Tragic Kingdom

No Doubt | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 10, 1995)
• Original Release Date: October 10, 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Interscope Records
• ASIN: B000001Y79
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (289 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,712 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #4 in Music > Alternative Rock > Hardcore & Punk > Ska Punk
  • #4 in Music > Alternative Rock > Ska > Third Wave Ska
  • #46 in Music > Alternative Rock > Hardcore & Punk > Punk

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

No Doubt's 1995 release, Tragic Kingdom, brought Southern California's ska scene to a national stage while elevating the band to star status. An irresistible mix of reggae, punk, and power pop, Tragic Kingdom scored several hits, among them "Spiderwebs," "Just a Girl," and "Don't Speak." Singer Gwen Stefani's looks made the group MTV shoo-ins, but her soaring voice is the real star, as evidenced by such songs as "Happy Now?"--a classic you'll-regret-you-dumped-me anthem that recalls Blondie--and the bouncy "Sunday Morning." Despite recurring themes of pain and regret, Tragic Kingdom manages to somehow feel sunny throughout. --Courtney Kemp

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A 90's Must-Have, August 12, 2003

By 

Aaron (Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tragic Kingdom (Audio CD)

This album album became a phenomenon in the mid-90's which was a weird time for pop music. Grunge was pretty much dead, Gangsta rap was huge and teen pop was beginning to bubble up to the front of the line. Somewhere amongst all of this, No Doubt and their album "Tragic Kingdom" became one of the decade's biggest hits. One listen says why.

This album was truly unique and sounded much different than anything that was on the radio at the time. "Don't Speak" is the pop hit it's most remembered for. An awesome power ballad, it was the #1 song of 1997. Not bad. The other singles were huge hits on MTV and on alternative radio. "Spiderwebs" is a punky piece of ear candy and "Just A Girl" has since become a punk/pop anthem. "Sunday Morning" was also a minor hit. Other stand-outs are the poppy, yet angry "Happy Now," the soaring "Climb" and my favorite song, the title track "Tragic Kingdom" which is a complete head-trip to listen to. I would've loved for it to have been a single.

No Doubt have gone on to have successful projects with "Return of Saturn" and their latest more pop-ish effort "Rock Steady" which gave them a decent handful of hits. Yet, they haven't matched "Tragic Kingdom" in sales or musically. This is highly recommended. A great CD just to blast in your car and sing along to.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A re-discovered classic, April 10, 2001

By 

Mr. T. S. Guy (London, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tragic Kingdom (Audio CD)

I first got this album in 96, but then stopped listening to it a couple of years later when I lost the CD... anyway, I recently heard it again at a friends house and remembered why I loved it so much, and simply had to rush out to get another copy.

This is one of those rare CDs that you can listen right through without having to skip any tracks. I'd say there are maybe 5 absolute classics, 6 very good tracks and 3 okay ones. My absolute fave track on here is probably "Happy Now". Gwen just sounds so strong in the track, the lyrics really hit you ("You killed the pair / now only one is breathing / there's no looking back / this time I mean it / are you happy now?"). I also love the two biggest singles from the set, "Don't Speak" and "Just A Girl", both are classics in their own right, and I've never met anyone who doesn't like these two. My other two favorite tracks are "Sunday Morning" (sounds good on the live version if you can find the import single), and "Excuse Me Mr".

One of the great things about No Doubt are the lyrics. There's none of this "I love you and can't live without you" drivel that packs most albums these days, but every track here has some kind of significance behind it. If you read the lyrics to the title track, you should be able to draw the links between what they are saying and Disneyland (the "Magic Kingdom" becoming the "Tragic Kingdom").

This album impressed me enough to make me buy two other No Doubt albums - The Beacon Street Collection is in a similar vein to this one, but a little more hit-and-miss, but tracks like "Open The Gate", "Greener Pastures" and "Dog House" make it worth the purchase. Return Of Saturn (their latest release) is kinda weird... it's not as instantly accessible as Tragic Kingdom, but gets better with each listen.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magic Kingdom, July 19, 2000

By 

Thomas Magnum (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Tragic Kingdom (Audio CD)

No Doubt came from out of nowhere to reach the top of the charts with this ska-tinged cd. The album is a therapy session for lead singer and main songwriter, Gwen Stefani. She and bassist Tony Kanal were a long time couple and just prior to starting work on the album they broke up. Gwen wrote many the songs about the demise of their relationship. "Excuse Me Mr.", "Hey You", "End It On This", "Happy Now?", "Don't Speak" & "Tragic Kingdom" all deal with Gwen's hurt over the break up. In songs like "Spiderwebs", "Just A Girl", "The Climb" and "You Can Do It", Gwen is trying to cope with life after the breakup and her anger towards Tony. Matthew Wilder, who was a one hit wonder in the 80's, tempers the heavy ska music the band played with a more accessable sound. The songs are about the hurt and anger of a broken relationship, but the music has a bright and sunny feel to it. In the tradition of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, the tensions between former lovers create great music.