An Unjust World, Exhibit A: Fishbone

Fishbone 101: Nuttasaurusmeg Fossil Fuelin' the Fonkay
Fishbone: Truth and Soul (1988)

"If they didn't blow up, the fault is ours. Fishbone leapt from a killer height. Did you catch them?" -Toure

Black and white music, whatever that means, has been as segregated as St. Louis for as long as history. Bands that dared blur the line between rock and funk, ska and punk, reggae and heavy metal, were awarded with no airplay. "You don't sound black enough." "You're too black for this demographic."

What's goin' on? Hence, exhibit A of an unjust world: Fishbone. Comin' sraight outta Compton. Well, somewhere in South Central LA. No not G-funk. No, not soul. No, not even sugary R'nB. But, aren't they African-American?

Imagine Georege Clinton had 6 kids (not a huge stretch of the imagination). Imagine these kids taking the energy, innovation, and vitality of Funkadelic and channeling their funk through ska, rock, punk, reggae, and heavy metal. It works. Not fitting into a conventional radio stations's programming and lacking consistent major label backing, Fishbone relied on their kinetic live shows to spread their gospel. For the lucky ones, Fishbone was a show to behold.

Fishbone 101 is a best-of. Disc 1 collects most of the classic Fishbone. The album also shows their seamless ability to shift styles, meld styles, and create styles. Disc 2 is a collection of rares, B-sides, EP stuff, etc. Hot. Truth and Soul is considered THE classic. Enjoy. For the uninitiated, check out their rocking cover of Curtis Mayfield's Freddie's Dead (below, in Disc 1, and Truth and Soul). Incredible. Listen to their old stuff and tell me how much Gwen Stefani and crew owe Fishbone. White impersonation yields critical acclaim apparently.

Fishbone 101 Disc 1: http://rapidshare.de/files/19089606/fishbone101_nuttdisc1.rar.html
Fishbone 101 Disc 2: http://rapidshare.de/files/19090473/fishbone101_nuttdisc2.rar.html

From Disc 2: The Goose (ft. George Clinton): http://rapidshare.de/files/19126553/fishbone_goose.wma.html
Fishbone, Truth and Soul: http://rapidshare.de/files/19109776/fbone_truth_and_soul_1988.rar.html
Freddie's Dead Video (1988):