Faith No More - Original Album Series 1989-1987 (5 CD, 2011)

Starting with the careening "From Out of Nowhere," driven by Bottum's doomy, energetic keyboards, Faith No More rebounded excellently on The Real Thing after Mosley's firing. Given that the band had nearly finished recording the music and Patton was a last minute recruit, he adjusts to the proceedings well. His insane, wide-ranging musical interests would have to wait for the next album for their proper integration, but the band already showed enough of that to make it an inspired combination. Bottum, in particular, remains the wild card, coloring Martin's nuclear-strength riffs and the Gould/Bordin rhythm slams with everything from quirky hooks to pristine synth sheen. It's not quite early Brian Eno joins Led Zeppelin and Funkadelic, but it's closer than might be thought, based on the nutty lounge vibes of "Edge of the World" and the Arabic melodies and feedback of "Woodpeckers From Mars." "Falling to Pieces," a fractured anthem with a delicious delivery from Patton, should have been a bigger single that it was, while "Surprise! You're Dead!" and the title track stuff riffs down the listener's throat. The best-known song remains the appropriately titled "Epic," which lives up to its name from the bombastic opening to the concluding piano and the crunching, stomping funk metal in between. The inclusion of a cover of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" amusingly backfired on the band – at the time, Sabbath's hipness level was nonexistent, making it a great screw-you to the supposed cutting edge types. However, all the metalheads took the band to their hearts so much that, as a result, the quintet dropped it from their sets to play "Easy" by the Commodores instead!

~ by Ned Raggett, allmusic.com

Tracklist :

1. From Out Of Nowhere - 3:22
2. Epic - 4:54
3. Falling To Pieces - 5:16
4. Surprise! You're Dead! - 2:27
5. Zombie Eaters - 6:01
6. The Real Thing - 8:14
7. Underwater Love - 3:52
8. The Morning After - 3:44
9. Woodpecker From Mars - 5:40
10. War Pigs - 7:45
11. Edge Of The World - 4:10



• Mike Patton - vocals
• Jim Martin - guitars
• Billy Gould - bass
• Mike Bordin - drums
• Roddy Bottum - keyboards

Produced by Matt Wallace and Faith No More
Engineered by Matt Wallace and Jimm "Watts" Vereecke
Assistant Engineers: Craig Doubey and Jim "Watts" Vereecke
Recorded at Studio D, Sausalito, CA. During December 1988
Mixed at Blue Canyon, Studio City, CA. During January 1989
Mastered at K-Disk, Los Angeles, CA. By John Golden

Recorded live on April 28, 1990 at London's Brixton Academy, You Fat B**tards (the title taken from a joking stage rant from vocalist Mike Patton at a previous U.K. concert), captures Faith No More just as their album The Real Thing and single "Epic" started to become worldwide hits. While the hour-long video shows that Patton was still finding his vocal style (he relies on a nasal-like whine too often), and his stage persona was comparable to a bratty child (obviously poking fun at the larger-than-life and far too serious metal acts of the late-80's/early-90's), the band as a whole offers a thoroughly inspired performance. The large crowd shows their appreciation by going wild throughout, as FNM blasts out such favs as "From Out of Nowhere," "Falling To Pieces," "We Care A Lot," the psychedelic instrumental "Woodpecker From Mars," and the moody extended compositions "The Real Thing" and "Zombie Eaters." Also featured is their aforementioned breakthrough hit "Epic," as well as the pop rockers "Underwater Love" and "Edge of the World," the early track "As the Worm Turns," and the set-closing cover of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs," during which Patton fakes barfing fake blood and passing out - while eventually climbing a lighting truss. An interesting and worthwhile glimpse into the unpredictability of a Faith No More show.

~ by Greg Prato, allmusic.com

Tracklist :

1. Falling To Pieces - 4:48
2. The Real Thing - 7:54
3. Epic - 4:55
4. War Pigs - 6:58
5. From Out Of Nowhere - 3:25
6. We Care A Lot - 3:50
7. Zombie Eaters - 6:06
8. Edge Of The World - 5:50
9. The Grade - 2:05
10. The Cowboy Song - 5:13



• Mike Patton - vocals
• Jim Martin - guitars
• Billy Gould - bass
• Mike Bordin - drums
• Roddy Bottum - keyboards

Live Album recorded in England. Features 8 Live songs and 2 previously unreleased studio recording
Mixed by Matt Wallace
Produced by Faith No More and Matt Wallace
Recorded by William Shapland

Warner Bros. figured that lightning could strike twice at a time when oodles of (most horribly bad) funk-metal acts were following in Faith No More's and Red Hot Chili Peppers' footsteps. In response, the former recorded and released the bizarro masterpiece Angel Dust. Mike Patton's work in Mr. Bungle proved just how strange and inspired he could get given the opportunity; now, in his more famous act, nothing was ignored. "Land of Sunshine" starts things off in a vein similar to The Real Thing, but Patton's vocal role-playing is smarter and more accomplished, with the lyrics trashing a smug bastard with pure inspired mockery. From there, Angel Dust mixes the meta-metal of earlier days with the expected puree of other influences, including a cinematic sense of atmosphere. The album ends with a cover of John Barry's "Midnight Cowboy," which suits the mood perfectly, but the stretched-out, tense moments on "Caffeine" and the soaring charge of "Everything's Ruined" make for other good examples. Even a Kronos Quartet sample crops up on the frazzled sprawl of "Malpractice." Other sampling and studio treatments come to the fore throughout, adding quirks like the distorted voices on "Smaller and Smaller." The band's sense of humor crops up frequently – there's the hilarious portrayal of prepubescent angst on "Kindergarten," made all the more entertaining by the music's straightforward approach, or the beyond-stereotypical white trash cornpone narration of "RV," all while the music breezily swings along. Patton's voice is stronger and downright smooth at many points throughout, the musicians collectively still know their stuff, and the result is twisted entertainment at its finest.

