Difference between revisions of "40oz. To Freedom"

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40 Oz. to Freedom is the 1992 (see 1992 in music) debut ska punk album by the Southern California rock band Sublime. 40 Oz. to Freedom received mixed critical reviews upon its first release, but is now generally approved of as an immature but sincere record, with a few spots of brilliance. Sublime would not achieve any mainstream success until two weeks after the overdose death of its leader singer and guitarist, Bradley Nowell, in 1996 (see 1996 in music). When this album was recorded, Nowell had not yet begun using heroin. To some degree, the failure of 40 Oz. to Freedom to sell well or earn the band a major label release caused a despondent Nowell to begin using heroin. When the band recorded their next album, Robbin' the Hood, they did so in a Long Beach, California crackhouse.
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40 Oz. to Freedom is one of the most popular albums released in the Third Wave of Ska Revival. Its sound blended various forms of Jamaican music, including ska ("40 Oz. to Freedom"), rocksteady ("5446-That's My Number", cover of Toots & the Maytals), roots reggae ("Smoke Two Joints", a cover of The Toyes) and dub ("Let's Go Get Stoned", "D.J.s") with British and American hardcore punk ("New Thrash"), hip hop ("D.J.s") and folk music ("Rivers of Babylon" a Melodians cover, "Scarlet Begonias", a Grateful Dead cover).
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In 1995 (see 1995 in music), Sublime sent a radio CD to the influential radio station KROQ, and one of 40 Oz. to Freedom's songs, "Date Rape", became the most requested song on the station, leading the album to appear at #1 for five weeks on Billboard magazine's (North America) Pacific Region chart, and to appear on the Alternative Artist Albums Chart for fifty weeks. The band then signed with MCA Records, which, along with the birth of his son, convinced Nowell to voluntarily enter rehab. Though he remained clean for several months, Nowell died of a heroin overdose shortly before the release of Sublime's breakthrough album, Sublime.
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On the original release, "Rivers of Babylon", a folky religious song originally by The Melodians, and the outro, "Thanx", were hidden tracks.
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On the original pressing of the album, which was distributed independently by Skunk Records, there were two additional songs. Get Out! appeared as the second track, and the theme from Rawhide was included on the same track as Date Rape. Also, there were some samples included in We're Only Gonna Die and "Let's Go Get Stoned. Both tracks and the samples had to be removed for national distribution due to copyright issues.
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The album has six covers: "Smoke Two Joints" (by The Toyes), "We're Only Gonna Die" (by Bad Religion), "5446" (by Toots & the Maytals), "Scarlet Begonias" (by Grateful Dead), "Rivers of Babylon" (by The Melodians), and "Hope" (by the Descendents).
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The album ranked at #10 for Top 100 Albums of 1992 and #402 for overall by Rate Your Music.
  
 
=== Track Listing ===
 
=== Track Listing ===

Revision as of 07:05, 27 February 2006

Sublime 40oz. to Freedom Front Cover

Artist: Sublime
Released: 1992
Tracks: 23
Label: Skunk Records


40 Oz. to Freedom is the 1992 (see 1992 in music) debut ska punk album by the Southern California rock band Sublime. 40 Oz. to Freedom received mixed critical reviews upon its first release, but is now generally approved of as an immature but sincere record, with a few spots of brilliance. Sublime would not achieve any mainstream success until two weeks after the overdose death of its leader singer and guitarist, Bradley Nowell, in 1996 (see 1996 in music). When this album was recorded, Nowell had not yet begun using heroin. To some degree, the failure of 40 Oz. to Freedom to sell well or earn the band a major label release caused a despondent Nowell to begin using heroin. When the band recorded their next album, Robbin' the Hood, they did so in a Long Beach, California crackhouse.

40 Oz. to Freedom is one of the most popular albums released in the Third Wave of Ska Revival. Its sound blended various forms of Jamaican music, including ska ("40 Oz. to Freedom"), rocksteady ("5446-That's My Number", cover of Toots & the Maytals), roots reggae ("Smoke Two Joints", a cover of The Toyes) and dub ("Let's Go Get Stoned", "D.J.s") with British and American hardcore punk ("New Thrash"), hip hop ("D.J.s") and folk music ("Rivers of Babylon" a Melodians cover, "Scarlet Begonias", a Grateful Dead cover).

In 1995 (see 1995 in music), Sublime sent a radio CD to the influential radio station KROQ, and one of 40 Oz. to Freedom's songs, "Date Rape", became the most requested song on the station, leading the album to appear at #1 for five weeks on Billboard magazine's (North America) Pacific Region chart, and to appear on the Alternative Artist Albums Chart for fifty weeks. The band then signed with MCA Records, which, along with the birth of his son, convinced Nowell to voluntarily enter rehab. Though he remained clean for several months, Nowell died of a heroin overdose shortly before the release of Sublime's breakthrough album, Sublime.

On the original release, "Rivers of Babylon", a folky religious song originally by The Melodians, and the outro, "Thanx", were hidden tracks.

On the original pressing of the album, which was distributed independently by Skunk Records, there were two additional songs. Get Out! appeared as the second track, and the theme from Rawhide was included on the same track as Date Rape. Also, there were some samples included in We're Only Gonna Die and "Let's Go Get Stoned. Both tracks and the samples had to be removed for national distribution due to copyright issues.

The album has six covers: "Smoke Two Joints" (by The Toyes), "We're Only Gonna Die" (by Bad Religion), "5446" (by Toots & the Maytals), "Scarlet Begonias" (by Grateful Dead), "Rivers of Babylon" (by The Melodians), and "Hope" (by the Descendents).

The album ranked at #10 for Top 100 Albums of 1992 and #402 for overall by Rate Your Music.

Track Listing

  1. Waiting For My Ruca
  2. Get Out!
  3. 40 Oz To Freedom
  4. Smoke Two Joints
  5. We're Gonna Die For Our Arrogance
  6. Don't Push
  7. 5446/Ball And Chain
  8. Badfish
  9. Let's Go Get Stoned
  10. New Thrash Scarlet
  11. Begonias
  12. Live At E's
  13. DJ's
  14. Chica Me Tipo
  15. Right Back
  16. What Happened
  17. New Song
  18. Ebin
  19. Date Rape
  20. Hope
  21. KRS One
  22. Rivers Of Babylon
  23. Thank You's
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