| In Your Face | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 1986 | |||
| Recorded | 1986 | |||
| Studio | Sunset Sound Factory (Hollywood) Ocean Way Recording (Los Angeles) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 33:50 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | David Kahne | |||
| Fishbone chronology | ||||
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| Singles from In Your Face | ||||
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In Your Face is the debut studio album by Americanrock bandFishbone, released in November 1986. It is the band's second major label release forColumbia Records following theirself-titled EP from the previous year.
As would be characteristic of the band's music for their entire career,In Your Face contains a mix ofska,reggae,soul,punk andfunk, but displayed very little influence inhard rock andheavy metal as the band would adopt in future records.[3]
Thecover art of the originalvinyl LP was designed to give the illusion that no certain side of the record was the front, back, up or down of the record. This was achieved by placing abarcode on both sides of the record and by printing the band and record name on all four sides of every edge of the record sleeve. Instead of an ordered track listing the tracks were listed haphazardly between both sides with each song title printed in a different contradictory direction. Finally, each side showed three of the six band members also oriented at opposite angles from each other. When someone handling the record saw where therecord jacket opened they may have realized the two most likely correct orientations for the album cover. However the illusion was impaired by the inclusion of aparental advisory sticker on only one side of the record and the artwork of the CD version of the album which used the side with singerAngelo Moore on the cover and placed the entire track list on the opposite side.
The band toured in support of the album withMurphy's Law and headlinersBeastie Boys on theLicensed to Ill tour in February and March 1987.[4][5] A music video for the album's only single, "When Problems Arise," was directed byGary Weis andTony Basil[4][6][7] and features the band performing with a group ofhula dancers.[8] CBS and Columbia Records placed a full-page ad for the album on page five of the October 25, 1986 issue ofBillboard.[9]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | B−[2] |
| Rolling Stone | [10] |
Fishbone's previous EP had done better than expected and expectations at Columbia Records were raised forIn Your Face which led to radio support by CBS.[4] However, Fishbone still had a considerable challenge reaching a larger audience within the American music industry which was still racially segregated during the 1980s and was not prepared to market to both black and white audiences. As a result, the album did not have sales significantly stronger than theFishbone EP.[11]
Reviews at the time were generally mixed-to-positive. Nelson George, writing forBillboard, reviewed the album favorably, calling it "groove-conscious" and containing "lyrical and melodic depth." He further commented that the band had potential to be a major act in the world of black music and the music industry as a whole.[12] ForThe Miami Herald, Tom Moon was also positive saying the album was perfect for a party, praising the mix of punk, ska and New Orleans influences and commenting that "Fishbone's time has come."[13] In a review forThe New York Times, Jon Pareles called it a "Rock Album of the Week," but was mixed in his response, praising the more mature sound and handful of politically conscious tracks but criticizing the uneven blend of absurd humor and serious themes.[14]
Retrospective reviews were more mixed to average. Greg Prato forAllMusic said the album was an incomplete exploration of their sound although it was still an important moment in the career toward achieving the greater successes of later albums.[1] Robert Christgau gave the album a B− and said "...they look like 2-Tone fashion plates and sound like big-time new-wave satirists, which suggests their stock in trade is haircuts".[2] The album also received three-out-of-five stars fromThe New Rolling Stone Album Guide, published in 2004.[10]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "When Problems Arise" | Kendall Jones, John Norwood Fisher,David Kahne | 3:56 |
| 2. | "A Selection" | Angelo Moore, Jones, Kahne | 3:03 |
| 3. | "Cholly" | Moore, Jones | 2:50 |
| 4. | "I Wish I Had a Date" | Moore, Walter A. Kibby II | 2:03 |
| 5. | "A Movement in the Light" | Jones | 3:44 |
| 6. | "Give It Up" | Jones, Moore, Kahne | 3:14 |
| 7. | "In the Air" | Jones, Moore, Fisher, Kahne | 3:36 |
| 8. | "Turn the Other Way" | Jones, Moore | 5:08 |
| 9. | "Knock It" | Kibby, Fisher, Kahne | 3:49 |
| 10. | "'Simon Says' the Kingpin" | Moore | 1:25 |
| 11. | "Post Cold War Politics" | Moore | 1:01 |
