Album: 40oz. to Freedom
Artist: Sublime
Release Date: June 1, 1992
Genre: Ska Punk
Length: 1:13:48
Label: Skunk Records/MCA Records
Producer: Sublime/Miguel/Elephant Levitation
"That's when things got out of control"...
The debut album by Sublime, 40oz. to Freedom, was relatively unpopular when released but has gained popularity after their 1996 hit album Sublime was released two months after the death of lead singer/guitarist, Bradley Nowell. 40oz. to Freedom peaked at #15 on the Headseekers chart in 1995 and has sold over 2 million copies in the US alone.
Opening the album with a strictly voice and drum song in "Waiting For My Ruca" is an interesting move, but Bradley Nowell and Sublime admirably set the entire album up for exciting things to come. Nowell holds back his vocals throughout the song, but then the emotion and love that Bradley brings to the chorus stirs the listener's curiosity to imagine what things Sublime will do during the rest of the album.
After the introductory song, the title track "40oz. To Freedom" features each of the three band members starting to perform at their peak. The hollowness of the snare drum and syncopated hi-hat rhythms from Bud Gaugh, the melodic bass by Eric Wilson, all accompanied by Nowell's off-beat guitar playing continues to build the entire album's sound as notably Sublime.
The following song "Smoke Two Joints", one of the biggest Sublime hit's, opens with a sample of a scene from the movie Beyond the Valley of the Dolls and seamlessly fades into the song after the sound of a bong hit. This song is notoriously Sublime and presents them as the leader of SoCal stoner rock all the way up until the present and beyond.
Even though many songs on the album are covers, such as "Smoke Two Joints" (originally by The Toyes), "We're Only Gonna Die For Our Own Arrogance" (originally by Bad Religion), the beginning of "54-46/Ball and Chain" (originally by Toots and the Maytal), "Scarlet Begonias" (originally by Grateful Dead but reworked a little by Sublime), "Hope" (originally by Descendents) and "Rivers of Babylon" (originally by The Melodians), Sublime is able to take all of these song and turn them into reggae-punk anthems while not destroying the original creators songs.
Arguably the most popular song on the record "Badfish", Nowell gives a more personal look at his life and his struggles with heroin addiction, which eventually led to his unfortunate death. The song opens with the sounds of a party, followed by a radiant acoustic guitar then goes into the distinct Sublime sound for which they became famous. A more reserved and personal song from Nowell, you can tell this song means a lot to him just based on the emotion poured into it and how much the topic behind it affects him; sadly he couldn't shake the addiction.
In the spirit of being a Southern California band out of Long Beach, Bradley Nowell had a fascination with performing songs in both English and Spanish and "Chica Me Tipo" is the first one the band ever did. The song, when translated, contains lyrics containing Sublime's patented dirty humor interspersed throughout the entire album. The bass playing the majority of the melody in between verses and the added sounds of horns after the second verse all make this song an enjoyable Spanglish jam.
One of the greatest examples of this dirty humor in 40oz. to Freedom is the song "Date Rape". A lively song describing a story about a man that picks up a girl at a bar and decides to violate her. The story ends with the man getting convicted, sent to jail and then having those same violations performed on him. This song, aside from the crude lyrics, is a fantastic showcase of the chemistry of Sublime. The speed and accuracy of their playing along with the pure musical talent makes each bit of this three and half minute song fly by and leaves the listener wanting more. Something very unique about this album is the final song "Thanx" is a song about all the different people and groups that made Sublime, Sublime. The listener can tell how thankful and appreciative Sublime is for having a studio album release, especially since they have an entire four minute song thanking everyone. This is easily one of my favorite albums of all time. The overall chill sound Sublime carries throughout 40oz. to Freedom along with the sound of the instruments, the added effects on some songs, the use of the samples throughout the album all make this album an enjoyable listen for anyone but especially anyone that has lived in Southern California. Sublime is undisputedly the most textbook definition of SoCal Stoner-Surf Rock and this album was just the beginning for them. The popularity they gained after their self-titled album Sublime could never be topped due to the untimely death of Bradley Nowell and that will forever leave the music world wondering what Sublime would've done next with Nowell at the helm of the ship...
Favorite Songs: "Badfish", "Date Rape", "Smoke Two Joints", "Chica Me Tipo", "Let's Go Get Stoned"
Least Favorite Songs: "Thanx" (Not really a song, so slight cop-out but I do love that they thanked every player that helped them create this album)
Production Quality:
Mix = 9/10
Innovation = 7/10 (popularized reggae-rock, but a lot of covers)
Songwriting Quality:
Arrangement = 10/10
Lyricism = 8.5/10 (amazing, deep lyrics, but many covers)
Instrumentation Quality:
Vocal Timbre = 10/10
Instrumental Timbre = 10/10
Group Chemistry = 10/10
Overall Likability:
My Personal Rating = 10/10 (every song in the context of the album is amazing, but not every song is singularly amazing, it's the album as whole that makes them exciting)
Overall Rating: 9.35/10
Any confusion on how the rating is weighted/calculated, please look at my "About" page.
Remember this is all my opinion! Let me know if you agree, disagree or have any comments!