~ by Ned Raggett, allmusic.com

Tracklist :

1. Land Of Sunshine - 3:45
2. Caffeine - 4:28
3. Midlife Crisis - 4:24
4. RV - 3:43
5. Smaller And Smaller - 5:11
6. Everything's Ruined - 4:34
7. Malpractice - 4:02
8. Kindergarten - 4:31
9. Be Aggressive - 3:43
10. A Small Victory - 4:57
11. Crack Hitler - 4:39
12. Jizzlobber - 6:39
13. Midnight Cowboy - 4:15
14. Easy (Bonus Track)- 3:06



• Mike Patton - vocals
• Jim Martin - guitars
• Billy Gould - bass
• Mike Bordin - drums
• Roddy Bottum - keyboards

Produced by Matt Wallace and Faith No More
Recorded at Coast Recorders, San Francisco and Brilliant Studios, San Francisco. Mastered by John Golden
Mixed by David Bryson at Scream Studios, Studio City, CA. Mastered at K-Disk.

Longtime Faith No More guitarist Jim Martin split from the band under less-than-amicable circumstances in 1994. Consequently, the group hired Trey Spruance (the guitarist from Mike Patton's other band, Mr. Bungle) to handle six-string duties for 1995's King for a Day, Fool for a Lifetime. While it wasn't exactly the mind-bending masterpiece that 1992's Angel Dust was, it was easily their most musically straightforward album and was another challenging, exceptional release. As on Angel Dust, Patton truly shines on vocals, as he tackles any genre put in front of him – romantic love songs (the soulful smooth funk of "Evidence"), bile-spitting rants of hate ("The Gentle Art of Making Enemies"), cacophonous freak-outs ("Ugly in the Morning"), gospel (the lighthearted album closer, "Just a Man"), and breezy pop ("Caralho Voador"). But there was also plenty of FNM's signature heavy sound to go around – the furious opener "Get Out," "Ricochet," "Cuckoo for Caca," "Digging the Grave," "The Last to Know," and the almost progressive title track. While Spruance did a masterful job of filling in the shoes of an integral founding member, he abruptly split from the band himself on the eve of the album's ensuing worldwide tour (replaced by roadie Dean Mentia). King for a Day, Fool for a Lifetime remains one of Faith No More's underrated releases.

~ by Greg Prato, allmusic.com

Tracklist :

1. Get Out - 2:18
2. Ricochet - 4:29
3. Evidence - 4:54
4. The Gentle Art Of Making Enemies - 3:29
5. Star A.D. - 3:24
6. Cuckoo For Caca - 3:43
7. Caralho Voador - 4:02
8. Ugly In The Morning - 3:06
9. Digging The Grave - 3:05
10. Take This Bottle - 4:59
11. King For A Day - 6:36
12. What A Day - 2:38
13. The Last To Know - 4:28
14. Just A Man - 5:36



• Mike Patton - vocals
• Trey Spruance - guitars
• Billy Gould - bass
• Mike Bordin - drums
• Roddy Bottum - keyboards

Prodused by Andy Wallace and Faith No More
Recorded by Clif Norrell and Chris Laidlaw at Bearsville Studios, Bearsville, NY
Mixed at Soundtrack Studios, New York City, NY

Faith No More's 1997 release Album of the Year featured the talents of another new guitarist, Jon Hudson, who replaced Dean Menta (Menta only toured with the group in support of King for a Day before being dismissed). Like King for a Day, Album is more straightforward musically than past releases and remains one of FNM's most focused and concise works. Recorded in bassist Billy Gould's home studio, Album of the Year would turn out to be their last studio recording before splitting up in 1997. A trio of outstanding tracks – "Stripsearch," "Last Cup of Sorrow," and "Ashes to Ashes" – blend hard rock and pop melodicism the way only FNM can, while "Helpless" is an unpredictable composition that alternates between heavy guitar riffing and Mike Patton's tempered vocals. The explosive album opener, "Collision," and "Naked in Front of the Computer" show that the band can still compose prime heavy rockers, while other musical forms were included as well (the romantic ballad "She Loves Me Not," the evil boogie of "Home Sick Home," and the Middle Eastern sounds of "Mouth to Mouth"). For the gripping album closer, "Pristina," the '90s turmoil in Yugoslavia is used as a backdrop for a tale of lovers being separated due to war. Album of the Year was a fitting way for one of alt-rock's most influential and important bands to end its career.

~ by Greg Prato, allmusic.com

Tracklist :

1. Collision - 3:24
2. Stripsearch - 4:30
3. Last Cup Of Sorrow - 4:12
4. Naked In Front Of The Computer - 2:08
5. Helpless - 5:26
6. Mouth To Mouth - 3:48
7. Ashes To Ashes - 3:37
8. She Loves Me Not - 3:30
9. Got That Feeling - 2:21
10. Paths Of Glory - 4:17
11. Home Sick Home - 1:59
12. Pristina - 3:52



• Mike Patton - vocals
• Jon Hudson - guitars
• Billy Gould - bass
• Mike Bordin - drums
• Roddy Bottum - keyboards

Produced by Billy Gould, Roli Mosimann and Faith No More
Recorded by Daniel Presley and Michael Bogusat at Brilliant Studios, San Fransisco, CA. and Razor's Edge, San Fransisco, CA.
Mixed by Roli Mosimann at The Plant, Sasalito, CA.
Mastered by Howie Weinberg at Masterdisk, New York, NY.