Sublime Album: “40 Oz. To Freedom”

Sublime takes every kind of music I have ever liked (ska, punk, reggae, funk) and combines it into this amazingly unique sound that no one could ever come close to duplicating. The musicianship on this album is unmatched, as Bradley James Nowell (guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and frontman)'s voice is just the best I have ever heard. You can hear the soul in it, the way it goes from loud screaming punk (We're Only Gonna Die, Hope, and New Thrash) to soft echoing ballads (songs not on this album: Boss DJ & Mary) just proves how great he is. Eric Wilson just drops some of the greatest bass lines I have ever heard. And Floyd "Bud" Gaugh I, often forgotten due to the greatness of Nowell and Wilson, does a damn good job on drums. I will go through this CD track by track.

Waiting For My Ruca- Great lead to the album. The first words on this album tells you Sublime's story- "Punk rock changed our lives". Nowell's voice is first heard in its truest form here.

Get Out!- Only on the original Skunk release, this song is Sublime's calling card. This is the best example of ever of Nowell's voice.

40 Oz. To Freedom- The title track, this one is more of a rock song, classic Sublime, that shows off Nowell's guitar and opens up some more of their music.

Smoke Two Joints- The ultimate pot smokers anthem, very catchy, the scratching in the middle is great, and at the end you hear Nowell's amazing vocals again.

We're Only Gonna Die- Great cover of Bad Religion's classic. Shows the punk side of Sublime

Don't Push- Here's the reggae Sublime is known for. Great example of classic bass.

5446 That's My Number/Ball and Chain- Great musicianship. You hear horns for the first time here, headlined by a great alto sax solo. Nowell's voice is perhaps at its best here- he loses his breath at one point, just showing you how honest Sublime was. He sings along with a solo here. You hear that great bass driving the tune again.

Badfish- A more reggae influenced tune. Great Sublime. Crazy good bass line.

Let's Go Get Stoned- Great sampling, good bass again.

New Thrash- More of a live, thrash, punk song...enjoyable.

Scarlet Begonias- A Grateful Dead Cover that is simply superb.

Live At E's- You hear Eric sing, which you've got love, as well as Ras MG and other Sublime contributors.

DJs- One of the best song on the album. At the end you hear Specials vocals, showing ska influences.

Chica Mi Tipo- All in Spanish 'cept the last few words, good guitar solos and sax.

Right Back- Amazing Sublime song, good groove towards the end. One of their best. Has a reggae vibe.

What Happened- Great song. The sax in the beginning is amazing and the warmth of the first 45 or so seconds of this song is just crazy.

New Song- Like New Thrash, doesn't sound so much like a studio recorded song. Very good still.

Ebin- Great bass line...considered by many of their better songs, but I don't really dig it too much.

Date Rape- Their radio hit, featuring great horns. Only song with real mainstream appeal on the album.

Rawhide- Only on Skunk release, cover of old showtune.

Hope- Great punk cover.

KRS-One- Tribute to the rapper, great acoustic song, good sampling.

Rivers of Babylon- Nowell doubles with Jack Mannis to cover a great song. Good xylophone solo, good guitar parts.

Thanks Dub- A rarity, the thank yous in a song. Features a list of everyone they owe something to, to some great bass lines. Good way to wrap up an amazing album.

This CD simply unfolds as one of the best ever. And it is chock full of music. With Get Out! and Rawhide, this CD covers 73+ minutes, literally filling the CD. For this reason, and this reason alone, they couldn't put Nowell's version of Trenchtown Rock on the CD (it was later found on SHS.)

If you have even a remote interest in ska, funk, reggae, or punk buy this you'll love it. If you can't get enough of the self-titled and want to go back in time with them, buy this. The only people I would not reccomend this to is teeny boppers, and people who dont know what real music is. But if you have the self-titled and only like Wrong Way, you'll find problems with this.

Anyone who truly loves music, Brad Nowell, or Loudog will buy and swear by this album till the day they die.

Peace.

This is a classic CD and should be in everyone's collection. It has almost every kind of music on it, like reggae, ska, hip-hop, punk, and rap. Bradly Nowell is such an amazing musician. His vocals are so strong and soulful, and he's great on guitar. Eric plays some of the best bass lines I've ever heard, and Bud is great on the drums. These are each of the tracks:

Waiting For My Ruca-Instead of starting the CD off with a bang, they start it with a great rhythmic and soulful tune. There isn't any guitaron this track, just a nice low bass and rim shots. A very good song.

40oz. To Freedom-A great rock song, really shows Brad's soulful vocals and great guitar playing.

Smoke Two Joints-A very catchy reggae tune about smoking pot.

We're Only Gonna Die-A cover of a Bad Religion song. Starts out slow, and speeds up every verse.

Don't Push-Great raggae song with amazing bass.

