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| Floppy Hat, Loud Shirt, Flip Flops, Sublime. |
Vacation, all I ever wanted. Vacation, all I ever needed. No, this is not a post about the Go Go's, sorry to disappoint. This post is about beach music! I just spent a great week in Ocean City, Maryland, playing in the surf, fishing, crabbing, golfing and of course, skeeballin'! After returning from a week away from my stereo, I am in desperate need of some vinyl. Surfing through the collection (pun intended) I had to find something beachy because, I still have sand all over my shoes, clothes, luggage, the dog...EVERYWHERE. I would put on reggae, but 1. I don't own a reggae record and B. if I had to listen to a whole album of just reggae, I'd end up pulling my hair out and starting a small fire with it just to keep myself from dying of boredom. Sorry Mr. Marley, its true. One band that I did hear a decent amount of on the Boardwalk was Sublime. And why not? Its great beach music. Its reggae without the painful consequences! Today, I decided on Sublime's 1992 release 40 Oz. to Freedom. This album was HUGE at Senior Week. For those not familiar with this tradition, or not aware of the particular vernacular in Maryland, this is the week all the new graduates go down to Ocean City and make their best attempt to destroy their bodies and future. Since I don't drink I made my best attempt at this by living on Lucky Charms, Snapple and Slim Jim's for a week. Hell it beats reds, vitamin C and cocaine. Now, where were we? Oh yeah! 40 Oz....You couldn't throw an empty bottle of Snapple at Senior Week '98 without hitting someone that was playing this album. Sure it was six years after its release, but we're East Coast, and traveling at the speed of indy music, it took a while. Ever since that fantastic week I've made it a tradition that I will hear 40 Oz. to Freedom sometime on my trip to the beach. Well...not really, but I can make it a tradition now and just lie about it later. PLAY!
"Waiting for my Ruca" begins with a little bit of studio/dog noise. That would be Lou Dog, Brad Nowell loveable dalmatian that became the bands unofficial mascot. After that, you get BASS. Lots of booming low bass and a simple snare drum. Its so simple, yet it makes a complete song. Its a fantastic minimalist style to pull of a full sound with just two simple sounds. The lyrics are a fairly flat delivery which plays nicely with the drum beat. Eventually they get a little more urgent, but just for a second, the song pretty much remains in its subdued tone. Next up is "40oz to Freedom," a song that has a laid back delivery and is quite possibly the perfect party song. The rhythm is nicely relaxed and the vocals are just effortless. Brad Nowell was just born to play this music, his voice works seamlessly between a reggae croon and a punk scream. The chorus brings on a big crunch of distortion and a little hard core influence that quickly fades back to the reggae/ska feel. Another one of those contrast techniques that so many bands enjoy. "Smoke Two Joints" is a nice tribute to marijuana smoking. Now, I'm not a fan of songs that celebrate stoners sitting around contemplating metaphysics and one pound ultra burritos from 7-11, Fat, Drunk and High is no way to go through life. Once you're over the age of say, 22, this song should just be about the music and not really the lyrics. Musically, its really tight. This song is a great showcase for the power trio's ability to keep a tight rhythm, play as a unit, and never let anyone get lost in the mix. Not bad for an indy album. "We're Only Gonna Die For Our Arrogance"starts off with some great overdriven guitar soloing. After the verse you get a great faster beat and punk feel. With the next verse, the punk feel remains and the lo-fi sound really shines through. No, its not your turntable, this was just recorded in true punk rock style, ultra-low budget. Get used to that low budget feel, because as the album rolls on, you will hear more of it. "Don't Push" is another showcase for Brad Nowell's vocals. The words just roll out of his mouth like a skee ball up to the 100 point hole, just perfection. I have no idea what he's talking about, someone with a face with Bob Marley and a...what was that he just said? A motorbike? I guess the subject of this song doesn't shut the hell up. Maybe what this song is roughly about is having a good time. Yeah, we'll go with that. Pretty standard fare for Sublime, this was a good time kind of band. I can just hear it now, a room full of people saying 'we ain't hurtin' nobody man!' Zoinks. Anyway, my mind is really starting to lose focus on this music. Oh look at that! The side just ended so its time to flip.
Side two begins with "5446 That's my Number/Ball and Chain," a cover of a Toots and the Maytals song. Yeah I didn't know that either, I had to look it up. Its a good tune, with some great tremolo picking on the guitar and...whoa! What the hell was that?! There's some X rated stuff mixed in here so look out! Moving on, the song shifts to what I assume is the 'Ball and Chain' section which has another great beat. For a band that uses a reggae/punk beat for every single song, Sublime does cram a lot of substance into their music. Any other band does an album like this and its probably boring after two songs. Next up is the best song on the album, "Badfish." I LOVE this Sublime song. After hearing this song on WHFS back in the day I decided I had to have it. I didn't know the name of the song, but I just assumed it must be on the self titled album, right? Their biggest album? It must have their best song on it? Nope, I was still happy with the album, but dammit! Where's Badfish?! Fortunately when I got to college my roommate had a copy of 40 oz. and I was then in Badfish heaven. The song opens with a sublime sounding 12 string riff. See what I did there? Sublime? The overall groove of the song is very simple but maintains your interest thanks to a wandering bassline. The drums and guitar for the most part just stick to their roll. The bass provided by Eric Wilson just seems to take more of a lead roll in this one. Then you get to the break, and its guitar solo time. Using a wall of reverb and echo, the solo is a great compliment to the song and flows right back into the bridge/chorus. Great tune! Next up is "Let's Go Get Stoned." Its a song alright. Verse, chorus, verse, a bridge sounding thing. I think a sample of Eazy-E just floated by a second ago. Then, there's a break in the song, and things get far more interesting. You get a wall of wah pedaled guitar, organ and all kinds of random noise. Its a good outro that really belongs on a better song. "New Thrash" moves away from the slow groove and goes for the punk rock throat. It starts fast and only takes a short break for a little guitar soloing. It sounds like a live recording, real or faked, I'm not sure which. Probably faked, things just work too well. Next up is one for the Grateful Dead fans out there. The cover of "Scarlet Begonias" is a good tribute to the original. Sublime definitely altered their usual sound to create a more Dead like tone. The guitar is mellower, the vocals a little lighter and the overall feel somewhat looser. Listen carefully and you'll hear a little sampling of James Brown thrown in for good measure. "Live at E's" is a 80's hip-hop kind of song that allows the member's of the band to introduce themselves. Its not quite "well my name is Eric and I'm hear to say," but it does sound pretty cheesy. I guess that's the point though, kind of a tribute to old school rap. Its that time again, put the next record on for side three. Is it just me or are four sided records just exhausting?
