Faith No More
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| Faith No More
<tr style="text-align: center;"><td colspan="3">Image:Magnificent-bastards-faith-no-more.png Faith No More in 1998 </td></tr>
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| Background information
<tr><td>Origin</td><td colspan="2">San Francisco, California, USA</td></tr><tr><td>Genre(s)</td><td colspan="2">Alternative metal |
Faith No More was a highly influential experimental alternative rock / metal group that formed in San Francisco, California in 1982 and disbanded in 1998. Over the course of their 16 year career, Faith No More's vocalists and guitarists changed. However, the band's most prominent singer was Mike Patton.
Their music combined elements of heavy metal, funk, prog rock, soul, hip hop, and jazz, among others.
Contents |
[edit] History
Faith No More formed in 1982 out of the ashes of Faith No Man, a band formed and headed by Mike "The Man" Morris. Roddy Bottum, Mike Bordin, and Bill Gould left Faith No Man. They chose the name "Faith No More" at the suggestion of a friend (as "The Man" was no more). After cycling through a few guitarists, the members recruited Jim Martin. A number of singers were tried, including a six-month stint by Courtney Love as confirmed by Mike Bordin in a 1997 interview (Courtney was, and remains, a friend of Roddy's) [1]. An airing on San Francisco Public Access TV has since surfaced of her performing with the band during their alleged "New Romantic phase".
Chuck Mosely became the band's full time singer and appeared on their first two records. A well known song from this era is "We Care a Lot", a satire of the prevalence of charity-related rock efforts such as Live Aid and "We Are the World". The song is also notable as one of the first rock songs to seamlessly blend in hip hop music.
During this period, the band gained a reputation for serious infighting and friction. In a notorious interview[citation needed] in 1987, Mosely claimed that Martin had hit him with a bottle, and there were frequent rumours of physical confrontations between band members. Indeed, in a short history of the band in one issue, the British music newspaper Melody Maker observed that the band's internal relationships had descended into "pathological hatred". Bordin in particular seemed to be very much the "whipping boy" of the band and the butt of numerous cruel pranks and practical jokes. It is doubtful that the band would have stayed together had they not been successful after their second album, Introduce Yourself.
Mosely was fired in 1988, and replaced with eclectic singer Mike Patton, who was singing with his old high school band Mr. Bungle. Patton dropped out of Humboldt State University to join Faith No More and went on to record the Grammy award nominated album The Real Thing.
The Real Thing (or TRT for short) has been described as "early Brian Eno joins Led Zeppelin and Funkadelic." [2] The video for "Epic", which featured slow motion footage of a fish flopping out of water, received extensive airplay on MTV in the summer of 1990, despite provoking anger from animal rights activists. That same year, Faith No More gave memorable performances at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards (September 6) and on Saturday Night Live (December 1).
Faith No More displayed a even more distinctly experimental bent on their next album, Angel Dust. One critic writes that the album is "one of the more complex and simply confounding records ever released by a major label," [3] and another writes that "'A Small Victory', which seems to run Madame Butterfly through Metallica and Nile Rodgers … reveals a developing facility for combining unlikely elements into startlingly original concoctions." [4] Angel Dust featured the singles "Midlife Crisis" and "A Small Victory", as well as a re-recording of the theme to the film Midnight Cowboy. Later pressings of the album also included their cover of the Commodores classic Easy, which in some parts of the world became the band's biggest hit. Angel Dust, though not as successful as TRT in the U.S., sold 700,000 copies there, and did manage to outsell TRT in many other world charts. In Germany, for example, the record was certified Gold for sales of more than 270,000 copies. Along with heavy airplay of "Easy" and "Midlife Crisis", the album became a bit of a sleeper hit in the UK, South America, Europe and Australia.
After touring to support Angel Dust in the summer of 1992, longtime guitarist Jim Martin left the band during the early stages of recording their follow-up, King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime (or KFAD/FFAL) in 1995. He was replaced by Mr. Bungle guitarist Trey Spruance, who also left soon after; just before the band was to begin their world tour. Spruance was replaced by Dean Menta, the band's keyboard roadie.
