I would have preferred for the song selection to have been in chronological order, which would have highlighted the bandâs development and muscular growth over the years, and for the inclusion of the rest of the singles from No Doubt and any of the singles from The Beacon Street Collection, but what is here are all of the biggest hits. From the opening Devo-like guitar intro of âJust a Girlâ to the closing overly-caffeinated third-wave ska of âTrapped in a Boxâ not a major radio hit is missing.Â
The non-chronological order does make the second half very ballad heavy. The first ballad doesnât appear until eight songs in, and itâs the mid-tempo bouncy ska of âUnderneath It All,â and there are only fifteen tracks. While "Underneath It All" is a lovely reggae song, an insecure love poem with a guest toast from Lady Saw, it's presence at the halfway mark throws the flow of the album out of joint. After this, the tracklist alternates between a rave-up and a ballad, culminating in the back-to-back appearance of "Don't Speak" and "Simple Kind of Life" at the close. But the presence of extensive liner notes and the gorgeous silver, black and white color scheme make the entire package highly attractive.
The lone new song, a cover of Talk Talkâs 1984 hit âItâs My Life,â follows that bandâs original version almost to the hilt. Very little is added to make the track more distinctive, but Gwenâs breathy sighs and confident vocal delivery make it a charming cover none the less. The playful video didnât hurt things either. I love their cover, but still prefer the original.Â
While they were lumped in with the short lived mid-90s ska craze, No Doubt was always a New Wave band at heart. The delicate music box of âRunning,â the hard-driving âHella Good,â the rockabilly swagger of âExcuse Me Mr.â and the robotically assembled rocker âNewâ all point towards first generation New Wave acts like Blondie, Elvis Costello or Talking Heads as reference points. Not to say that the squealing vocals and reggae bounce of songs like âSunday Morningâ or âSpiderwebsâ donât point towards the Specials or Madness, but the band has always been rooted in New Wave as an entire movement which encompassed the punks, the ska kids, the New Wavers, and the rockabilly kids.
If youâre not interested in getting any of No Doubtâs studio albums and only want their most well known songs then this will do the exact trick. Otherwise, this works as a great introduction to the band. After this I suggest checking out Everything in Time to hear what didnât make their biggest albums, and checking out everything between Beacon Street and Rock Steady. Some of their best songs werenât the singles.
DOWNLOAD: âItâs My Life,â âBathwater,â âTrapped in a Boxâ
The lone new song, a cover of Talk Talkâs 1984 hit âItâs My Life,â follows that bandâs original version almost to the hilt. Very little is added to make the track more distinctive, but Gwenâs breathy sighs and confident vocal delivery make it a charming cover none the less. The playful video didnât hurt things either. I love their cover, but still prefer the original.Â
While they were lumped in with the short lived mid-90s ska craze, No Doubt was always a New Wave band at heart. The delicate music box of âRunning,â the hard-driving âHella Good,â the rockabilly swagger of âExcuse Me Mr.â and the robotically assembled rocker âNewâ all point towards first generation New Wave acts like Blondie, Elvis Costello or Talking Heads as reference points. Not to say that the squealing vocals and reggae bounce of songs like âSunday Morningâ or âSpiderwebsâ donât point towards the Specials or Madness, but the band has always been rooted in New Wave as an entire movement which encompassed the punks, the ska kids, the New Wavers, and the rockabilly kids.
If youâre not interested in getting any of No Doubtâs studio albums and only want their most well known songs then this will do the exact trick. Otherwise, this works as a great introduction to the band. After this I suggest checking out Everything in Time to hear what didnât make their biggest albums, and checking out everything between Beacon Street and Rock Steady. Some of their best songs werenât the singles.
DOWNLOAD: âItâs My Life,â âBathwater,â âTrapped in a Boxâ