Side three kicks off with "D.J's." a song with plenty of sampling and other random DJ effects, but it also features one hell of a hook. When the lyrics begin talking about lying awake all night, oh yes, its perfection. That alone is worth the price of admission. The song's groove is very reggae and its very apparent at the break in the latter half of the song. You get a little familiar groove that I know has to be some tribute to another song. Is that Bob Marley? It is Peter Tosh? Those are the only two reggae guys I know, so if its not them then maybe it could be the Caribbean guy from the movie 'Dr. No' as far as I'm concerned. Its definitely a something. Next comes a showcase for Brad Nowell's amp. For those not aware, he generally played a Roland Jazz Chorus. And wow, that chorus. "Chica Me Tipo" features it prominently as well as some great Spanish lyrics. Being a romance language Spanish just rolls off the tongue on its own, at a nice groove and its like butter dripping off a hot spoon. I have no idea what that is supposed to mean, but it seems appropriate, so whatever. The song also has this great guitar riff lingering in the background that makes it feel like the soundtrack to a great crime caper. I can just picture a silent movie with a couple guys in black and white stripes and black masks climbing down a drain pipe while some fat guard sleeps his day away. The escape is on! Near the end of the song we lose the Spanish lyrics but it seems the escapees have reached their freedom as the song busts wide open for the final few bars. "Right Back" is another relaxed groove that seems like just another song on the album. Then the chorus comes along. Again, they throw in a great curve ball that takes the listener by surprise. This ain't just white boy reggae, there's more substance here. Another verse, yadda yadda yadda, get to the chorus again! There it is...yes! Big Finish! Next up on the album is "What Happened," and guess what, it starts with a reggae beat. Yes I know, you could've probably called that before it even started. Once the song gets going there's some standard up strummed chords, a sampling of 'Tequilla' and some kick ass guitar playing. Remember on their self titled album, in the song "What I Got," Bradley Nowell informs us that he can playing the guitar like a Mother F...well, you know. "New Song," is a new song for the band. Its also a slightly new style for the album. Wait for it...nope, back to the standard up strummed chords and reggae groove. Well, as Primus said, they can't all be zingers. Its not a bad song, its just not that interesting.
FLIP!
On the final side, "Ebin" gets things started out. The songs at this point start to get pretty rough. Remember, its an indy release so things aren't polished. This was recorded in either a crack house or a tin can. Or a tin can inside a crack house... yeah that's probably the case. The lyrics mention Vietnam and the CIA and all the stuff that pot heads love to sit around and pretend to understand with their limited mental capacity. It also has more kick ass guitar which I guess means, it has something for everyone.
Well, we've arrived at the part of the album when most of you will probably just want to turn it off. The last few songs seem to be just kind of burning off a few recordings they had laying around. You have a good fast punk song (Hope), a couple nice acoustic in-studio appearances (KRS-One, Rivers of Babylon), and finally a long extended thank you to everyone whose helped the band over the years (Thanx). The last few aren't too bad, the live acoustic stuff is worth a listen and does end the album on a very different note from the rest of it.
Well, there it do. A huge collection of reggae, ska, punk, and all kinds of random sampling. I must say, an album like this serves as a nice crowd pleaser. The punk kids like it, the grunge kids like it, hip hop, techno, dance kids like it, it just works. The album does fade into the background of a party nicely, and generally, that's how I've listened to it in the past. After this careful listening and analysis, I have to admit, there's plenty more to this album than I thought. I was expecting to be bored after about song six listening to this in a non-party setting. Songs like "DJ's," "5446", and many others will throw in that delightful hook that keeps you into the whole experience. Again, this is another band with a tragic end, and dammit, I'm getting tired of adding that to the end of these blogs. Okay from now on, I'm skipping those little additions. Brad Nowell lives in Southern California with his wife and kid and everyone can live happily ever after. That's what you can do when you write a blog that doesn't cite sources, woo woo!
Strongest Song: Badfish
Weakest Song: Let's Go Get Stoned
Song You Know: Date Rape, Badfish
Why You Might Hate It: You hate reggae, punk, marijuana, hippies, the beach and songs about all of the above.
Buy It? You probably downloaded this whole thing off Napster back in the day, if you still have the MP3's, you're all set.
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