The 1985 Project Part 60: Fishbone - Fishbone

An EP I little noticed at the time but which I should have liked a lot back then

Seeing it land at 47th in Brad Luen’s Substack Semipop Life Reader’s Poll of 1985 albums a few months back, we now learn to appreciate the first record by Fishbone.

I remember seeing this band a couple times in the 80s. Wild, manic energy, with the five musicians in front of the drummer jumping, dancing, and generally having the greatest time imaginable on stage. And the crowd, mostly a few years younger than me at the time, was matching the moves on the dance floor, skanking and sometimes slamming all over the place. I don’t remember much about the music but I remember having a good time.

I never gave Fishbone’s albums much chance to win me over, though I never had anything against them. If I heard their debut EP back in 1985, it was probably only once or twice in the record store. Nothing sounds familiar when I play it now, except the general ska/funk/punk mixture and the exuberance I remember from the live shows.

Fishbone was an anomaly in the mid-eighties, an all African-American band that was largely if not exclusively marketing themselves to white teenage outsider audiences. (Bad Brains was another one, but with a very different musical approach.) In many ways, they were tied with what Red Hot Chili Peppers were doing at the time, though with ska taking priority over funk.

The English ska revival of the Specials, Selecter, and Beat had brought that precursor to reggae back to our attention around the turn of the 80s. I’m sure Fishbone’s members had all those records in their collections as they were learning their instruments. By 1985, that music was three or four years out of style, which in those days of constantly churning new music adventures seemed like a long time. So, when Fishbone came along to bring it back, they were the only ska-influenced band working, as far as I can remember.

The EP has six songs, two of which are primarily punk-influenced ska, while the other tracks mix in funk and other sounds. “Ugly” and “Lyin’ Ass Bitch” speed up the ska rhythms faster than even the Specials ever did six years earlier. Both songs are full of mean-spirited humor. “U-g-l-y you ain’t got no alibi / You’re just ugly” is a catchy chorus but not something I like to sing. “Lyin’ Ass Bitch” is sung largely by guest vocalist Lisa Grant, which mutes the misogyny in the song about a woman befriending another woman who steals the first woman’s boyfriend.

In many ways, “Another Generation” might be my fave song here. It mixes funk and ska rhythms together with jazz-influenced bass line and guitar licks. I assume the song is celebrating the new generation represented by the still young band members and their even-younger fans. But it’s the sound and the music that wins me over more than the lyrics.

“Modern Industry” is a weird one. With a rhythm similar to “Twist and Crawl” by the (English) Beat, the various singers recite fake radio call letters in oddball voices, once even imitating Devo. There’s also a late Frank Zappa vibe coming from this track. “Party at Ground Zero” is among the band’s most popular songs. It opens with a slower groove and the guitarist playing a riff built from “Toreador” from Carmen by Bizet. Then the ska beat comes in hard with the horn section, alternating with funkier sections for the vocals. It’s easy to hear what people love about it. “V.T.T.L.O.T.F.D.G.F.” has something to do with Godzilla farts, and now that I think of it, has a bit of Zappa in its DNA, too, as well as early hip hop.

I think I like Fishbone now more than I did at the time – I’m hearing a lot more musical talent than I noticed underneath all the wild excitement. Mix those things together, and you’ve got something to write home about. Let’s give them 8 out of 10 points for this EP.