Fishbone - The Psychotic Friends Nuttwerx 2000

Regrouping with an approximately half-new lineup, Fishbone returned in 2000 on Hollywood Records with their first album of new material since 1996's Chim Chim's Badass Revenge. Sporting a full title of Fishbone and the Familyhood Nextperience Presents: The Psychotic Friends Nuttwerx, the record presents a bevy of guest performers, from funk legends George Clinton and Rick James to Gwen Stefani, lead singer of fellow California ska aficionados No Doubt, to legendary underground comedian Blowfly, to -- of all people -- Donny Osmond; there's also an assortment of fellow pioneers in the fusion of hard alternative rock with funk, including Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction, H.R. of Bad Brains, and the instrumental portion of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Still and all, it's definitelyFishbone's show, and thanks to the band's most memorable and focused batch of songs in quite some time -- even not counting the covers of Sly & the Family Stone's "Everybody Is a Star" and the Temptations' "Shakey Ground" -- it's an often formidable show at that. The record concentrates most heavily on the funk and ska sides of the Fishbone sound, lending a sunny, good-humored vibe throughout; plus, with a total playing time of 45 minutes, the album's eclectic grooves are kept from meandering or growing stale. Refocused and re-energized, The Psychotic Friends Nuttwerx is far and away Fishbone's best album in nearly a decade. AMG.

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Fishbone - Truth And Soul 1988

By 1988, alternative/college rock was becoming a recognizable force in the mainstream. Several bands were big enough to play arenas, and many even earned gold and platinum albums. The tide was clearly changing for such previously misunderstood bands such as Fishbone. Their second full-length release Truth and Soul was issued that year, and remains one of the band's (and the '80s) very best. On past albums, Fishbone's sound was a melting pot of ska, punk, and funk. This time, hard rock has been added to the mix -- especially evident in guitarist Kendall Jones' six-string work, with often-spectacular results. Also, the songwriting has improved tremendously and has become much more focused here. The party anthem "Bonin' in the Boneyard" is one of the band's finest (with superhuman bass work by Norwood Fisher), as is the ska-based "Ma and Pa," and a cover of Curtis Mayfield's early-'70s hit "Freddie's Dead." Also featured are several musically varied tracks that deal with the same topic: racism, past and present ("Deep Inside," "One Day," "Subliminal Fascism," "Slow Bus Movin'," "Ghetto Soundwave"). Truth and Soul remains Fishbone's most consistent album. AMG.

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