Fishbone
Fishbone 101: Nuttasaurusmeg Fossil Fuelin' the Fonkay
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Fishbone
Fishbone 101: Nuttasaurusmeg Fossil Fuelin' the Fonkay
Columbia Legacy, 1996
RiYL: Living Colour, Stuck Mojo, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Orange 9MM |
The 36-song, two-CD set includes a pretty comprehensive what's what of "classic" Fishbone and a collection of rarities and loose demo recordings. It's actually misleading to distinguish this album as a "greatest hits.'' In 10 years, five albums and three E.P.s, they've never gone platinum. Through the cranked-up Cold War ska single "Party At Ground Zero," a metallized cover of Curtis Mayfield's "Freddie's Dead," the revival romp of "Everyday Sunshine" and the P-Funk jam "Lemon Meringue," Fishbone 101 leaves no stone unturned.
Not surprisingly, the collection is ska-heavy, as Fishbone helped lead the American ska charge back in the early '80s (long before Goldfinger could say "pick it up"). "Lyin' Ass Bitch" and "Unyielding Conditioning" are arguably some of the best American ska tunes ever.
But Fishbone's true power has always been its unflinching ability to tell it like it is. Heavy tracks such as "Fight the Youth" and "Sunless Saturday" are forceful explosions of madness and manifesto, lobbing hard-funk volleys against racism, crime and domestic problems. With all the fury and funk on this great retrospective, Fishbone 101 shouldn't be considered an epitaph, just a shining example of why bands the likes of Living Colour, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and the Red Hot Chili Peppers owe Fishbone truckloads.
GREG PEREZ | Those that know this man -- as friend, NATN designer and/or Asian Millionaire -- love him. You can check out his site or email him and give him thoughts on our site's design.