Re-release of No Doubt's 2000 album!
The fourth studio album by Stefani & company was met with dissension among band members and between the band and its label. The process of creating the album lasted two years. Return of Saturn maintains the ska punk and reggae influences but with slower, more ballad type songs. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 but did not measure up to the sales of their previous album Tragic Kingdom.
Return of Saturn produced four singles, "Ex-Girlfriend", "Simple Kind of Life", "Bathwater", and "New". The album was nominated for Best Rock Album for the 43rd Grammy Awards.
"Return of Saturn is an almost defiantly mature record about two things: Stefani's exploration of a troubled romance and her own romantic ideals, plus a serious attempt by the group to not only keep new wave alive, but to make that adolescent music relevant to an older audience. It's a high concept, but Return of Saturn is filled with satisfying contradictions. It's melodic, but deceptively complex; it can seem frothy, but it's never frivolous. No Doubt's desire to expand the emotional template of new wave is the perfect match for Stefani's themes -- she may be writing about love, but she's not writing adolescent love songs. Fragments of her teenaged romantic fantasies remain, but she's writing as a woman in her late 20s. She's tired of being another "ex-girlfriend" -- she wants to fall in love, get married, and have a family. It's a subject that's surprisingly uncommon in pop music, which would alone make Return of Saturn an interesting album. What makes it a successful one is that the band delivers an aural equivalent of Stefani's lyrical themes. They also begin with their adolescent musical ideals, adding depth and detail to their pop-ska foundation. They balance their non-ironic love of new wave with contemporary production and a sensibility borrowed from classic rock: that albums are greater than the sum of their parts. Surprisingly, they pull it off -- it's a far stronger record than Tragic Kingdom, even if the catchiest numbers don't have the same swagger and punch as their previous hit singles. So be it. With Return of Saturn, No Doubt have made a terrific, layered record that exceeds any expectations set by Tragic Kingdom. Not only have they found their voice, they know what to do with it." - Stephen Thomas Erlewine, allmusic.com
Features:
Vinyl LP
Includes Full Lyrics
Re-release of 2000 album
Musicians:
Gwen Stefani, vocals
Tony Kanal, bass guitar
Tom Dumont, guitar
Adrian Young, drums, percussion
Selections:
LP1 - Side A:
1. Ex-Girlfriend
2. Simple Kind of Life
3. Bathwater
4. Six Feet Under
LP1 - Side B:
1. Magic's In the Makeup
2. Artifical Sweetener
3. Marry Me
LP2 - Side C:
1. New
2. Too Late
3. Comforting Lie
4. Suspension Without Suspense
LP2 - Side D:
1. Staring Problem
2. Home Now
3. Dark Blue
The fourth studio album by Stefani & company was met with dissension among band members and between the band and its label. The process of creating the album lasted two years. Return of Saturn maintains the ska punk and reggae influences but with slower, more ballad type songs. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 but did not measure up to the sales of their previous album Tragic Kingdom.
Return of Saturn produced four singles, "Ex-Girlfriend", "Simple Kind of Life", "Bathwater", and "New". The album was nominated for Best Rock Album for the 43rd Grammy Awards.
"Return of Saturn is an almost defiantly mature record about two things: Stefani's exploration of a troubled romance and her own romantic ideals, plus a serious attempt by the group to not only keep new wave alive, but to make that adolescent music relevant to an older audience. It's a high concept, but Return of Saturn is filled with satisfying contradictions. It's melodic, but deceptively complex; it can seem frothy, but it's never frivolous. No Doubt's desire to expand the emotional template of new wave is the perfect match for Stefani's themes -- she may be writing about love, but she's not writing adolescent love songs. Fragments of her teenaged romantic fantasies remain, but she's writing as a woman in her late 20s. She's tired of being another "ex-girlfriend" -- she wants to fall in love, get married, and have a family. It's a subject that's surprisingly uncommon in pop music, which would alone make Return of Saturn an interesting album. What makes it a successful one is that the band delivers an aural equivalent of Stefani's lyrical themes. They also begin with their adolescent musical ideals, adding depth and detail to their pop-ska foundation. They balance their non-ironic love of new wave with contemporary production and a sensibility borrowed from classic rock: that albums are greater than the sum of their parts. Surprisingly, they pull it off -- it's a far stronger record than Tragic Kingdom, even if the catchiest numbers don't have the same swagger and punch as their previous hit singles. So be it. With Return of Saturn, No Doubt have made a terrific, layered record that exceeds any expectations set by Tragic Kingdom. Not only have they found their voice, they know what to do with it." - Stephen Thomas Erlewine, allmusic.com
Features:
Vinyl LP
Includes Full Lyrics
Re-release of 2000 album
Musicians:
Gwen Stefani, vocals
Tony Kanal, bass guitar
Tom Dumont, guitar
Adrian Young, drums, percussion
Selections:
LP1 - Side A:
1. Ex-Girlfriend
2. Simple Kind of Life
3. Bathwater
4. Six Feet Under
LP1 - Side B:
1. Magic's In the Makeup
2. Artifical Sweetener
3. Marry Me
LP2 - Side C:
1. New
2. Too Late
3. Comforting Lie
4. Suspension Without Suspense
LP2 - Side D:
1. Staring Problem
2. Home Now
3. Dark Blue
