No Doubt – The Beacon Street Collection
welcome back to the Skaject folks! we’re looking today at No Doubt’s The Beacon Street Collection, which has a very interesting origin! the band wasnt happy with the way their label handled their previous self-titled release and the band after, so they took to a garage studio and this record was released independently in 1995. let’s check it out!
The Beacon Street Collection kicks off STRONG with Open the Gate, a high-energy and catchy track that i really enjoy. like much of the record, the track’s pretty tight, with some cool hooks and a neat development of No Doubt’s style.
they definitely push some of those boundaries here – Total Hate goes for a more middle of the ground ska-punk blend (for most of the track, with Sublime’s segment in the back half taking a mellow tone), while Greener Pastures and Snakes go much more heavy rock with its style. Stricken’s even doing some brass stuff that reminds me of Chicago, and its a real fun sound with Stefani’s vocals. even on tracks im less fond of, like Blue In the Face, theres always bits of the track that i can really appreciate, yknow?
i enjoy No Doubt’s style here, and while theres not tones of connective tissue between tracks the average quality’s quite high and its a v solid collection of tracks. i have listened to their nest album, Tragic Kingdom, a few times before, and i really like hearing this as a kind of middle ground as they figure out how exactly they want their sound to develop.
faves – Open the Gate, Total Hate, Stricken, That’s Just Me
dislikes –
The Beacon Street Collection – 7/10
we’re taking a look at another debut album next week – it’ll be Reel Big Fish’s Everything Sucks
previous: The Planet Smashers | next: Everything Sucks
previous No Doubt release: No Doubt | next: Tragic Kingdom
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