This track has shades of The Beatles’ “Lady Madonna” musically as Nowell sings relaxed and deftly about not sweating stuff, because life’s going to keep on rolling. Next, “What I Got” was the second single from the album, and became their biggest hit when it reached #1 on the Modern Rock Tracks, the Top 40 chart, and peaked at 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay. The album itself is a 17-track requiem that testifies what was and what could have been, beginning with “Garden Grove.” It loosely starts with a bass line with shades of Courtney Melody’s ‘88 single, “Ninja Mi Ninja,” while the synth loop later in the track was lifted from The Ohio Players’ “Funky Worm.” In this opening song, Nowell sings about feeding his addiction and waiting for the next hit, which any fan in the know can relate to. The uniqueness of Sublime begins with the cover art, which is a memorial with Nowell’s Sublime tattoo haloed by black and gray flowers, which seems simple for a complex and troubled person, and for a band that mixed so many types of music. In addition, subjects like prostitution, riots, and even addiction are touched on, making it extremely vital even twenty years later. With a mix of Punk, Reggae, as well as Ska, other forms of music that were featured on the album were Dancehall, Hip Hop, and Dub.
Also, singles like “What I Got,” “Santeria,” and “Wrong Way” were wildly popular, pushing the album to sell approximately five million units by 2000 in the US only. Without the band touring, the label thought they were going to have a hard time pushing the album, but, as it has morbidly been proven time and time again, death has a weird way of moving a product. Trying to compensate for Nowell’s death, MCA recruited the band’s Gasoline Alley team, rechristening them the Sublime Marketing, because they knew the fanbase.
Then, tragically, Nowell died two months prior to the self-titled album’s release. Distraught over the lose of Nowell, Sublime dissolved shortly after his passing, but on July 30th of 1996, they had unveiled their swan song and what would become a defining album of the ’90s.
Set for release on MCA, recording went through May of that year, and by this time, Nowell, who had already gone to rehab for heroin addiction, was back hitting the needle harder than ever, according to his mates. to Freedom in 1992 and Robbin’ the Hood in 1994 via Nowell co-founded label Skunk Records , the albums made the band popular in the California area, but Sublime aspired for more.Īfter being featured on such tours as Vans Warped and the SnoCore tours, in February of 1996, they went into Willie Nelson’s Pedernales Studio in Austin, Texas to record their first major label album. Originally formed back in 1988, the trio consisting of Brad Nowell on vocals and guitar, Eric Wilson on bass, and Bud Gaugh on drums had humble beginnings much like many other bands. Long Beach, California-based Ska band Sublime has a storied past that would have felled a lesser band, yet they have persevered.
0 kommentar(er)
