Return of Saturn

Description

Originally released in 2000,Return of Saturnis the highly anticipated fourth full-length from the Southern California new wave/ska inspired groupNo Doubtand follow-up to their breakthrough 1995 albumTragic Kingdom. The album’s title refers to the notion that in the first 29 years of someone’s life (the same time it takes the planet Saturn to orbit the Sun), a person is only beginning to understand himself or herself.
The culmination of two years of creative blood, sweat and tears for the quartet,Return of Saturnis a bold and exciting coming-of-age saga. An intimate view of the world as seen by a group of musicians and friends who watched their humble worlds turned literally upside-down by the unexpected (though well-deserved) success ofTragic Kingdom. While that youthful recording reflects the concerns and observations of a band at the edge of possibility,Return of Saturnrepresents that same group looking collectively inward. What they saw and what they created those two years, will surprise and fascinate you. “Who am I, and how did I get to this point in my life, when I thought I was going to be something completely different? – that pretty much sums up the subject of this album,” explains Gwen.
Return of Saturnwas recorded in two Los Angeles studios during 1998 and 1999. Twelve of the album’s 13 songs were produced byGlen Ballard, (Alanis Morissette, Aerosmith), whose contribution was a key ingredient in the album’s creation while the track, “New” (also heard on the GO soundtrack) was produced by the band withJerry Harrison(Talking Heads, Live). Songs onReturn of Saturnlike “Marry Me,” “Simple Kind of Life” and the album’s first single “Ex Girlfriend” also show vocalist Gwen Stefani in a reflective and unashamedly romantic mood.
In light of the international success of Tragic Kingdom(more than 15 million copies sold worldwide, including over 11 million in the U.S.), the four band members were bound to be subject to any number of outside influences and pressures when it came time to make their follow-up. Drummer Adrian Young notes “We were just more conscious of the fact that we’re following a huge record, and we need good songs, but I don’t know what kind of album we wanted, or expected to make. It was very experimental most of the time. In fact, we didn’t have any predisposition about it. That’s always a good way for us to approach the music. We’ve always been across the board, stylistically, and I’m glad we didn’t lose that part of the band.” he says.
The music on each ofNo Doubt’sthree previous albums (1992’sNo Doubt, 1995’sBeacon Street Incident,Tragic Kingdom) runs the stylistic gamut, mixing in as many influences as the band members can think of, and this collection is no different!
No DoubtReturn Of SaturnTrack Listing:
LP11. Ex-Girlfriend2. Simple Kind of Life3. Bathwater4. Six Feet Under5. Magic’s In The Makeup6. Artificial Sweetener7. Marry Me
LP21. New2. Too Late3. Comforting Lie4. Suspension5. Staring Problem6. Home Now7. Dark Blue