Fishbone Truth and Soul (1988) Columbia

In the late `80s, alternative/college rock was becoming a force in mainstream music and some bands were starting to play arenas and going gold or platinum. Fishbone was part of that wave. Their second full-length, Truth and Soul, which came out in 1988, rode it to a maximum. Their previous effort, It's a Wonderful Life (Gonna Have a Good Time), was a lively mix of ska, reggae, funk, soul and punk -- and now hard rock was added to this category.

The CD itself is one of Fishbone's best, along with The Reality of My Surroundings. It has some awsome ska songs ("Ma and Pa," one of Fishbone's best), lots of funk ("Questions of Life" and "Bonin' in the Boneyard," which has some incredible bass work, and "One Day") and hard rock / punk ("Freddie's Dead," a great cover of Curtis Mayfield's "Subliminal Fascism") and even some kind of greengrass/rock ("Slow Bus Movin' (Howard Beach Party)"). The band has also greatly improved in the lyrics department, with some great songs about racism and discrimination like "Slow Bus Movin' (Howard Beach Party)," "Deep Inside," "One Day," "Subliminal Fascism" and "Ghetto Soundwave."

Great horns (listen to "Questions of Life" and "Ma and Pa"), incredible bass work and guitars mixed with some great lyrics make this one of Fishbone's best CDs, and a must-have if you're a fan of ska, funk or any sort of music, and probably one of the `80s best musical creations.

(pasha)