Customer Reviews

No Doubt

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

When No Doubt's self-titled debut album was released in 1992, it was a huge flop. The band were extremely popular in their native California, but this upbeat, ska influenced album was lost amongst the depressive, downbeat grunge music that dominated the scene at the time. The music is classic ska, bright, sunny, lots of horns. You can hear the influence of bands like The Specials, The English Beat and Madness coursing through the album. Although the music was in stark contrast to grunge, the lyrical content is not that far away. Songs like "Ache", "Get On The Ball", "Move On", "Doormat" & "Sinking" take a cynical and down-trodden view of life. "Trapped In A Box" is the top song off the album and laid the groundwork for the more pop-ska sound of Tragic Kingdom. The album isn't as tight as their later album, but that can be attributed to their rawness in the studio. Overall, No Doubt is a strong debut and an excellent record in it's own right.

This album is not the exact same style as Tragic Kingdom, but it still sounds very good. The first song, BND, is only 45 seconds but is one of the highlights. Actually, the last track, Brand New Day, is the elongated version of BND with added vocals. The 2nd song Let's Get Back has undoubtebly one of the best intros ever, and is one of my favorite songs of all time. Ache is kind of a not as serious song about a tooth ache. Move On is the closet No Doubt comes to metal. Doormat is a great song. Big City Train sounds kind of strange on the first listen, but sounds great after repeated. Sinking is most likely about alcoholism, and Trapped In A Box is about watching too much TV. The standout of the album is the ballad Sometimes, which is beautiful. Gwen's vocals sound perfect on the song. If you enjoy a fun filled, carefree album with a combination of ska/pop/rock, buy this. It's worth it!

Wow, you wouldn't even know who this was if nobody told you. NO DOUBT's first album came out in 1992, thats like almost 14 years ago! Absolutely nobody payed any attention to this when it came out, but I will tell you that I think it's pretty good.I certainly like it better than anything Gwen did with Missy Eliot!!
This is the roots of NO DOUBT, back when they were a five piece band- Gwen's brother was in to, in fact he was the founder of this house. If you listen to this without an open mind, you may fail to recognize that this is the music that this band WANTED to play. Unfortunately it was all a commercial flop and they had to heavily tweak their sound to produce TRAGIC KINGDOM (their master product, everything became pop processed afterwards). This album is heavily ska influenced, like many 80's acts that inspired them. This is a little funky, a little crazy, all fast paced and up beat. Theres some swing going on, some jazzy sax.
I like this stuff, if I'm in the mood. Early mornings is when I listen to my NO DOUBT anyway. I like the songs PAULINE and TRAPPED IN A BOX the best. I feel like I'm in some sort of 1930's speakeasy, copping a feel on one of the cigarette girls. Smoke em if you got em!

I love, love, love this little album! I bought it in 2002 and it was my first ND album. I love the combination of ska and '80s new wave sounds and the fun, funky keybords and horns. Gwen's voice sounds awesome, almost like Cyndi Lauper circa "She's So Unusual." "Get On the Ball," "Let's Get Back," Paulina," and "Sinking" are my favorites.

Yes, the lyrics are a little on the cute side at times, like in "Ache" and "Paulina" but music doesn't have to be all angst and melancholy all the time. Ska music is fun, and all music should be fun at least sometimes. Lighten up and smile once in a while.

This is my favorite ND album. I have them all, even the wretched "Rock Steady" which I plan on trading in for a Specials album whenever I get the chance. "No Doubt" is a fun, funky album that will make you smile and feel good. Eric Stefani's keyboard work and lyrics and Gwen's dreamy voice really make this album special. I wish more bands made music like this these days.

So put down your Nirvana album, quit trying to be all cool and angst-ridden for five minutes and listen to this album.

This is a very fun album to listen to.

BND - 10/10 - Just 44 seconds of music but it kind of gives you an idea what this CD sounds like. It could make for a perfect theme song for a TV show.

Let's Get Back - 10/10 - "Let's back together Let's get back forever Let's get back together Let's get back" Very fun song. And it has a great sound.

Ache - 9/10 - "Woke up this morning and felt not too cool Ooh ooh ooh"

Get on the Ball - 8/10 - "Don't wait too long Or she'll be gone as fast as a flame" Pretty good song.

Move On - 10/10 - My favorite song on the album. "You have to understand that when it comes to making music We meshed the styles of five alive and intertwined and fused it"

Sad for Me - 10/10 - Another one my favorites. Such a renaissance sounding song. "He said please don't be sad for me"

Doormat - 10/10 - "I'm not your doormat Your floormat So don't wipe your feet on me" A really good song.

Big City Train - 9/10 - Very talk show sounding music OR night-time detective show sounding music. "You'll always find me waiting for the train to come through"

Trapped in a Box - 10/10 - Another favorite. "You're trapped in a box of tremendous size It distorts my vision It closes my eyes"

Sometimes - 10/10 - Great song. Like, an almost heart to heart to talk with oneself. "Sometimes sunshine does not want to shine on me"

Sinking - 9/10 - A very broadway-sounding song. But, still great to listen to.

Little Something Refreshing - 10/10 - Just one of those nonsense songs artists are entitled to.

Paulina - 9/10 - Another fun song. "Paulina She's on the cover of Book Magazine Paulina A woman in my nightly dream"

Brand New Day - 10/10 - A perfect song to end the album on. "At the end of the day You are worn out You are worn out And too tired to sleep But the you do dream of wonderful things That you might do right on through to the next day"

If you loved "Tragic Kingdom", and found yourself to be dissapointed with this album, it's probably because you're not a ska fan. No Doubt IS a ska band-- they just experimented more with rock sounds on "Tragic Kingdom". Also, much of the second CD was fueled by Stefani and Kanal's break-up. I found this CD to be highly energetic, catching their true-blue spirit, and if anything, Tragic Kingdom should be considered a dissappointment for letting go of some of the energy. The self-titled is the only No Doubt CD to feature Eric Stefani, the group's founder. This is a treat, because I found his work on the keyboards to be superb. Gwen's voice is still in the works on this CD, as are the lyrics, but this truly is No Doubt.

I saw this at a used CD store for 7$ and thought,what the heck, I'll try it. It was wonderful! The songs are catchy and Gwen's voice, though not so polished, still sounds great! A must buy for someone who likes upbeat, funky music. I hope this was helpful.

It's very hard to compare this CD to any of No Doubt's later work. All the band members were a lot younger and it was a different time. Regardless of whether or not this is their best CD, all I know is that this is a great CD with great songs on it. If all you've heard are their radio hits, then I think you'll still like this album. It has a great mix of uptempo and mellow songs. In fact, I think that 2 of the quieter songs on here ("Sad For Me" and "Sometimes") would highly appeal to people who like "Don't Speak". Unfortunately, amazon.com doesn't let you preview either one of those songs but if you're clever enough, I'm sure you'll be able to get your hands on them somehow (through legal means, of course).

In summation:

you like their other songs + x + you have extra $$$ = buy this CD

solve for x

This self-titled album is silly and fun. It's got a great vibe, and a lot of great songs. I love artists who don't take themselves too seriously, and this is from a time when No Doubt was my ideal band.

If you're expecting another Tragic Kingdom, you'll be disappointed. This is much different. I like it better than Tragic.

I also suggest the Beacon St. collection.

Well... All of you people that threw out one star must be ashamed of yourselves! and if you people who threw out 4 or 5 stars don't know of them, check out Dance Hall Crashers... ANOTHER band that really catches that high energy sunshine fun type of ska punk sound, as this album by No Doubt does... surely, their BEST.