No Doubt- Beacon Street Collection

The Beacon Street collection is No Doubt's second album. It was in released in 1993, one year after their self-titled debut album.

More significantly, it is the predecessor to their defining Tragic Kingdom album, and I can't but help judging it against that incredibly high standard. Most songs on the songs of The Beacon Street Collection have plenty of great musical ideas, but they are awkwardly shoehorned together into a song. So I think this album has all the great elements of it's hugely successful successor, but the band was yet to learn the art of stitching these elements together into flowing songs.

A quick note about recording quality: it's really good. Top marks to No Doubt in this regard, because you wouldn't pick it as a homemade recording. A particular highlight is the polished chorus effect on the lead vocals, which became a No Doubt trademark.

Moving on to specific songs, Greener Pastures and Snakes in a Basket both appeal to me by their similarities with the experimental song Tragic Kingdom. Total Hate '95 is frustrating because the rest of the song is undermined by the terrible chorus (although perhaps it is more suited to live performances).

By The Way sounds like a practice run for Don't Speak, similarly That's Just Me led to the far improved Different People.

Lastly, the ska tune Squeal is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. I really like the verses and the wildly disjointed sections, despite (or perhaps because of...) it being a very amateur-hour effort.

Favourite songs

Greener Pastures, Snakes in a Basket, Squeal

Worthwhile?

This album is an interesting insight into where Tragic Kingdom came from. However, it doesn't have much appeal as a stand-alone artwork.