This ode to anarchy in the streets during the Los Angeles riots samples Doug E. This pulsating groover is all about the elastic guitar riff and smoky-cool organ swells, as Nowell sings of the human price behind every sale at a pawn shop: “Down here at the pawn shop / What has been sold, not strictly made of stone / Just remember that it’s flesh and bone.” He’d know – he regularly traded in the band’s gear to pawn shops to buy drugs, knowing Sublime’s tour manager would somehow fix the situation before the show. “‘Cause I’m the type of lover with the sensitivity / When she kiss my neck and tickle me fancy / The right kind of love on Sunday morning.” The flesh-slaps make for a convincing sound effect, as Nowell laid down lines that quickly became pop culture punchlines, such as: “Drip, drip, dip / That G.I. If you’re not a fan of loud dub music and weed, then Nowell and Sublime would make for difficult neighbors-especially if you plan on calling the cops: “Some folks say that smoking herb is a crime / If they catch you smokin’ they’re bound to drop the dime / And in the evening, we try to jam / We like the music loud in this here band / We let the bass line drop as loud as we can stand / Somebody always gotta turn informer for the man.” Don’t be that man, man.īradley Nowell goes full Ron Jeremy in this oft-graphic, Spanish-influenced track about, well, pent up physical needs. This stripped-back, acoustic version of the fully produced single (featured later in this list) just doesn’t hold a candle to the polished hit. Sadly, that’s long enough to drop regrettable lines like: “I made her bleed / Yes she wanted love in the scene / Well I planted my seed / Babe I knew we could make it / But I only knew that the b-tch would break it.” Thankfully, it’s only two minutes and change. Striding from ska to hardcore punk to rock, Nowell wails about, well, planting his seed. It’s an aggressive way to narrate the loss of a woman’s virginity. It became a hit – even featuring a trombone solo – but it doesn’t excuse its content. Which makes “Wrong Way,” a track about a young girl forced into prostitution by her broke dad, all the more tragic. radio station KROQ put their single “Date Rape” in regular rotation – a song Nowell was later embarrassed by. Sublime’s career took off in SoCal when L.A. according to MRC Data.ĭespite Nowell’s death at age 28 on May 25, 1996, Sublime’s music (not to mention the current evolution of the group, Sublime with Rome) endures-Sublime t-shirts are seen as often as tees from their heroes Bob Marley and Joy Division. “Santeria,” “What I Got,” “Doin’ Time” and “Wrong Way” became hits that have since grown into karaoke classics, propelling the album to eventually sell 6.9 million copies in the U.S. Musically, Sublime captured the spirit of summertime vibin’ with big sing-along hooks, beach party-ready acoustic licks, furious punk guitar and the grooving rhythms of Gaugh and Wilson (Sublime’s secret weapon). In Austin, it got out of control and he was ultimately sent away before the recording session was complete. By now Nowell’s off-and-on-again heroin addiction had spiraled out of control he was caught amid a cycle of attempting to clean up before the birth of his first child and upcoming wedding, then relapsing and starting over again. Sublime signed with MCA and entered Willie Nelson’s Pedernales Studio in Austin, with Paul Leary of Butthole Surfers serving as producer. Sublime Meets Scientist & Mad Professor Inna L.B.C.But for their third album, as the pressure mounted, the good times were turning sour. is now available digitally and includes two bonus tracks, “Garden Grove Vocal Dub (Scientist Mix)” and “Hong Kong Phooey Dub (Mad Professor Mix),” that were not included on the Record Store Day vinyl LP and only available on the limited-edition Record Store Day CD release.īuy or stream Sublime Meets Scientist & Mad Professor Inna L.B.C. Sublime Meets Scientist & Mad Professor Inna L.B.C. The record initially came out on June 12 for Record Store Day as a limited-edition CD and a yellow vinyl pressing and features artwork by the legendary Tony McDermott, whose work has graced classic records by artists from Eek-A-Mouse to Shabba Ranks to Shaggy. That’s because two of the greatest minds are on the project: Dub royalty doesn’t get much more regal than Scientist and Mad Professor, and here they are-remixing Sublime classics like “Caress Me Down,” “Santeria,” and “April 29, 1992” with zonked humor and cosmic panache. Thanks to a new collection of Sublime remixes, you’re liable to do just that-drift off into a beatific realm.
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