Worcester Telegram & Gazette (June 18th 2000)
No Doubt finds itself in a position to experiment
Some bands turn success into a formula. No Doubt, on the other hand, used its commercial triumph as a springboard to try new things.
No Doubt's new "Return of Saturn" CD is by no means a regurgitation of the band's breakthrough disc, "Tragic Kingdom."
"Everything that's happened to us in the last five years has come as such a surprise. `Tragic Kingdom' got us so much national exposure. Before that we had our little thing going on for years in clubs. We had a little name for ourselves. After `Tragic Kingdom' we wanted to see if we could better ourselves," said No Doubt guitarist Tom Dumont.
The resulting "Return of Saturn" is a smoking pop album; it's got some nifty New Wave flourishes and pleasing nods to the music of The Beatles. "Return of Saturn" has very little of the ska influence that helped boost "Tragic Kingdom" into the spotlight in 1996, some six months after its release.
What "Tragic Kingdom" fans will find the same on "Return of Saturn" is a tight, bouncy band given a signature accent with the vocal stylings of Gwen Stefani. Dumont, drummer Adrian Young and bass player Tony Kanal display the natural chemistry and prowess one would expect from a group that's been together in this form since 1989 (earlier versions of the band were banging around the Orange County, Calif., club scene since 1987).
Added Firepower
The addition of keyboard and trombone player Gabrial McNair and trumpet player Stephen Bradley to the band's touring lineup brings added firepower to the No Doubt repertoire. No Doubt teams with Lit and Black Eyed Peas for a diverse modern-rock bill landing Thursday in the FleetBoston Pavilion in Boston.
While Eric Stefani, Gwen's brother, helped shape the band's early sound with his keyboard style and ska-influenced horn charts, his departure from the band after the recording of "Tragic Kingdom" almost meant by default that the band's next album would have a different sound.
The band started writing new songs in early 1999. Stefani's diary- style spin through the romance cycle provides plenty of pop tune fodder for the band. Dumont said that a tour of clubs in April and now a swing through larger venues is proving the new songs -- "Just A Girl," "Spiderwebs" and "Don't Speak" -- have some appeal to the fans that flocked to "Tragic Kingdom."
`Ego Gratifying'
"This is our sixth show on this tour, and people are singing along to the new songs," Dumont said from his stop in Virginia Beach last week. "I love watching the people sing. Some are belting out tunes, putting on their own little show. `Bathwater' and `Ex-Girlfriend' have people singing along. That's ego gratifying to see people singing your songs. Then the songs off the last record that were on the radio, everyone knows and sings along. It's a shared rock moment."
The big sing-along was not even a remote dream when No Doubt began playing as teens along the all-ages club scene in Southern California. Citing Fishbone and Madness as guiding lights, band leader Eric Stefani marshaled the group to some regional prominence by the fall of 1987. Then the band was rocked when original lead singer John Spence committed suicide.
No Doubt disbanded briefly after the tragedy. The band decided to continue on with Gwen moving from background singer to lead vocals. Dumont left a heavy metal band to join No Doubt during that rebuilding period. Drummer Young came on in 1989 and the band broadened its ska-punk sound.
In 1991, Interscope Records signed No Doubt to a record contract, and the band's self-titled CD released the following year landed with a thud.
Touring by Van
After touring the country by van, No Doubt started recording "Tragic Kingdom" in early 1993. Eric Stafani split from the group to become a full-time animator on "The Simpsons" TV show before the disc was released.
"Tragic Kingdom" hit stores in the fall of 1995, and before that No Doubt took part in that summer's inaugural run of the Warped Tour, which rekindled interest in the group.
Breakup
Punky songs such as "Just a Girl" and "Excuse Me Mr." became rock radio hits while the ballad "Don't Speak," inspired by the romantic breakup between Kanal and Gwen Stefani, became a Top 40 staple.
Tons of touring and radio, TV and national print exposure made No Doubt, and Gwen in particular, household names and trend setters.
Dumont said it was tough to create headlining concert sets out of one well-known album and a collection of odds and ends. Lots of songs were stretched out, augmented and had audience participation gimmicks added.
For this tour, Dumonts said No Doubt can thankfully trim the fat from "Just A Girl" and "Don't Speak."
"We're actually playing truer versions of those songs now," Dumont said. "We had to stretch those songs on the last tour. Now they are pared down to their original forms with no filler. The amazing thing is, `Just a Girl' still just rocks. It really gets people going."
Even if nothing on "Return of Saturn" provides a similar jolt to the fans and record-buyers who scooped up 15 million copies of "Tragic Kingdom," Dumont said he and the rest of the band are happy with the songs they wrote.
"We can control the writing of the songs. We can control how they sound when we record them. We can control how a whole record is made," Dumont said. "What we can't control is how people will react, if there will be a hit."