40 Oz. to Freedom

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40 oz to Freedom
Studio album by Sublime
Released	1992
Recorded	1991-1992 at Mambo in Long Beach, California
Genre	Ska-punk Hardcore punk Dub
Length	69:15
Label	Skunk Records, Gasoline Alley/MCA
Producer	Sublime
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
Sublime chronology
Jah Won't Pay the Bills (1991) 40 oz to Freedom (1992) Robbin' the Hood (1994)

40 Oz. to Freedom is the 1992 debut album by the Southern California ska-punk band Sublime. 40 oz to Freedom received mixed critical reviews upon its first release, but is now generally approved as a sincere record, with many spots of brilliance and ingenuity. Sublime would not achieve any mainstream success until the release of their eponymous album, two months after the overdose death of their lead singer and guitarist, Bradley Nowell, in 1996 (see 1996 in music). 40 oz to Freedom is one of the most popular albums released in the third-wave of ska. Its sound blended various forms of Jamaican music, including ska (Date Rape), rocksteady ("5446-That's My Number"), roots reggae ("Smoke Two Joints") and dub ("Let's Go Get Stoned", "D.J.s") with British and American hardcore punk ("New Thrash", "Hope"), hip hop ("Scarlet Begonias") and folk music ("Rivers of Babylon").

The album ranked at #10 for Top 100 Albums of 1992 and #402 for overall by Rate Your Music.

Contents 1 History 2 Track listing 3 Personnel 3.1 Additional personnel 4 Production 5 Chart positions 5.1 Album

[edit] History

In 1995 (see 1995 in music), Sublime sent a radio CD to the influential radio station KROQ, and one of 40 oz to Freedom's songs, "Date Rape", became the most requested song on the station, leading the album to appear at #1 for five weeks on Billboard magazine's (North America) Pacific Region chart, and to appear on the Alternative Artist Albums Chart for fifty weeks. The band then signed with MCA Records, which, along with the birth of his son, convinced Nowell to voluntarily enter rehab. Though he remained clean for several months, Nowell died of a heroin overdose shortly before the release of Sublime's breakthrough album, Sublime.

On the original pressing of the album, which was distributed independently by Skunk Records, there were two additional songs. "Get Out!" appeared as the second track, and the theme from "Rawhide" was included on the same track as "Date Rape". Also, there were some samples included in "We're Only Gonna Die" and "Let's Go Get Stoned". The former two tracks and the latter samples had to be removed for national distribution due to copyright issues. Other differences on the original pressing include the fact that "Rivers of Babylon", a folky religious song originally by The Melodians, and the outro, "Thanx", were hidden tracks.

The album has six covers: "Smoke Two Joints" (by The Toyes, commonly thought to originally be by Bob Marley), "We're Only Gonna Die" (by Bad Religion), "5446" (by Toots & the Maytals), "Scarlet Begonias" (by Grateful Dead), "Rivers of Babylon" (by The Melodians), and "Hope" (by the Descendents).