KFAD/FFAL was an equally experimental album, varying in styles and moods from heavy and slow to spasmodic and jazzy. KFAD/FFAL did however sell acceptably in the UK and Germany, and even went to #1 on the album charts in Australia. In the U.S. the album failed to get any sort of attraction or following, slipping out of the charts quickly. Sales (about 1.5 million) were below that of Angel Dust. The band accordingly decided to cut their world tour short by 4 months, deleted the singles "Gentle Art Of Making Enemies" and "Take This Bottle", and released a 7 x 7-inch box set of singles that included the B-sides and some interviews between the songs.
Album of the Year was released in 1997 and featured yet another new guitarist, Jon Hudson, who was a former roommate of Billy Gould. The album debuted much higher than expected in some countries, for example Germany (#2, later going gold) and Australia (#1 again, going platinum). In an additional 12 countries in Europe, it went either gold or platinum. In the U.S. the reaction was slow for the album; however, just as interest was picking up on their tours and album they called it a day. Singles "Ashes To Ashes" and "Last Cup Of Sorrow" had minimal success. Electro-tinged ballad "Stripsearch" was released as a single in various countries (excluding the U.S. and UK). "She Loves Me Not" was cancelled as a single which was a little indicator of their imminent break-up.
In April 1998, after 16 years as a band, Faith No More dissolved.
[edit] Side projects and collaborations
In 1991, the Faith No More song "Perfect Crime" appeared on the soundtrack for Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. "Big" Jim Martin also appears briefly in the film.
Faith No More collaborated with the Boo-Yaa TRIBE for the song "Another Body Murdered" on the 1993 Judgment Night soundtrack.
The song "We Care A Lot" was used in the Pauly Shore and Stephen Baldwin movie Bio-Dome (1996) and the John Cusack/Minnie Driver comedy-thriller Grosse Pointe Blank, and has also been used as the theme for the Discovery Channel's show "Dirty Jobs".
"Evidence" from King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime was featured in a montage scene in the "Deception" episode of Homicide: Life on the Streets.
Guitarist Jim Martin went on to collaborate with Anand Bhatt. He has made guest appearances including Antipop by Primus, as well as having released a solo album titled Milk and Blood (1996). He also appeared on Echobrains debut album, credits listing: Jim Martin, guitar > Spoonfed, banjo > The Crazy Song.
In 1998, the Sparks album Plagiarism was released featuring two collaborations with Faith No More ("This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us" and "Something for the Girl with Everything").
In 1998, Billy Gould produced the album Vainajala (1998) by the Finnish rock band CMX. He has also stated that CMX's album Rautakantele was his favourite album of 1995.
Patton went on to collaborate with John Zorn, and has been active with several other groups, including Tomahawk and Fantômas.
In 2002, Math-Metal band The Dillinger Escape Plan released an EP on Epitaph Records with Mike Patton; "Irony Is a Dead Scene".
Keyboardist Roddy Bottum formed Imperial Teen.
Mike Bordin regularly performs as a member of Ozzy Osbourne's band, as well as Black Sabbath and he was also a member of Korn for a tour when their drummer David Silveria had a problem with his wrist. He played drums on Jerry Cantrell's album Degradation Trip.
Billy Gould is a member of Brujeria, as well as founder of Koolarrow Records, and has also overseen the releases of various Faith No More compilations; he also played a few songs on Fear Factory's 2005 album Transgression.
[edit] Influence
Faith No More have been credited as one of the innovators of the rap metal and funk metal genres. Numerous modern bands have cited the band as an influence.
[edit] Outrageous Mike Patton / FNM Moments
- During the 1992 Angel Dust tour with Guns N' Roses:
- At one show in Lisbon, the band invited the audience to throw garbage on stage. Patton then rummaged around and ate some of the trash.
- At another show in Seville, Spain the crowd was throwing empty plastic water bottles at the band. Someone threw a bottle on-stage that had urine in it. At one point in the concert, Mike Patton opened the bottle and poured the contents over his head, plunging the entire audience into shocked silence. Billy Gould and Roddy Bottum have stated that this was their favorite concert.
- Patton defecated in an orange juice carton and then sealed it and returned it to Axl Rose's tourbus vending machine.
- During the MTV Music Awards performance of Epic in 1990, Patton flopped around on stage like the controversial dying fish from the video.
- At a 1995 concert in Chile, the crowd began to spit on the band. Patton encouraged this and even invited people to spit in his open mouth while singing.
- During a European tour, Patton defecated on a park bench in front of Kensington Palace.
