Give a Monkey a Brain and He'll Swear He's the Center of the Universe
1993 - Columbia
- Swim (Bigham) - 4:42
- Servitude (Jones) - 5:20
- Black Flowers (Dowd) - 5:46
- Unyielding Condition (Jones) - 4:45
- Properties of Propaganda (Fuk This Shit on (Fisher) - 5:22
- The Warmth of Your Breath (Fisher/Moore) - 4:55
- Lemon Meringue (Fisher) - 6:10
- They All Have Abandoned Their Hopes (Dowd/Fisher/Moore) - 4:58
- End the Reign (Jones) - 5:23
- Drunk Skitzo (Fisher/Moore) - 5:17
- No Fear (Bigham) - 6:01
- Nutt Megalomaniac (Fisher) - 5:43
After the critical and commercial success of their 1991 tour de force The Reality of My Surroundings, you'd think that it would smooth sailing for the many members of Fishbone - not quite. Despite that the band was viewed by fans as a close-knit family, problems were brewing behind the scenes. Depending on who you believed, founding guitarist Kendall Jones was either growing disenchanted with the band's musical direction or he was brainwashed by a cult. Either way, he quit the band immediately after the release for 1993's lackluster Give a Monkey a Brain. While the funk/punk/ska sound on earlier albums was still evident here and there, this is considered Fishbone's "heavy metal album" by longtime fans. The witty humor and thought-provoking songwriting had been lost and replaced with such predictable fare as the grunge-sounding "Swim," and such woefully off-the-mark compositions as "The Warmth of Your Breath" and "Drunk Skitzo." While a few songs were decent ("Unyielding Conditioning," and "No Fear"), the album was a severe letdown. What could have been Fishbone's ultimate breakthrough nearly turned out to be a career killer. After the ensuing tour wrapped up, keyboardist Chris Dowd left as well, and Columbia dropped the band.
|