[edit] Track listing

1. "Waiting for My Ruca" (Nowell)– 2:20
   • Contains sample of "History Lesson - Part II" by the Minutemen
   • Contains sample of "Tough" by Kurtis Blow
2. "40 oz. to Freedom" (Nowell)– 3:02
3. "Smoke Two Joints" (C. Kay, M. Kay)– 2:53
   • Originally Recorded by The Toyes
   • Contains sample of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
   • Contains samples of "Outside!" by The Ziggens
   • Contains sample of "No More" by Eazy-E
4. "We're Only Gonna Die for Our Arrogance" (Graffin)
   • Cover of "We're Only Gonna Die" by Bad Religion
5. "Don't Push" (Nowell)– 4:18
6. "54-46 That's My Number/Ball and Chain" (Hibbert, Nowell)– 5:17
   • "54-46 That's My Number" was originally recorded by Toots & the Maytals
7. "Badfish" (Nowell)– 3:04
8. "Let's Go Get Stoned" (Nowell)– 3:32
   • Contains samples of "Just Don't Bite It" by N.W.A
   • Contains samples of "Rebel Without a Pause" by Public Enemy
   • Contains sample of "Contract on the World Love Jam" by Public Enemy
   • Contains sample of "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)" by the Beastie Boys
9. "New Thrash" (Nowell)– 1:30
10. "Scarlet Begonias" (Hunter,Garcia)– 3:31
    • Originally recorded by The Grateful Dead
    • Contains samples of "Funky Drummer" by James Brown
11. "Live at E's" (Nowell)- 3:08
12. "D.J.s" (Nowell)– 3:18
    • Contains lyrics from "A Message To You Rudy" by The Specials
13. "Chica Me Tipo" (Nowell)– 2:16
14. "Right Back" (Nowell)– 2:49
15. "What Happened" (Nowell)– 3:27
    • Contains sample from "Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin
    • Contains elements of "Tequila" by The Champs
16. "New Song" (Nowell)– 3:14
    • Contains sample from "Atomic Dog" by George Clinton
17. "Ebin" (Nowell)– 3:32
18. "Date Rape/Rawhide"* (Nowell)– 3:37 (4:38)
19. "Hope" (Auckerman)– 1:43
    • Originally recorded by Descendents
20. "KRS-One" (Nowell,Parker)– 2:23
    • Contains sample from "Charlie Mack" by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
    • Contains samples from "The Style You Haven't Done Yet" and "You Must Learn" by KRS-One
    • Contains sample from "Tough" by Kurtis Blow
21. "Rivers of Babylon" (Dowe,McNaughton)- 2:29
    • Originally recorded by The Melodians
22. "Thanx Dub"** (Sublime)- 4:23 (6:23)

*"Get Out" and "Rawhide" were included on the original Skunk Records release of the album, but were removed from the later Gasoline Alley/MCA re-release due to legal issues with the samples and other copyrighted material used in them. "Rawhide" had originally been appended at the end of "Date Rape." "We're Only Gonna Die for Our Arrogance" and "Let's Go Get Stoned" had also used unlicensed samples on the original release which were later removed from the songs, hence the two different track lengths listed.

**Tracks 22 and 23 are unlisted on the album sleeve. Track 23 is commonly referred to as "Thanx" or "Thanks Dub" and had an extended length of 6:23 on the original release of the album.

[edit] Personnel

Sublime

• Bradley Nowell - vocals, guitar, percussion, sampler, bass
• Eric Wilson - bass, organ, vocals, congas
• Bud Gaugh - drums on tracks 7, 8, 12 and 16 (MCA release)
• Marshall Goodman - drums, turntables, vocals
• Michael "Miguel" Happoldt - sampler, guitar, vocals, piano, organ

[edit] Additional personnel

• Todd Foreman - saxophone
• Chris Hauser - trumpet
• Nick Martin - trombone
• Brian Wallace - baritone sax
• Duane Hartman - alto sax
• Adam - vocals, congas
• Jack Maness - vocals, guitar

[edit] Production

• Producers: Michael "Miguel" Happoldt, Sublime
• Mastering: Brian Gardner
• Artwork: Opie Ortiz
• Photos: Josh Coffman

[edit] Chart positions

[edit] Album

Year	Album	Chart	Position
1995	40 oz to Freedom	Heatseekers	No. 15
1995	40 oz to Freedom	The Billboard 200	No. 140

v • d • e Sublime Bud Gaugh · Bradley Nowell · Eric Wilson Demo Jah Won't Pay the Bills Studio albums 40 Oz. to Freedom · Robbin' the Hood · Sublime Compilation and Live albums Second-hand Smoke · Stand by Your Van · Sublime Acoustic: Bradley Nowell & Friends · Greatest Hits · 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Sublime · Gold · Everything Under the Sun Popular songs "Date Rape" · "Smoke Two Joints" · "What I Got" · "Wrong Way" · "Doin' Time" · "Santeria" · "April 29, 1992 (Miami)" · "Poolshark" Tributes and successive bands Look at All the Love We Found · Forever Free · Long Beach Dub Allstars · Long Beach Shortbus · Badfish