''Chim Chim's Badass Revenge'' is the fifth full-length album and

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

from

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

band

Fishbone Fishbone is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1979, that plays a fusion of ska, punk, funk, metal, reggae, and soul. AllMusic has described the group as "one of the most distinctive and eclectic alternative rock bands of the late ' ...

. It was Fishbone's first studio album in three years following the departure of founding members Kendall Jones and Chris Dowd and the band being dropped by

Sony Records Sony Records was a record label founded by R&B duo Ike & Tina Turner in 1963. It was not affiliated with Sony Group Corporation. Ike Turner produced singles by members of the Kings of Rhythm and the Ikettes on Sony Records. Records on the label ...

. It was also their last album with founding member Philip "Fish" Fisher, who would eventually leave the band two years later. The band's recent experiences prompted the album's themes of racism and music industry practices, and ''Chim Chim's Badass Revenge'' includes some of the band's heaviest songs, such as the

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

title track, "Riot" and "Psychologically Overcast" (the latter featuring guest vocals by

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...

). The album was produced by

Dallas Austin Dallas L. Austin (born December 29, 1970) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and film producer. Biography Early life During a 2019 interview with DJ Vlad, Dallas Austin detailed previously unknown or unconfirmed events inv ...

, who said he wanted to take Fishbone to the next level as Rick Rubin had done with

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea (musician), Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates element ...

. In 1997, Austin would use Fishbone as the backing band for '' Amoeba Cleansing Syndrome'', the second album by R&B singer

Joi Gilliam Joi Elaine Gilliam (born January 25, 1971), better known mononymously as Joi, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer associated with the Dungeon Family collective based in Atlanta, Georgia, and as such often performs with OutKast ...

. The Familyhood (Fishbone's Fans) have often also criticized the album for being poorly mixed both levelly and sonically. John Bigham, who'd joined the band during the tour for ''The Reality of My Surroundings'' makes his only solo guitar effort on this album, leaving shortly after the completion due to what was cited as "lack of creative input" and wanting to create a solo career. It has been heard that most of the lyrics for the entire album were in fact written by Walter Kibby. The song "Alcoholic" was written by

Angelo Moore Angelo Carmen Christopher Moore (born November 5, 1965) is an American musician, best known for his work as lead singer and saxophonist for the Los Angeles ska and funk metal band Fishbone. Moore also performs and records under the stage name Dr ...

in his teenage years and was inspired by his uncle before the band was signed to Sony Records and appears on their original demo submitted to record labels. It was often live introduced by Angelo Moore as "a song I wrote about my uncle... he's an alcoholic, and he makes me really mad... " The album sold well in underground circles but only reached #158 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Album Charts. It was the last Fishbone album for four years, as the band went through more personnel changes.

Track listing

All songs written by Fishbone, except for "Chim Chim's Badass Revenge" and "Pre Nutt", which were written by Fishbone and executive producer Dallas Austin.

Personnel

Fishbone *

- saxophone, theremin, vocals *Walter A. Kibby II - trumpet, vocals *John Bigham - guitar, keyboards *John Norwood Fisher - bass guitar, vocals *Philip "Fish" Fisher - drums Additional *Janna, Jeanette, John Nelson,

, Mary Harris,

Screechy Peach Myrna Crenshaw Brown (July 6, 1959 – April 1, 2007), best known as Screechy Peach, was an American singer and songwriter. Initially the lead singer of Whild Peach, alongside her husband, guitarist David Whild, she would acquire fame in the 19 ...

N'Dea Davenport N'Dea Davenport (born September 22, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and producer. She was the lead vocalist in the UK acid jazz band the Brand New Heavies and made pioneering contributions to the genre of acid jazz. Career Her ...

, Taree, Tirunji, Trina Mead - background vocals Album Cover Art/Illustrations Ronald Stozo/R.Toons

Charts

Album -

(North America)

References

{{Authority control Fishbone albums 1996 albums