So, I have a history with Fishbone. They were my second concert ever, my first mosh pit and one of the first bands not named Faith No More or Primus that I truly fell in love with. I’ve followed them endlessly over the last twenty years or so, listening to every record, even the ones that belong in the bowels of hell. I will be reviewing all of them, from front to back, the good and the really bad.
On this, the first nationally available release by the kings of funk/punk/ska, the band let everyone know what they were all about with this six song EP. Kicking off with the immortal classic “Party At Ground Zero,” the band was off to the races, miles ahead of the pack. While “Party” now sounds a bit dated and the video is hilarious, the band was serious in their mission and their intent: to get the listener to think while they were jamming their asses off.
“? (Modern Industry)” is one of the worst tracks EVER recorded; though it was meant to be some sort of statement, the entire song consists of radio station call letters. That’s it, nothing more, nothing less. I personally have no clue what the band was trying to accomplish but the song is just absolutely awful and has understandably been left under the rug all these years.
“Another Generation,” a great track by guitarist Kendall Jones, is one of those soulful, almost R&B sounding jams the band was known for in their early days. The song holds up remarkably well and still sounds great almost thirty years later. “Ugly” is one of those songs you’re almost embarrassed to like. Based on the old playground rhyme U-G-L-Y, you ain’t got no alibi, the song still slams and thrives on the band’s manic energy. Early footage of the song being performed live needs to be seen because the band always went full tilt with the song and turned it into a favorite.
“V.T.T.L.O.T.F.D.G.F,” otherwise known as “Voyage To The Land Of The Freeze Dried Godzilla Farts” is one of the stranger songs put down on record and is easily skippable, unless you’re really into that type of thing.
The main song besides “Party” that everyone latched onto was “Lyin’ Ass Bitch,” a scathing putdown of an ex. The cut features excellent vocals courtesy of Angelo and the crew, with guest Lisa Grant and the band slamming away behind them; add it all up and you get one hell of a memorable song.
Gather all these interesting tracks together and you have a very intriguing record, one that would set the path for all the great music to come over the years. While some of the songs here have not aged as gracefully as others, it’s still great to listen and remember.