5446 / Ball And Chain-5446 is a cover song, although I'm not sure who it's by. The track starts with 5446, then goes into Ball And Chain, which is a cool poppy song with horns. Very catchy.

Badfish-A song about how drugs have a hold on Brad's life. Nice ska and soulful beat.

Let's Go Get Stoned-Cool funk beat and great bass. This song has nothing to do with drugs.

New Thrash-Live punk song. It's really chippy choppy because after each verse the song changes beat. It's also short.

Scarlet Begonias- Greatful Dead cover that's really catchy and poppy.

Live At E's- A cool hip-hop song featuring Ras MG. You also hear Eric sing. Fun song.

DJs-One of my favs. Really cool chorus.

Chica Me Tipo-The words are all in Spanish except for the end. The title means Chick On My Tip, and there's an english version on Second Hand Smoke.

Right Back-Nice reggae. One of the best songs on the CD.

New Song-Amazing song. Strong soulful vocals.

Ebin-Cool song with smart lyrics. It doesn't stand out though, cause it's not that catchy.

Date Rape-Great radio hit with horns. Amazing song with smart lyrics. Classic Sublime song.

Hope-Cover of a Descendents song, except it's a little faster then the original. Good punk.

KRS One-Acoustic song with lots of sampling.

Rivers Of Babylon-Cool acoustic song featuring another singer.

Thanks- Sublime thanking a long list of people. Really cool music playing in the background.

Amazing Cd that belongs in everyones collection. There is also the Skunk version that has 2 extra songs Get Out and Rawhide, but that's out of print. BUY THIS!!!!

R.I.P. Bradly Nowell and Lou Dog

Growing up in Southern California, Sublime was and still is a musical staple in this region, capturing the laidback vibe of the lifestyle and energy from L.A. to Long Beach, better known as the LBC, to Orange County. 40 Oz. to Freedom is a cornucopia of musical styles, ranging from reggae (D.J.'s, Don't Push) to ska (Date Rape, 5446/Ball & Chain), from punk (We're Only Gonna Die For Our Arrogance, Hope) to dub (Let's Go Get Stoned, Badfish, 40 Oz., Waiting For My Ruca), to hip-hop (Live At E's) or a mixture of all those elements. To add an even sweeter kick, 40 Oz. has a Latin feel to the album, with Chica Me Tipo being a prime example of this. Sublime's debut album is so superb from top to bottom that each song is a highlight. Here's a rundown of the songs:

1. Waiting For My Ruca. Catchy percussion beat with Brad featuring a lower-key voice. It doesn't start the album with a bang, but it's a great taste of what is ahead. 4.5/5

10. New Thrash. Not exactly thrash but it almost crosses the line. It's more of in the hardcore punk department. It's a live track so it's a bit choppy. 4/5

Top to bottom, there isn't a glaring weakness in 40 Oz. To Freedom. I also recommend Robbin' the Hood, which is more aimed at for hardcore fans of Sublime and the band's self-titled album. And for good measure, get Second-Hand Smoke and the acoustic album, Brad Nowell and friends. R.I.P. Brad and Lou Dog

"Everyone likes Sublime," I once heard someone say. Pick up this album, listen to it all the way through, and you'll understand exactly why that is. Sublime seamlessly weave rock, reggae, ska, punk, and even influences of hip-hop and jazz into their distinctly recognizable sound, while at the same time inserting addictively catchy melodies every step of the way.

Radio-listeners may be familiar with the hits this album produced, most notably "Badfish" and "Date Rape". Though if you like those songs, you owe it to yourself to check out what else lies inside here. Modern rock-reggae classics such as "Don't Push" and "DJs" are found side-by-side with powerful punk anthems such as their Descendents cover "Hope", "New Thrash", and Bad Religion's "We're Only Gonna Die For Our Own Arrogance". Though these covers are done so well, and flow so perfectly with their original material, that it's often hard to imagine anyone but this trio from Long Beach playing them.

Simply put, "40 Oz To Freedom" is one of those albums. Every song is a total victory. This is not only Sublime's best work, but clearly one of the greatest albums of the 90's, and a definite modern classic.

Brad and crews first release. Brad was a gifted song writter and had a flare for making timeless music by blending different styles into his own, while not using any gimmics that would date his music to a particular era. After this album many thought they given everything they had and would not be able to follow it up. Not only was that not the case with the self titled album proving Sublime was going to just get better and better, but the other members after Brad's death have come into their own first forming the Long Beach Dub Allstars then spliting up to form Eyes Adrift, & Long Beach Shortbus. Other great albums by Eric and Bud include Diet Christ, Juice Bros. (see Long Beach Blvd. comp.), & Del Noah and the Mt. Araratfinks. Also find Eric and Bud guesting on Corn Doggy Dog's - Good Clean Filth.