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Fishbone: Fishbone 101 - Nuttasaurusmeg fossil fuelin' the fonkay
11/02/10 || InquisitorGeneralis
For three decades Los Angeles’ own Fishbone have been kickin’ out insane, genre defying music that is truly unlike anything or anyone else. Their unique style contain elements of punk, funk, metal, rock, ska, rap, reggae, and R&B. While never achieving huge commercial success or fame they have been a huge influence on several bands that have including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Janes Addiction, No Doubt, and Faith No More.
I first heard about these insane brothers while working down the beach with a bunch of hippie, stoner surfers who constantly wanted to listen to Jack Johnson, Bob Marley, and Sublime. While I enjoy those bands sometimes none of it appealed to my heavier sensibilities… until Fishbone came swimming along. Not want to spend big bucks on amassing thier entire catalogue I picked up the two-disc compilation “Fishbone 101-Nuttasaurusmeg Fossil Fuelin’ the Fonkay” and have been stroking my own Fishboner to it ever since.
Fihsbone’s insane diversity of style is everyone on “Fishbone 101”. Older, punkier tunes like “Ugly”, “Party at ground zero” and “Lying ass bitch” reflect the band in a youthful mood while heavy rockers like somber “Black flowers” and the incredible “Sunless Saturday” show that Fishbone know how to drop the silly and get serious every now and then. These are the two strongest tracks on here, especially “Sunless Saturday” which features a driving beat and some pretty cool lyrics to go long with it.
This heavy edge has always helped Fishbone stand out from their peers in the ska/funk/punk scene. “Bonin’ in the boneyard” and “When problems arise” are much more ska with a funkier groove and horns, but the harder vibe again is there and makes a big difference in separating the ‘Bone from two-tone acts like The Toasters, The Specials, and The Untouchables. Also, the harder cover of Curtis Mayfield’s classic funk “Freddie’s dead” is awesome and showcases that besides the antics and insanity Angelo Moore, one of rocks most underrated frontmen, really can sing.
Easier offerings like the way-too-cheerful ‘Everyday sunshine”, the balladtastic “Changes”, and the screaming 80s “Modern industry” are still enjoyable though. The best material is definitely on the first disc. The raw sounding “Fishbone (is red hot)”, the cover of Parliament’s “The goose” and a demo version of the then unleashed “Alcoholic” help the second disc of B-Sides and other material to not be a total waste of space.
Fishbone have released several solid albums after “Fishbone 101” like “The Psycotic Friends Nuttwerx” and “Chim Chim’s Badass Revenge” but in terms of a one-stop shop for classic material this compilation is all you will need and a solid pick-up for any fan of the alternative funk/rock/ska/metal scene that gave rise to some of the most enjoyable and creative music of the 80s and 90s. The second disc brings the score down a bit but this is still a quality release from a crazy band that thankfully is still going strong thirty years into the game.
- Information
- Released: 1996
- Label: Sony
- Website: www.fishbone.net
- Band
- Angelo Moore: saxophone, vocals
- Walter A. Kibby II: trumpet, vocals
- Kendall Jones: guitar, vocals
- Chris Dowd: keyboards, trombone, vocals
- John Bigham: keyboards, guitar, vocals
- John Norwood Fisher: bass, vocals
- Philip “Fish” Fisher: drums
- Disc 1
- 01. Party at Ground Zero
- 02. ? (Modern Industry)
- 03. Ugly
- 04. Lyin’ Ass Bitch
- 05. When Problems Arise
- 06. A Selection
- 07. Cholly
- 08. It’s a Wonderful Life (Gonna Have a Good Time)
- 09. Freddie’s Dead
- 10. Ma and Pa
- 11. Bonin’ in the Boneyard
- 12. Change
- 13. Fight the Youth
- 14. Sunless Saturday
- 15. Everyday Sunshine
- 16. Lemon Meringue
- 17. Black Flowers
- 18. Unyielding Conditioning
- Disc 2
- 01. Skankin’ to the Beat
- 02. Lyin’ Ass Bitch
- 03. Mister Zero”
- 04. Alcoholic
- 05. Fishbone (Is Red Hot)
- 06. Pink Vapor Stew”
- 07. And They Prey On You”
- 08. Poem Dance
- 09. Game of Destruction
- 10. Glow in the Dark
- 11. What Have I Done
- 12. Skankin’ to the Beat”
- 13. ? (Modern Industry)
- 14. Slick Nick, You Devil You
- 15. Iration
- 16. Just Call Me Scrooge
- 17. Love and Bullshit
- 18. The Goose
