Bought and Sold Out in the USA

No Doubt

Tragic Kingdom

1995, Trauma

produced by Matthew Wilder

Gwen Stefani - vocals

Eric Stefani - keyboards

Tom Dumont - guitar

Tony Kanal - bass

Adrian Young - drums

Phil Jordan - trumpet

Gabrial McNair - trombone

Stephen Bradley - trumpet

singles- 

• Just a Girl/ Different People
• Spiderwebs/ Sailin' On/ Just a Girl
• Don't Speak/ Greener Pastures/ Hey You
• Excuse Me, Mr. 
• Happy Now?/ Oi to the World
• Sunday Morning/ Oi to the World/ By the Way
• Hey You

There are a few things to say about this album.  Say what you want about Gwen Stefani and No Doubt recently, but this particular album that started their pop career is very very well done.  The number of chart topping singles alone give a clue as to the response to the album.  What is popular on the radio in relation to actual talent can be debated, but sometimes pop music gets it right.

Part of the success of this particular album is the involvement of founding member Eric Stefani.  Gwen Stefani's older brother did most of the writing.  He left the band during the recording of the album, and eventually made a career of animation, most famously on the Simpsons.  His break with the group has been described as being very Brian Wilson-like, complete with depression and creative control issues.  

This album is a great example of the beginning of the end of Ska music as a genre in pop music.  No Doubt would never be the same again, as Eric Stefani was no longer in the band.  They would continue to blend their pop punk sound with other genres like hip hop and funk, but could not keep themselves from sounding like a gimmick band.  

This is the only No Doubt album I own, and there is a reason.