Product Description

The popularity of ska bands like No Doubt and Goldfinger paved the way for what seemed to be inevitable success for Sublime. But lead singer Brad Nowell died of a heroin overdose in May 1996, two months before this major-label debut was released. SUBLIME reveals a talented act whose songs were a brilliant mix of punk, reggae, hip-hop and dub. Sublime's ability to jump genres is showcased within a few bars of "What IGot". Amidst whistling, scratching and a rhythm copped fromthe Beatles' "Lady Madonna", Nowell's vocals glide from spoken-word to a toasting vibe. Pop culture also provided a handy source, particularly in "Caress Me Down", where porn starRon Jeremy and G.I. Joe are mentioned amid reggae rhythms and Spanish lyrics.
Although many of these songs have a fun, carefree aura, Sublime's darker side occasionally surfaces. The black humor of "April 29, 1992 (Miami)", which boastsof looting during the L.A. riots, gives way to the eerie foreshadowing of "Garden Grove", where in the middle of quirkysamples and heavy reverb, Nowell casually sings of shootingup.

Track Listing

1. Garden Grove
2. What I Got
3. Wrong Way
4. Same In The End
5. April 29 1992 (Miami)
6. Santeria
7. Seed
8. Jailhouse
9. Pawn Shop
10. Paddle Out
11. Ballad Of Johnny Butt
12. Burritos
13. Under My Voodoo
14. Get Ready
15. Caress Me Down
16. What I Got
17. Doin' Time

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8958 in Music
• Released on: 1999-12-23
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Explicit Lyrics, Import

Amazon.co.uk Review
For all his tattoos and bulked-up frat-boy persona, singer Bradley Nowell had real soul, which made his fatal heroin overdose even more tragic. There's more to this Long Beach, California, trio's debut, released shortly after Nowell's death in 1996, than white suburban punks imitating Jamaican ska music. The band come up with great songs, notably the catchy MTV hit "What I Got"; spooky dub-reggae undertones, produced by the Butthole Surfers' Paul Leary, to go with the snappy horns; and surprisingly progressive lyrics that attack sexism and other social ills, especially on "Wrong Way". Like the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Fishbone, obvious forebears, Sublime become slightly tiresome after 17 songs, but the band is great in short doses. --Steve Knopper

Customer Reviews

Sublame
"GI Joe kung-fu grip?" Eddie Murphy used that line back in 1980 when referring to 1970's boy toys. Sublime lyrics have been done before, yawn. California, drugs, no showers, gross lifestyle after a keg party with too many guys is the message here.

Sublime was just another hop-on-the-band wagon, drugged out, popped up, sloppy 90's, sugar ray/beck, happy-retarded music for idiots. The only difference is they also butchered ska culture. This album should be called "I'm in college USA. I'm never going anywhere in life and my clique of friends is all weak" Sublime should have done a bon jovi cover: "we give SKA a bad name".

I know it's a cheap shot to dis-the-dead lead singer but this album is hideous. A musical decade long plague shoved down our throats at college parties and local straight-guy pint sipping pubs where fights break out. I can only imagine locals in Jamaica on Spring break cringing at the sound of this while fat whites dance around like fools spending their parents money.

timeless classic of reflected tragedy
i have owned this album now for the past decade, and i still cannot get bored of it. not that iv tried. obviously music has mooved on but put this record on for someone who hasn't heard of the band and its a given that they'll want a copy. you wont listen to it everyday, but when your just sat about fingering through your cds you wont be able to resist sticking this one on.

A criminally underrated album
I bumped into this album accidentally. I was looking for a decent ska album to get into, a coupla years back on Amazon, and came across this. No matter where I looked, there was nothing but good reviews on this album, so I bought it.

I was not disappointed. This album expertly combines punk, ska and reggae effortlessly and is, at the most base level, a happy, uplifting summery album. And isn't that what music should be about? The reason why it gets 4 and not 5 stars, is that it is slightly slightly too safe, especially compared to the more experimental earlier albums, but it's still awesome.

Stand out tracks include 'Garden Grove''What I Got', 'Jailhouse' and 'Under My Voodoo'.