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I would have preferred for the song selection to have been in chronological order, which would have highlighted the band’s 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 “Just a Girl” to the closing overly-caffeinated third-wave ska of “Trapped in a Box” not a major radio hit is missing.
The non-chronological order does make the second half very ballad heavy. The first ballad doesn’t appear until eight songs in, and it’s the mid-tempo bouncy ska of “Underneath It All,” 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 Talk’s 1984 hit “It’s My Life,” follows that band’s original version almost to the hilt. Very little is added to make the track more distinctive, but Gwen’s breathy sighs and confident vocal delivery make it a charming cover none the less. The playful video didn’t hurt things either. I love their cover, but still prefer the original.
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 “Running,” the hard-driving “Hella Good,” the rockabilly swagger of “Excuse Me Mr.” and the robotically assembled rocker “New” 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 “Sunday Morning” or “Spiderwebs” don’t 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 you’re not interested in getting any of No Doubt’s 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 didn’t make their biggest albums, and checking out everything between Beacon Street and Rock Steady. Some of their best songs weren’t the singles.
DOWNLOAD: “It’s My Life,” “Bathwater,” “Trapped in a Box”
The lone new song, a cover of Talk Talk’s 1984 hit “It’s My Life,” follows that band’s original version almost to the hilt. Very little is added to make the track more distinctive, but Gwen’s breathy sighs and confident vocal delivery make it a charming cover none the less. The playful video didn’t hurt things either. I love their cover, but still prefer the original.
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 “Running,” the hard-driving “Hella Good,” the rockabilly swagger of “Excuse Me Mr.” and the robotically assembled rocker “New” 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 “Sunday Morning” or “Spiderwebs” don’t 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 you’re not interested in getting any of No Doubt’s 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 didn’t make their biggest albums, and checking out everything between Beacon Street and Rock Steady. Some of their best songs weren’t the singles.
DOWNLOAD: “It’s My Life,” “Bathwater,” “Trapped in a Box”
