#14 "Bad Fish" by Sublime

The story of Sublime is one of cruel irony. They played around the Southern California party and festival circuit for a few years in the late eighties and early nineties, honing their craft and making a name for themselves. Right after they finished their third album but right before it was released, singer and main creative force Brad Nowell died of a heroin overdose. After the album came out, it was a massive hit. The songs "What I Got" and "Santeria" were immensely popular and the disc went on to sell over six million copies. The success was great, but obviously bittersweet since Nowell never got to experience the fruits of his labors.

Sublime was just kinda cool. Their music was a mix of ska, dub, skate, punk, and rock. They were incredibly versatile and could play some reggae stoner tune about smokin' dope and drinkin' 40's or switch it over, speed it up, and knock you out with a punk-ska jam. I was definitely not their biggest fan, but there's no question that Brad Nowell was a tremendous talent. His voice was fantastic and I also thought he was a great guitar player. His sound was excellent... his tone... all that guitar stuff that musicians are always searching for. And whether he was strumming his acoustic or going electric, Nowell proved to adept at many music forms. He was definitely a real loss to the music world.

"Bad Fish" is definitely my favorite Sublime song. I love the reverb on the electric guitars that come after the acoustic beginning. The bouncing reggae bass line is also really cool. Humorously enough, my favorite part of the song is the intro. I love that it sounds like you're right inside of a party. Some guys says, "How's it goin', dude?" I almost always feel like answering. The whole thing feels like a great time.

"Bad Fish" can be found on the album "40 Ounces to Freedom." To hear the song, click on the icon in the widget jukebox along the side of the blog.