deliberate, dialed in, and exactly what it should be.

In terms of songs, this album features some of the very best in our catalog: Megan, Pretty Pathetic, No More Smiles, and I Know You Love Me are all standouts. I’d give this one a perfect 10/10 if it weren’t for a few tracks I think should’ve been cut. It runs a bit long, and I could do without I Was Right, They Lied, End of Your Time, and Follow the Sound.

2 – Born to Quit (1994)

Rating: 9.5/10

This is the album that changed our lives. Need You Around became a hit on Chicago’s Q101, which led to us signing with Capitol Records in 1995. Born to Quit was originally released on a small indie label called Johann’s Face Records in 1994, and Capitol bought the rights to re-release it the following year. Songs from the album ended up in popular movies like Clueless, Tommy Boy, and Angus. We were featured on MTV’s 120 Minutes, and Morrissey even called us his “favourite American band.” At the time, it felt like we were destined to be the next Green Day.

Of course, that didn’t exactly happen—but Born to Quit built our fanbase and is a big part of why we can still tour and draw a small but faithful crowd all over the country.

As players, we weren’t perfect yet. The performances are still a little rough around the edges, but definitely a step up from Get Fired. We tracked this album two songs at a time over several months with our dear friend Phil Bonnet at Solid Sound in Hoffman Estates, IL. Those sessions were the highlight of our young lives. We knew we were making something good, but had no idea if anyone else would care.

The songs on BTQ are some of the best we’ve ever written—and definitely the strongest we had put out at that point in our career. It even features my all-time favorite Smoking Popes song, On the Shoulder, one of the very few co-written by Eli.

We also did a 30-year anniversary live session and vinyl release of Born to Quit at Bombsight Recording Studio in Bloomington, IL. We played the album front to back for a small, intimate crowd. It was an amazing experience, and I hope we get to do the same for Destination Failure before too long.

1 – Lovely Stuff (2025)

Rating: 9.5/10

Lovely Stuff is our latest album and our first since 2018’s Into the Agony. Maybe I’m a little biased because it’s new, but I honestly feel like this is our best work to date. As players, we’ve never been better, and I think we captured some of our strongest performances ever on this record.

The songwriting feels inspired, and it includes tracks that I’d put up against any of the best Popes songs. Golden Moment, Fox River Dream, Madison, and Racine (which originally came from a Duvall song) are all standouts.

Josh’s voice has never sounded better. We’ve been playing a ton of shows over the past couple years, and all that live singing really shows. His vocals are incredible on this album. We tracked most of the rhythm parts live at Bombsight in Bloomington and Million Yen in Chicago, and you can really feel that live energy throughout.

Lovely Stuff also features all four original members of the band. While you might see different lineups on the road from time to time, the Caterer brothers and I are still the ones making the records together. We’re all getting older and life happens, so the live lineup sometimes has to shift depending on what’s going on in our personal lives.

I wouldn’t argue with anyone who puts Born to Quit or Destination Failure at the top of their list, but right now Lovely Stuff is my favorite. So it’s taking the number one spot.

Summary

Thanks for indulging me by reading through my list. It was a lot of fun to put together! Whether you’ve been a fan for years or you’re just rediscovering the band, we’d love for you to give us a follow on social media, check out our Rock Room sessions, or stream our music on your favorite platform.

And if you’re into pinball, I also host the Punk Rock Pinball podcast, where I dive into my nerdy and fun adventures in the world of pinball. Hope to see you there!

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