Producers: David Kahne, Fishbone.

Compilation producer: Jerry Rappaport.

Recorded between 1984 & 1993. Includes liner notes by Adrian Young.

Personnel: Kendall Jones (vocals, guitar); Angelo Moore (vocals, saxophone, Theremin); Chris Dowd (vocals, trombone, keyboards); Lisa Grant (vocals); David Kahne (guitar, keyboards); Billy "Bass" Nelson (background vocals).

Liner Note Authors: Matt Hall; Adrian Young.

Recording information: 02/1984-??/1993.

Photographers: Michael Llewellyn; Chapman Baehler.

Before No Doubt made ska suitable for new millennium pop kids, Fishbone was first to mess things up with its reggae-tinged, punk-inspired rambunctious rock sound. This Los Angeles-based six-piece spent the 1980s composing a healthy, funkdafied beat that was part metal and part pop. The college scene found the band highly amusing years later, not to mention an infectious live act, so naturally Fishbone cemented a place in what would become "alternative rock" in the decade to come. The Essential Fishbone is a look back at band's rowdy rock party, a definitive selection of classics for the casual fan, but also a decent collection for Fishbone loyalists. Early hits "Party at Ground Zero" and "Skankin' to the Beat" -- rooted in Fishbone's signature frantic ska -- are featured, as well as the bass-driven staple "When Problems Arise." Other highlights consist of "Freddie's Dead" and "Bonin' in the Boneyard," but fans will be pleased with the chosen cuts from 1991's stunning release The Reality of My Surroundings. Everything after that, with the exception of "Unyielding Condition" and "Lemon Meringue" from 1993's lackluster Give a Monkey a Brain and He'll Swear He's the Center of the Universe, is ignored. That's OK though, for The Essential Fishbone is solid enough to last without the oddly experimental moments made on Chim Chim's Badass Revenge (1996) and The Psychotic Friends Nuttwerx (2000). ~ MacKenzie Wilson

Once upon a time in the 1980s, the word "alternative" was not an over-used appellation in rock music. Instead, it described bands like Fishbone--groups whose manic musical energy burned through genre distinctions in a way that made them totally unfit for mainstream acceptance. As representatives of this bygone era, and as a remarkable entity unto themselves, Fishbone stand as exemplars of "alternative," and THE ESSENTIAL FISHBONE proves why.

A healthy sampler of this Los Angeles sextet's output, ESSENTIAL ranges from Fishbone's earliest ska-heavy releases (think Oingo Boingo meets the Specials) like "Party at Ground Zero" to the metal crunch of "Sunless Saturday" from its most ambitious studio album, THE REALITY OF MY SURROUNDINGS. In between is quirky New Wave ("When Problems Arise"), bouncy funk ("Bonin' in the Boneyard"), celebratory soul rave-ups ("Everyday Sunshine"), and acoustic balladry ("Change"). The dreamy funk of "Lemon Meringue" and the fine cover of Curtis Mayfield's "Freddie's Dead" are additional highlights. This is exuberant, original music that makes one miss the college-rock heyday of the late '80s and early '90s.