This album however...never really appealed to me much as the other No Doubt albums have. But as I started listening to it more often it kinda drew me in, and I started to discover No Doubt's "Punkier/Ska" sound, similair to "Sublime". This album rocked my socks off and will continue to do so.
No Doubt's second album "The Beacon Street Collection" was originally recorded in No Doubt's garage, and then mixed and edited at a studio. The album was originally released right before the big hit "Tragic Kingdom" in early 1995.
The album was then re-released in 1997.
What got me into this cool CD, was the "Punk/Metal/Rock" influences which No Doubt kept aside from there FIRST disc. They showed a more heavier side to the band, and revealed more "Unique" style mixes. This disc wasn't seriously a "special" one...but could have had better songs a longer track listing. I always thought of this CD as an introduction and a perfect prologue to there breakthrough album "Tragic Kingdom".
One of the virtues of Gwen Stefani's guttural voice is the fact that it works well with any style No Doubt decides to use.
A little more rocking then "Tragic Kingdom", "The Beacon Street Collection" features Reggae style horns and playful melodies that become instant sing along hooks.
The first song that got me into this "heavy/rocking" record was "Stricken", which I found adorable. The horns, the lyrics, the vocals...everything was just adorable. I found myself singing along to this track EVERYDAY, haha!
Another neat song was "By The Way". I loved the elegant tasteful melodie and instruments used here. It features Gwen's "Mature" voice along with the neat chorus lines.
Some of the songs here sorta sounded a little too schizophrenic...same melodies, same instruments, same vocal "style". It gets tiring after a while, but keeps you rocking at the same time.
"Snakes" featured an extrememly "heavy Metal" beat to it which I found appealing and cool as well. They even played this track in the movie called "Beavus and Butthead Do America". Even though I found the beat and music in the backround appealing, the lyrics and vocal "style" were a little cheap and effortless...they could have done better.
"Greener Pastures" was a wonderful song by me and is easily the best track on this album, while "Open The Gate" serves as an excellent opener to the CD. "That's Just Me" sounded completely the same as "By The Way".
The problem with all of these songs is Gwen Stefani's vocals needs to change a bit...in every song on here she uses the same voice tone and almost the same melody as well. Part of making a CD is to keep the listeners ears excited and willing to keep on listening.
But all in all, "Beacon Street Collection" is a great prologue to "Tragic Kingdom" and features No Doubt's Punk/Rock influences along with there own quirky spin on ska. The album had two singles, but this CD wasn't anything "Special" by me. I love listening to it cuZ im a typical no doubt fan, but a lot of the songs sound too much alike, and Gwen's vocals need to change "Style" a bit...


Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Exercising