The Singles 1992-2003

by No Doubt

Overview

A band like No Doubt was made for an album like The Singles 1992-2003. While they made good albums -- and each of their albums had its own character -- they shined as a singles band, which is only appropriate for a band raised on new wave, the last golden era of singles. Unlike the grunge and indie bands that populated the first two waves of the alt-rock explosion of the early '90s, No Doubt wasn't directly inspired by punk, indie, or any underground rock movement; the band was fueled by new wave, in all of its trashy, poppy glory. Above all, they were inspired by ska revival groups like Madness, with their blend of skittish Jamaican-inspired beats and sense of English popcraft, but they also picked up various strands of early-MTV pop, whether it was bits of new wave Blondie, the Police, and Elvis Costello, or the metallic guitar wallop of Van Halen. It was a cheerful, giddy sound that marked a sea change from the sound of the early '90s, when even catchy melodies were cloaked in a sense of gloom. So, with the success of their second album, Tragic Kingdom, in 1996, they kicked off the second wave of the alt-rock boom of the '90s -- the time when the music meant good times, not angst and alienation. While some of the bands that rode on their coattails were unabashed one-hit wonders and commercialized revamps of underground sounds, No Doubt was something rare: a hip mainstream singles band. They were an outgrowth of new wave, releasing indie albums before their big break, and they stayed true to their inspirations while cleverly adding elements of contemporary hits to their sound -- and, in doing so, became a '90s version of a new wave band that placed equal emphasis on hooks, style, videos, and cool, radio-ready singles. And while they made some strong albums -- in fact, with each record they grew stronger -- their medium was radio singles, as the stellar collection The Singles 1992-2003 illustrates. Spanning 15 tracks, the disc is sequenced like a concert, favoring forward momentum over chronological history, and that's a point in its favor since it shines a spotlight on individual songs, not eras. More than anything, this highlights No Doubt's consistency as a singles band, since the defining breakthrough single, "Just a Girl," is as exciting as both the band's pre-fame "Trapped in a Box" and the sexy neo-electro grind of "Hella Good." It also shows that even if lead singer Gwen Stefani grew increasingly assured and sexier over the years (compare the seductive "Underneath It All" to the breathy, naive "Don't Speak") and even if she was always rightly the focal point, the band itself is a muscular, versatile, tuneful outfit, rooted in ska revivals like "Spiderwebs" but equally convincing when turning out spiky pop like the glorious "New," the hard-rocking "Sunday Morning" and "Ex-Girlfriend," the sighing ballad "Simple Kind of Life," or the rubbery, reggae-inflected "Hey Baby." All these hits are here on The Singles, along with expertly selected album tracks and concert favorites, plus a fine new cover of Talk Talk's "It's My Life" that makes the group's new wave influences explicit. There's not one major song missing, and the whole package is solid proof that few post-alternative bands were as joyous a singles band as No Doubt. It's a great collection -- the kind of compilation that satisfies fans of all stripes and converts skeptics. It's the greatest-hits package that they deserve. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	06/26/2007
Label:	Interscope
UPC:	0602498613818

Tracks

1. Just a Girl
2. It's My Life
3. Hey Baby
4. Bathwater
5. Sunday Morning
6. Hella Good
7. New
8. Underneath It All
9. Excuse Me Mr.
10. Running
11. Spiderwebs
12. Simple Kind of Life
13. Don't Speak
14. Ex-Girlfriend
15. Trapped in a Box
16. Girls Get the Bass in the Back

Album Credits

Performance Credits

No Doubt   Primary Artist
Lady Saw   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist,Vocals
Ms. Dynamite   Primary Artist
Sweetie Ireie   Primary Artist
Bounty Killer   Primary Artist,Featured Artist,Guest Artist
Buccaneer   Primary Artist
Elvis Costello   Primary Artist
Matthew Wilder   Guest Artist,Keyboards
Sly Dunbar   Guest Artist
Stephen Perkins   Drums (Steel)
Alex Henderson   Trombone
Stephen Bradley   Trumpet
Eric Stefani   Piano,Keyboards
Tom Dumont   Guitar,Keyboards
Tony Kanal   Keyboards,Saxophone,Guitar (Bass)
Gabrial McNair   Piano,Trombone,Keyboards,Mellotron,Synthesizer
Eric Carpenter   Saxophone
Robbie Shakespeare   Bass
Phil Jordan   Trumpet
Melissa Hasin   Cello
Gwen Stefani   Vocals
Adrian Young   Drums,Percussion
Django Stewart   Saxophone
Don Hammerstedt   Trumpet
Andy Potts   Saxophone

Technical Credits

Paul Palmer   Mixing
Sly Dunbar   Producer,Programming
Simon Gogerly   Engineer
Kevin Mills   Assistant Engineer
Jack Joseph Puig   Mixing
Chuck Reed   Engineer
Brian Jobson   Executive Producer
Dito Godwin   Producer
Chad Hugo   Composer
Greg Collins   Engineer
Eric Stefani   Composer,Group Member
Tim Friese-Greene   Composer
Tom Dumont   Composer,Engineer,Programming,Group Member
Bryan Carrigan   Engineer
Stuart Price   Programming
George Landress   Engineer
Keith Uddin   Mixing Assistant
Glen Ballard   Producer
Tony Kanal   Composer,Engineer,Programming,Group Member
Paul Walton   Mixing Programmer
Gabrial McNair   Horn Arrangements
Scott Campbell   Engineer
Phil Kaffel   Engineer
Nellee Hooper   Producer
Matthew Wilder   Producer
Tom Lanham   Liner Notes
Sonya Farrell   Photography
Paris Montoya   Liner Notes
Tkae Mendez   Engineer
Chris Fenn   Assistant
Thomas Dumont   Composer
Robbie Shakespeare   Producer
Mark "Spike" Stent   Mixing,Producer
Pharrell Williams   Composer
Brian Gardner   Mastering
Sean Beavan   Sonic Manipulation
Jerry Harrison   Producer
Wayne Wilkins   Mixing Programmer
No Doubt   Producer
Philip Steir   Producer,Programming
Karl Derfler   Engineer
Matt Hyde   Engineer
R. Price   Composer
Wayne Jobson   Executive Producer
Michael Carnevale   Engineer
Ned Douglas   Programming
Mark Hollis   Composer
Anthony Kilhoffer   Assistant Engineer
Alain Johannes   Engineer
Gwen Stefani   Composer,Group Member
Dave Stewart   Composer,Composer
Adrian Young   Group Member
Daniel Chase   Engineer
David Treahearn   Mixing Assistant
Tony Ferguson   A&R
Joseph Cultice   Photography
F. Scott Schafer   Photography
Rodney Price   Composer
Cindy Cooper   Package Coordinator
Rory Baker   Engineer
Fabien Waltman   Programming
Dan Arsenault   Photography
Matt Fields   Mixing Assistant
Mark Anthony Williams   A&R
Django Stewart   Composer
Jeffrey Bender   Photography
The Count   Engineer
David LaChapelle   Photography
Jolie Clemens   Design,Art Direction
John Gould   Mixing Programmer
Chris Cuffaro   Photography
Frank Ockenfels   Cover Photo,Photography
Stephanie Hsu   Photography,Art Coordinator
Nicole Frantz   Photography,Art Coordinator
Ian Rossiter   Assistant Engineer