sublime

History

Formed in Long Beach, CA, in 1988 as a garage punk band, Sublime grew to fame in the mid-'90s on the back of the Cali punk explosion engendered by Green Day and the Offspring, though Sublime mixed up their punk rage with reggae and ska influences. The band released just two albums during its first seven years, finally finding a hit with its self-titled third one. It was Sublime's last, however, as lead singer Brad Nowell died in May 1996, just two months before the album's release.

The trio which comprised Sublime -- vocalist/guitarist Bradley Nowell, bassist Eric Wilson, and drummer Bud Gaugh -- played their first gig on the 4th of July 1988 at a small Long Beach club (a show which sparked the infamous Peninsula Riot). The group began aggressively touring around the area with an increasingly substantial following, especially among the surf/skate beach crowd. After four years of concentrating strictly on live shows, Sublime's first album (40 Oz. to Freedom) was recorded in 1992. The LP was released on Skunk Records -- the label formed by Nowell with Sublime manager Miguel -- and sold at shows, but it really started to break when KROQ began playing the single "Date Rape" two years after its initial release.

Mostly due to the radio exposure, Sublime signed to MCA for 1994's Robbin' the Hood, which revealed an experimental ethic more in keeping with cut-and-paste dub than the well-tuned rage of the Cali punk revival. The album performed well at college radio and set the stage for the breakout success of their self-titled third album. On May 25, 1996, however, Nowell was found in a San Francisco hotel room, dead of a heroin overdose. The band collapsed, but Sublime was still slated for a July release. On the strength of the alternative radio hit "What I Got," the album was certified gold by the end of 1996. A number of posthumous releases followed, among them 1997's Second Hand Smoke, 1998's Stand by Your Van, and Acoustic: Bradley Nowell & Friends.

Discography

Studio albums

• 40 Oz. to Freedom (1992) #140 (on the Billboard 200)
• Robbin' the Hood (1994)
• Sublime (1996) #13
  • Was re-released as a Deluxe Edition in 2006

Live/Compilation albums

• Second-hand Smoke (remix album) (1997) #28
• Stand by Your Van (live) (1998) #49
• Sublime Acoustic: Bradley Nowell & Friends (acoustic) (1998) #107
• Greatest Hits (1999) #114
• 20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection (2002) #190
• Look at All the Love We Found (Tribute album) (2005)
• Gold (2005)
• Forever Free (Tribute album) (2006)

Bootleg and un-official releases

Professional Bootlegs

• Black Album [L.D.R.]
• Bong Hits with Bradley [Unknown](This is a different name for Firecracker Lounge)
• Bradley Nowell Acoustic - 1st Printing [5B Records]
• Bradley Nowell Acoustic - 2nd Printing [5B Records]
• Bradley Nowell Acoustic - Budwiser Promo [Front Row Center]
• bumS lie - The Psycho Semantic Police [OPM Records]
• DeSTroy [Ready Go! Records]
• Dog Gone Blues [Unknown]
• Hollywood Swingers [Toughstick Records]
• Hong Kong Phooey [Frozen Satan]
• It All Seems so Silly in the Long Run [Junk Records]
• Live Shooter [Unknown]
• Memories [GP Records]
• Pure Anus - Studio Recording [Unknown]
• Sinsemilla '86-96' [Discos La Revancha]

Semi-Professional Bootlegs

• Bright Side of the Moon [Live @ Las Palmas - Hollywood, CA - 02/17/95]
• Contact Buzz [Live @ The Palace - Hollywood, CA - 10/21/95]
• East/West [Live @ The Palladium - Hollywood, CA - '95 / Ocean Mist. RI - '95]
• Shootin' Up in Beantown [Live @ Mama Kin's - Boston, MA - 04/10/96]
• Smokin' it Up: Bradley's Tokin' Days [Live Mix]

Live Show Bootlegs

• Boston, MA - TT The Bears [04/05/95]
• Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre ['95]
• Camden, NJ - Warped Tour / Blockbuster Pavillion [08/17/95]
• Chicago, IL - The Metro [04/20/96]
• Chico State ['94 or '95]
• Cleveland, OH - Peabody's Down Under [04/17/96]
• Cleveland, OH - [04/19/96]
• Dominguez Hills, CA - Olympic Velodrome [05/06/95]
• Fort Lauderdale, FL - The Edge (Brad & Eric Acoustic) [08/13/95]
• Hollywood, CA - Las Palmas [12/04/94]
• Indialantic, FL - The Zoo & The Groove Tube (A Day in the Sun) [03/24/95] & [03/25/95]
• Irvine, CA - Kuci Ska Parade [03/05/94]
• Irvine, CA - Warped Tour / Frazier Park [09/04/95]
• Irvine Meadows, CA - KROQ Weenie Roast [06/17/95]
• Las Vegas, NV ['96]
• Las Vegas, NV - The Huntridge (The Good Always Die Young) ['95]
• Minneapolis, MN - Ground Zero [04/14/95]
• New York, NY - The Wettlands [04/11/96]
• North Tonawanda, NY - Warped Tour / Wurlitzer Park [8/20/95]
• Pamona, CA - The Glass House ['96]
• Petaluma, CA - Phoenix Theatre (Coping With - Last Show) [05/24/96]
• Providence, RI - Ocean Mist [04/07/95]
• San Diego, CA - Soma [11/11/95]
• San Francisco, CA - House of Blues [04/05/96]
• San Francisco, CA - Kommotion [09/09/94]
• Washington, DC - Capitol Ballroom [4/12/96]

Covered songs

• "Scarlet Begonias" - The Grateful Dead
• "We're Only Gonna Die for Our Own Arrogance" - Bad Religion
• "54-46 That's My Number" - Toots & the Maytals
• "Steppin' Razor" - The Wailers
• "Rivers of Babylon" - Melodians
• "Big Salty Tears" - The Ziggens
• "Eye of Fatima" - Camper Van Beethoven
• "Hope" - The Descendents
• "Smoke Two Joints" - The Toyes
• "I Luv I Jah" - Bad Brains (Played as "I Love My Dog")
• "Trenchtown Rock" - Bob Marley
• "Jailhouse" - Bob Marley
• "Guava Jelly / This Train" - Bob Marley
• "Daucha Cabana" - The Vandals
• "She's Mine" - Barrington Levy
• "Falling Idols" - Falling Idols
• "Hong Kong Phooey" - TV Theme
• "The Day That Lassie Went To The Moon" - Camper Van Beethoven (Played live by Bradley as "Lou Dog Went To The Moon")
• "Dr. Woo" - Steely Dan
• "Zimbabwe" - Bob Marley
• "Sour Grapes" - The Descendants
• "Tim the Dinosaur" - The Ziggens
• "Prince of Sin" - Falling Idols
• "Message To Rudy" - The Specials
• "Legalize It" - Peter Tosh
• "Rawhide (theme)" - Frankie Laine

Sublime Songs Covered

• "Wrong Way" - Richard Cheese
• "DJ's (live)" - No Doubt
• "Smoke Two Joints" - Richard Cheese
• "Saw Red" - Long Beach Dub Allstars
• "Doin' Time" - DZK
• "Date Rape" - Fishbone
• "Boss DJ" - Reel Big Fish
• "Boss DJ" - Jack Johnson
• "Santeria" - Spunge

External links

• Official Skunk Records website
• Official Sublime MySpace
• SublimeSpot (Lyrics / Photos / Discussion Groups)
• Sublime Stylee - Sublime Fan Site and Sublime Chat Board
• Sublime Archive (archives of all known recorded live shows) *** removed by request from Universal Music [1]
• Official MCA website
• SublimeWiki.com