No Doubt
Singles 1992-2003 (Interscope 61126)

One sure thing about the passage of time is that you can always count on the seeming chaos of any given era to eventually be compiled and packaged up conveniently, allowing for smooth revisionism and closure. What at one time seemed threatening or confusing gradually turns to simple nostalgia as the dust settles and the facts of the day emerge more clearly.

Hence, the recent spate of best-ofs by some of the big 90s artists (Green Day, Stone Temple Pilots, Underworld, and on and on) allows me to recast a rather miserable decade as one that wasn't nearly as bad as I thought.

No Doubt's Singles comp is a notably great example of this "best foot forward" ideal. By boiling the band down to its singles, weeding out the chaff for easy consumption, an amazing thing is revealed: No Doubt was easily one of the best bands of that time.

I've noticed some indie-press critics latching on to this disc, too, which is a nice twist for a band that was never accorded much "credibility" from that particular peanut gallery. No Doubt was never a hateable band, by any means, but they were precisely the sort of group that hipsters would automatically dismiss simply by virtue of their popularity. Few great bands have had such a relentlessly uphill struggle to be acknowledged as "important."

But as this collection proves, No Doubt created their own musical world, stuck to it, routinely innovated and reinvented their own templates, and on the most essential level, simply kept writing great songs. Those Beck and Björk albums sit a little shame-faced these days as people start to realize they're allowed to listen to stuff they actually love.

The comp is programmed non-chronologically, probably to allow the not-very-good token first single "Trapped in a Box" to be presented last and the new single (a savvy cover of Talk Talk's "It's My Life") to come on second. But wisely, things kick of with "Just a Girl," still a powerful statement lyrically and musically … it's like a super-concentrated dose of Ani DiFranco's entire catalog, rocking brain and booty alike, and confidently kicking everyone's ass who would question it. An undeniable moment of greatness.

The other Tragic Kingdom singles are all good, in different ways – "Spiderwebs" is my all-time fave No Doubt song, buoyed by the welcome resurrection of Matthew Wilder's production hand, but moreso by its mind-boggling hooks; "Sunday Morning" is emotional and beautiful, yet also just ass-rockin' good, "Don't Speak" is the best song Pat Benatar never got a crack at.

The second record's singles moved into a foggier terrain, but still delivered, from the punky edge of "Ex-Girlfriend" to the quietly grand subtleties of "Simple Kind of Life" (much more sophisticated than this band gets credited for being). Perhaps by this point the flashy videos were obscuring the fact that these songs were terrific. I think I was wise not to be watching TV at this moment in time, 'cause the songs always stood out immediately to me whenever I'd hear 'em.

The recent singles, which ought to be calculated bullshit and, in fact, might be, are the ones that get your ass moving most of all. "Hey Baby" and "Hella Good" are impossible-to-resist instant strip club classics, and "Underneath it All," while surely "obvious," is as good a pop-reggae tune as Blondie ever did.

What I love about No Doubt is they've always walked forward, heads high, waving flags for some truly uncool shit, synthesizing the elements into a whole new brew that was on much more often than it was ever off. Like, if ol' Beck tried to sound like the Thompson Twins, it would inevitably be arch and self-satisfied, but when No Doubt goes for that vibe, it's like they just don't know they "shouldn't." Like when a Main Street USA dixieland bridge suddenly emerges in the middle of "Excuse Me Mr.," you're forced to either retreat in your own confusion or just go with the flow.

And few pop bands have flirted with pure reggae so successfully – honestly, only The Clash and Blondie pulled it off as well. Synthesis is as natural to No Doubt as falling in love … they just play what they like. More bands should do just that.

This was a great band, led by one of the most unique singers to come out of the 90s. It's hard not to see Singles as the end of the road, and/or a nice segue into Gwen Stefani's solo career, but in any event, it's a necessary step in asserting No Doubt's place as one of the good ones to rise from the unpleasant swirl that was 90s music. It's also doing double-duty in helping me feel a lot better about that era … now if only someone could compile a greatest-hits from my various relationships of that time.

Loud Bassoon rating scale

Review by La Fée