Been Under the Sun Now for 27 Years
Heroin is a terrible thing and we have lost so many great people to this devil. The late Bradley Nowell of Sublime is in this number. I remember 1996 and hearing “What I Got” playing on all the rock stations I listened to. Sublime had such a unique sound, and they still do. I have never heard anything that has that Sublime style. In the 90s, grunge was still huge. Alice In Chains, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and many others were my favorites. Sublime, even though they sounded so different, were just as appealing. 1996 marked the release of Sublime’s third album which was self-titled. A few weeks later, also in 1996, marked the heroin overdoes of Bradley Nowell. This album, and most popular track “What I Got”, would make Sublime blow up. It is so unfortunate that Bradly never got to see the success of Sublime.
It’s funny to me to see all the young people today wearing Sublime shirts and gear. That iconic sun from the cover of 40oz to Freedom blazed all over shirts of all colors. My 13-year-old daughter and 25-year-old daughters are fans. I’ve been under the sun for 27 years now. What’s funny to me is that the album that made Sublime famous is nowhere near their best. 40oz to Freedom is arguably their best work but, they really don’t have anything bad. Back to those shirts, It doesn’t matter gender or race either, I see everyone getting into the Sublime sound. What a sound it is too.
We Love Sublime For That Kingston Sound
These guys are one of a kind and I have never heard anything close to their style. For those who don’t know, they essentially mashed up Reggae, Ska, Dancehall, Hip Hop, and Punk into a crazy genre all its own (in my opinion). Oh yeah, they even throw in some Spanish too. From an interview I heard with Bradley, in the part of California where he lived you had to know a little Spanish to get by. So, he would later incorporate this into his vocals. One of my favorites that features him using Spanish is a track called “Caress Me Down.” The version on the album Stand By Your Van is my favorite. I had my Spanish teacher in high school translate it for me. I was surprised to learn what he was saying. This was long before the days of Google translate.
$5 At the Door (Live at Tressel Tavern, 1994) is Sublime’s new album. It’s nice to hear something fresh from Sublime. Afterall, I’ve listened to every album and every YouTube video there is. I still can’t get enough either. The thing I love and hate the most about this album is that it is exactly what I expected Sublime would sound like live. Here’s what I mean. The album is very bass heavy. In fact, most of the time you can barely hear the drums or any guitar work from Bradley over the bassline. I’m not sure why, but I always expected their live performances to have ear ringing bass.
On most of the notable solos, the guitar comes through clear though. I’m not sure how much of this is after the fact production and editing, but the guitar comes through when it matters. You can hear all the lyrics clearly and understand well what Bradley is saying. Of course, we listen to Sublime for the groove they had, not Bradley Nowell’s guitar playing. He was unique but, he wasn’t a Jimi Hendrix. This is really where you hear their ska and reggae influence – in Bradly’s guitar work.
Sublime, A Frequent Topic of Discussion
A good friend of mine and I set up until after the sunrise in Myrtle Beach jamming to Sublime while celebrating our high school graduation in Myrtle Beach, SC. All I remember is us listening to Sublime, talking about Sublime, accidentally mixing Bradley’s name up and creating the name “Budley”, and our big friend who was a state champion wrestler threatening to kill us if we woke him up anymore. Fast-forward to a few months ago and my same friend and I were again discussing Sublime. He made a good point that the band just loved what they did, making music. This passion is evident on this album and that leads me to two more points that I love about Sublime’s new album $5 At the Door (Live at Tressel Tavern, 1994).
$5 At the Door (Live at Tressel Tavern, 1994), Sublime's New Album
First, the songs often run together. In other words, whoever edited the album broke apart 3 songs into 3 4-minute tracks that would have been played altogether seamlessly for 12 minutes on stage. I love when artists do this. I am not a musician and only an appreciator of it. You can tell a group’s passion though when they go from one track right into another. It’s like they can’t quit. $5 At the Door (Live at Tressel Tavern, 1994) features very little talking and interaction with the fans. But Sublime’s new album does feature 1 hour and 20 minutes of awesome Kingston sounds. The only crowd interaction I remember is Bradley stopping halfway through where he says, “We’re going to take 5-minute beer break and then play ANOTHER 45-minute set.” He then makes good on his word. You don’t see that anymore.
I’m in no way trashing Swizzle here because I will be the first to tell you that I am a Swizzle fan. I will go even further and say that 1998 is the second greatest pop album in history, Thriller being the first. These are my opinions of course. Anyway, $5 At the Door (Live at Tressel Tavern, 1994), the title of Sublime’s new album, says enough. It cost $5 to get into this show (I’m assuming) and you got to see an amazing 100% completely unique sound for not one but two 45-minute sets which had few breaks in between songs – wow! Now, you can pay 2K and see Swizzle from nosebleed seats for one 45-minute light show. Again, again, again, I love Swizzle. I’m angry at the industry not her.
What If? Closing Out This Blog On Sublime's New Album
If Bradley Nowell was still around, and I wish he was, what would Sublime look like today? Obviously, they would be playing the same venues as someone like Taylor and drawing the same size crowds. I can only imagine Louie running around on a stage in front of 100K people while Bradly played “I Love My Dog.” Unfortunately, too, I imagine that Ticketmaster would be involved and regardless of what the band charged the ticket prices would be outrageous. The late Prince even discussed his frustrations with Ticketmaster in an interview with George Lopez that you can watch here. I still prefer to see bands in bars with a 5–10-dollar cover charge. You are always going to see a better show this way.
In closing, $5 At the Door (Live at Tressel Tavern, 1994), Sublime’s new albumis an easy listen and a must listen for Sublime fans. I would love to run this album through some subwoofers while cruising down the coast of California. Of course, subwoofers and Clemson Blvd would work too. There’s a little bit of bad language and a whole lot of the wicked style and Kingston sound of the LBC’s Sublime on this album – listen today, don’t wait. The tracks I recommend are “Date Rape” and “Greatest Hits.” It’s funny, in my opinion, the song “What I Got” that would make Sublime famous 2 years later, is the worst done track in their setlist.
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