When Fishbone's The Reality of My Surroundings was released in 1991, several critics went as far as comparing its all-encompassing brilliance to that of Sgt.
Pepper's.
While it may have been too high of a praise, Fishbone's third full-length album is indeed exceptional.
Their preceding album, Truth and Soul, had been straightforward in its approach.
In contrast, Reality is more unpredictable and off-the-wall, but just as gripping.
While not all of the selections exactly hit the spot (the pointless four-part "If I Were a...I'd," "Naz-Tee May'en," and "Babyhead"), its many bright spots outshine the misfires.
Fishbone continue to explore their hard rock side on such standouts as "Fight the Youth," "Behavior Control Technician," "Those Days Are Gone," and the crushing album closer, "Sunless Saturday." But as on their older releases, other music styles are digested and spit out -- the wonderful tribute to Sly & the Family Stone, "Everyday Sunshine," the reggae-tinged "Pray to the Junkiemaker," the explosive punk rocker "Pressure," and the humorous funk of "Housework." The Reality of My Surroundings would prove to be Fishbone's last great album, unfortunately.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fight the YouthJohn Norwood Fisher, Patrice Fisher, Kendall Jones | Fishbone | Play | 05:00 | 11 MB | 37 MB |
| 2 | If I Were A...I'dChris Dowd, Angelo Moore | Fishbone | Play | 00:53 | 2 MB | 6 MB |
| 3 | So Many MillionsJohn Norwood Fisher, Angelo Moore | Fishbone | Play | 05:49 | 13 MB | 43 MB |
| 4 | Asswhippin'John Bigham, Chris Dowd, John Norwood Fisher, Patrice Fisher, Walter Adam Kibby II, Kendall Jones, Angelo Moore | Fishbone | Play | 00:38 | 1 MB | 4 MB |
| 5 | HouseworkJohn Norwood Fisher, Patrice Fisher, Walter Adam Kibby II, Kendall Jones, Angelo Moore | Fishbone | Play | 04:45 | 10 MB | 35 MB |
| 6 | Death MarchChris Dowd, Angelo Moore | Fishbone | Play | 00:32 | 1 MB | 3 MB |
| 7 | Behavior Control TechnicianJohn Norwood Fisher, Patrice Fisher | Fishbone | Play | 03:08 | 7 MB | 23 MB |
| 8 | If I Were A...I'dChris Dowd, Angelo Moore | Fishbone | Play | 00:53 | 2 MB | 6 MB |
| 9 | PressureKendall Jones, Angelo Moore | Fishbone | Play | 04:47 | 10 MB | 35 MB |
| 10 | Junkies PrayerChris Dowd, John Norwood Fisher, Kendall Jones, Angelo Moore | Fishbone | Play | 03:00 | 6 MB | 20 MB |
| 11 | Pray to the JunkiemakerChris Dowd, Angelo Moore | Fishbone | Play | 04:02 | 9 MB | 29 MB |
| 12 | Everyday SunshineChris Dowd, Christopher Dowd, Angelo Moore | Fishbone | Play | 04:56 | 11 MB | 37 MB |
| 13 | If I Were A...I'dChris Dowd, Angelo Moore | Fishbone | Play | 00:53 | 2 MB | 6 MB |
| 14 | Naz-Tee May'enJohn Norwood Fisher, Patrice Fisher, Kendall Jones, Angelo Moore | Fishbone | Play | 04:55 | 11 MB | 36 MB |
| 15 | BabyheadWalter Adam Kibby II, W. Kibby | Fishbone | Play | 05:31 | 12 MB | 35 MB |
| 16 | If I Were A...I'dChris Dowd, Angelo Moore | Fishbone | Play | 00:53 | 2 MB | 6 MB |
| 17 | Those Days Are GoneChris Dowd, John Norwood Fisher | Fishbone | Play | 05:23 | 12 MB | 39 MB |
| 18 | Sunless SaturdayKendall Jones | Fishbone | Play | 04:17 | 9 MB | 32 MB |
| 60 mins | 138 MB | |||||
| 60 mins | 440 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Aguilera-Hellweg | Photography |
| 2 | Kyle Beff | Assistant Engineer |
| 3 | Greg Bell | Vocals (Background) |
| 4 | John Bigham | Composer |
| 5 | Niko Bolas | Mixing |
| 6 | Dan Bosworth | Assistant Engineer |
| 7 | Michael Brauer | Mixing |
| 8 | Vicky Calhoun | Vocals (Background) |
| 9 | Aklia Chin | Vocals (Background) |
| 10 | Jeff Conners | Vocals (Background) |
| 11 | Chris Dowd | Composer |
| 12 | Christopher Dowd | Composer |
| 13 | Stacy Drummond | Art Direction, Design |
| 14 | Rich Engstrom | Assistant Engineer |
| 15 | Ken Felton | Assistant Engineer |
| 16 | Fishbone | Primary Artist, Producer |
| 17 | Laurence Fishburne | Vocals (Background) |
| 18 | John Norwood Fisher | Composer |
| 19 | Patrice Fisher | Composer |
| 20 | Clark Germain | Engineer |
| 21 | James Grey | Vocals (Background) |
| 22 | Mark Guilbeault | Assistant Engineer |
| 23 | Nadja Haynes | Vocals (Background) |
| 24 | Wendell Holmes | Vocals (Background) |
| 25 | Steve Holroyd | Assistant Engineer |
| 26 | Natalie Jackson | Vocals (Background) |
| 27 | Kendall Jones | Composer |
| 28 | David Kahne | Associate Producer, Producer |
| 29 | W. Kibby | Composer |
| 30 | Walter Adam Kibby II | Composer |
| 31 | Sylvia Massy | Assistant Engineer |
| 32 | Gaz Mayall | Vocals (Background) |
| 33 | Angelo Moore | Composer |
| 34 | Clif Norrell | Assistant Engineer |
| 35 | Thom Panunzio | Mixing |
| 36 | Clip Payne | Vocals (Background) |
| 37 | Fernando Pullum | Trumpet |
| 38 | Susan Rogers | Vocals (Background) |
| 39 | Rail Jon Rogut | Assistant Engineer |
| 40 | Eric Rudd | Assistant Engineer |
| 41 | Joel Stoner | Engineer |
| 42 | Susan Stovall | Vocals (Background) |
| 43 | Chris Theis | Assistant Engineer |
| 44 | Wally Traugott | Mastering |
| 45 | Kristen Vigard | Vocals (Background) |
| 46 | Byron West | Mixing, Vocals (Background) |
| 47 | Randy Wine | Assistant Engineer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |