Sublime: Robbin' The Hood (2LP) [SKUNK / GEFFEN]

Why you'll love it

This 2LP set remasters the album across four sides. It's Sublime at their loosest and most experimental, a sprawl of dub, punk, acoustic sketches and reggae covers, with No Doubt's Gwen Stefani guesting before either band broke big.

This edition

• 2LP set
• Remastered

About the album

The sleeve proudly lists 13 self-produced 4-track home recordings, and that tells you most of what you need to know. Bradley Nowell, Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh made Robbin' the Hood on their own terms for their own Skunk Records, stitching together songs, samples, dubs and found sound into a scrapbook of the Long Beach trio at play.

"Saw Red" with Stefani is a sweet, rocking duet, the band covers Joe Higgs's "Steppin' Razor" (later made famous by Peter Tosh), "Boss D.J." borrows from Aswad, and "Greatest-Hits" gives a nod to their labelmates the Ziggens. Listen closely to "Lincoln Highway Dub" and you'll hear the chord progression they later reused for their hit Santeria. They also cut early demos of songs that would turn up on their next album during these sessions.

It was the band's last studio album in Nowell's lifetime, and it bridges the rough charm of 40oz. to Freedom and the self-titled record that followed. It's proof you don't need a big studio to make a cult classic, just a 4-track and some very understanding neighbours.

Also at Kops: more Sublime on vinyl · browse Alternative

Tracklist

Listen

On Skunk / Geffen (cat# B0024674-01), a reissue of the 1994 album.