There were a lot of cool things happening within the rock sphere towards the end of the eighties. A lot of mixing up of styles, and Fishbone were at the forefront of it all. The band originally formed way back in ’79 while they were still at school and this is their first album that was released in ’86, although there as an EP issued a year earlier.
The album opens up with When Problems Arise a track that contains a myriad of styles, although leaning more to the rock/funk vibe. A Selection follows and is heavily influenced by the English early eighties Mod Ska boom, and could have appeared on any album by The Beat. Over to Cholly and its reggae a go go, Caribbean style with a hint of The Police in the middle section. I Wish I Had A Date is still in reggae town but we have an added funk element. Movement In The Night is a super slick smooth jazz funk groove, and sounds killer.
Side 2 opens up with Give It Up; my favourite track. An uptempo, Police-style groover with a killer beat and a little soul added for your delight. In The Air is pure eighties funk pop. Another killer sounding track, I would have released this as a single. Turn The Other Way sounds like something out of modern a New Orleans jazz combo. The funkiest track on the album is Knock It, a monster old school groove. The album closes out with two short pieces: Simon Says The Kingpin and Post Cold War Politics. The first is a fast paced punk rockabilly blast, and the second is oompah with the band giggling over the top. Weird? …absolutely!
A fun album from a fun band.
7.5/10 from The Grooveman.
