Sublime- self titled (disk 2)

This is the second disk of the 10 Year Anniversary release of Sublime's self titled album. It contains mostly alternate versions of Sublime's songs, plus a couple of new songs.

Starting at the end, the instrumental versions of Doin' Time, April 29 1992, Caress Me Down and What I Got are interesting deconstructions of Sublime's style. While they would perhaps make for good ringtones, for me they show that the vocals are a key ingredient in creating Sublime magic. Without lyrics, Doin' Time (Uptime Dub) becomes even more chillout than the original- if that is even possible. Although the choice of vocal samples makes it sound like a song about drowning your girlfriend, which is quite disturbing...

I Love My Dog is another example of Sublime's ultra-cool reggae groove. Unfortunately, it's undermined by some awkward stop-start moments, and lyrics which go nowhere at all (dog lovers might disagree with this!).

It is a mystery to me why the infectious bouncy ska of Superstar Punani never made it to the album. Similar to some Dance Hall Crashers songs, the subtle variations in walking bassline and drums work brilliantly to enhance the structure and keep things fresh. And the lyrics, mad as ever, are perfectly suited to the immature style. It all goes a bit strange strange at end, but I find it quirky and amusing. This is actually the song that originally got me hooked on Sublime, and possibly still my all-time favourite Sublime song.

The more hip-hop influenced alternative version of April 29 1992 shows that the band chose the right version for the album! Harsh, but true...

And personally I find the acoustic versions of Saw Red, Little District and Zimbabwe quite generic, because they don't make much sense without knowing the original versions.

Favourite songs

Superstar Punani, April 29 1992 (Instrumental Version)

Worthwhile?

For me, Superstar Punani alone makes this disk worth having. Which is just as well, because the rest of the CD doesn't hold much appeal.