Album Essentials: No Doubt "Tragic Kingdom"
By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor
Let us rewind back to the olden days when radio was a genuine force of power and influence. No, seriously! Way back before anyone's Tik had even thought about Toking, radio had a significant presence on the musical landscape. From the 1960s through the early 80s in particular, radio not only made bands famous, but made bands become bands. Growing up listening to your favortie radio station, hearing all these different sounds pouring through the speakers, and, different stations run by different programmers in different cities led to different acts becoming popular in some cities while ramining virtually unknown in others. Regional hits were very common. A record may have caught fire in Detroit or Cleveland but went unheard in San Fransisco or Arizona.
From the late 70s through the early 90s, KROQ in Los Angeles was the arbiter of taste, style and hipness. Thanks in large part to legendary dj and scene maker Rodney Bingenheimer, K-Roq was the first station to play such acts as Ramones, Blondie, Depeche Mode, Devo, Oasis and on and on, Growing up in southern California at the time with KROQ as the soundtrack influenced countless young musicians to take the jump to forming a band and trying to 'make it.' The variety of music they played also gave listeners the idea that anything was fair game. A band like Depeche Mode could sell out a stadium in L.A. where they were struggling to fill arenas elsewhere, and bands like the Specials and Madness were big stars out west but practically unknown throughout the rest of America outside of college radio. The retro Ska sounds of those bands, and many others, caught on big time in L.A. and new bands were incorporating that sound into their own style. From the Untouchables on through to Rancid, the ska/reggae vibe had snuck in.
Formed in 1986, No Doubt were caught up in the style, building a local following and working on their high energy live shows before ultimately beginning work on their debut album in 1990 with their eyes on the independent label scene. As the band kept working, a little album called 'Nevermind' was released and suddenly anything loud and 'grungy' was the place to be. While No Doubt were a far cry from the flannel wrapped angst of the grunge brigade, the outside world was changing and soon enough the 'alternative' music avalanche had begun. This was good news for No Doubt who were snapped up by Interscope Records who released their self-titled debut album in 1992.
Though confident and energetic sounding, the album sank without a trace. The band were ready to roll into album number two, but the label was less engaged, feeling the first album tanked and that was the end of the story. So, with the label being non-committal, the band headed back to indie mindset and recorded another batch of songs in their home studio, figuring nothing would happen anyway. Interscope reluctantly released the album, titled 'The Beacon Street Collection,' in early 1995 and much to the surprise of everyone, sold over 100,000 copies, three times as many as their debut. "With our frustrations we decided, “F--k it! We're gonna go make our own record," drummer Adrian Young told Headliner magazine. "We're going to sell fun and we're going to put it out for the local fans, and for us.”
The music scene was moving fast, radio and MTV were still a force and a band like No Doubt seemed ripe for stardom. Though they may have had early roots in the sounds of ska, it was always a ska-lite, and they were just as much, if not more, in debt to commercial pop music in general, being only a stone’s throw from the likes of Cyndi Lauper, Madonna and Debbie Gibson. Singer Gwen Stefani had the image and style to pull off playing the pop star role, and she did just that by the time of their massive breakthrough, 'Tragic Kingdom.'
Released in the fall of '95, 'Tragic Kingdom' pulled out all stops going on to become a mega hit which has remained the band's 'go to' album. It started out slow, however, entering the Billboard charts at a less than stellar #175, it would take nearly a year but it ended up in the number one spot by years' end. A total of seven singles were issued from the album with 'Just A Girl' being the big smash. Others like 'Don't Speak,' 'Spiderwebs' and 'Excuse Me Mr.' all helped keep the LP in the charts, while endless press and media blitzing put No Doubt in the hot property category. Though the band had already been around for nearly a decade by the time 'Tragic Kingdom' hit big, it was for the best said Young. "If our first record was as successful as 'Tragic Kingdom' we would have been younger – in our early 20s. I don't know if we could have handled it as well."
Producer Matthew Wilder (of 'Break My Stride' fame) would go on to work with the likes of Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson and Miley Cyrus. Though their next three albums would all hit the Top 10, none ever matched the fever pitch of 'Tragic Kingdom,' which was truly a case of right time, right place, right band.