- During a 1991 concert in Denmark, Patton told the audience that tour-mates, Lenny Kravitz and Sinéad O'Connor were copulating in the hospitality tent. Kravitz looked on in horror.
- Faith No More gained a reputation for publicly ridiculing their more mainstream tour hosts--especially Guns N' Roses.
- Patton became infamous for talking about his self-stimulation habits in the press. He often wore a t-shirt with a grotesque image of a man sitting on a toilet seat, pleasuring himself, and the words "Girls are OK--but they're not the real thing."
- Roddy Bottum frequently made references to his homosexuality in an effort to alienate the crowd. At a show in Australia, he taunted the crowd: "I heard that homosexuality is illegal here. Too bad, because we were going to have some fun backstage." The song "Be Aggressive" was itself an attempt by Bottum to use it to alienate people (or derive amusement from embarrassing Mike Patton in concert). It became Faith No More's second-most played song in concert.
- Mike Patton regularly did front-flips while singing on stage. He often landed painfully on his back, but would get right up and continue singing without interuption.
- Faith No More was famous for showing their disdain for MTV...on MTV. This can be seen in the Hanging with MTV performance during the Angel Dust era, where the band continuously interrupted a flustered VJ while she was trying to introduce the next video.
[edit] Band members
| Band member | Instrument(s) | Dates | Albums recorded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roddy Bottum | keyboards | 1982-1998 | all |
| Billy Gould | bass | 1982-1998 | all |
| Mike "Puffy" Bordin | drums | 1982-1998 | all |
| "Big" Jim Martin | guitar | 1983-1993 | We Care a Lot, Introduce Yourself, The Real Thing, Angel Dust |
| Mike Patton | vocals | 1988-1998 | The Real Thing, Angel Dust, King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime, Album of the Year |
| Chuck Mosley | vocals | 1983-1988 | We Care a Lot, Introduce Yourself |
| Jon Hudson | guitar | 1997-1998 | Album of the Year |
| Dean Menta | guitar | 1995-1997 | |
| Trey Spruance | guitar | 1995 | King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime |
| Mark Bowen | guitar | 1983 | |
| Wade Worthington | keyboards | 1982 | |
| Courtney Love | vocals | 1983 |
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
 The Real Thing |
 Angel Dust |
||
 King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime |
 Album of the Year |
[edit] Live albums
- Live at the Brixton Academy (1991)
[edit] Compilations
- Who Cares a Lot? (1998)
- This Is It: The Best of Faith No More (2003)
- Epic & Other Hits (2005)
- The Platinum Collection (UK, 2005)
[edit] Singles
- 1987 "We Care a Lot"
- 1988 "Anne's Song"
- 1989 "From Out Of Nowhere", UK #23
- 1990 "Epic", US #9, UK #25
- 1990 "Falling To Pieces", US #92
- 1992 "Midlife Crisis", UK #10
- 1992 "A Small Victory", UK #29
- 1992 "Everything's Ruined", UK #28
- 1993 "Songs to Make Love To", US #52, UK #3
- 1994 "Another Body Murdered" (with Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.), UK #26
- 1995 "Digging the Grave", UK #16
- 1995 "Ricochet", UK #27
- 1995 "Evidence", UK #32
- 1997 "Ashes To Ashes", UK #15
- 1997 "Last Cup Of Sorrow", UK #51
- 1997 "Stripsearch"
- 1998 "I Started a Joke"
[edit] Soundtrack contributions
- 1991 Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey : The Perfect Crime
- 1993 Judgement Night : Another Body Murdered (with the Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.)
[edit] Tribute compilations
- 2002 "Tribute of the Year: A Tribute to Faith No More" (US)
[edit] Videography
[edit] Music videos
(In chronological order)
- We Care A Lot (1988)
- Anne's Song (1988)
- From Out Of Nowhere (two very different versions) (1989)
- Epic (1990)
- Falling To Pieces (two very different versions) (1990)
- Surprise! You're Dead! (1990)
- Midlife Crisis (two not very different versions) (1992)
- A Small Victory (two not very different versions) (1992)
- Everything's Ruined (1992)
- Easy (two different versions of audio) (1992)
- Another Body Murdered (two different versions of audio) (1993)
- Digging The Grave (two not very different versions) (1995)
- Ricochet (two not very different versions)
- Evidence (two very different versions) (1995)
- Ashes To Ashes (1997)
- Last Cup Of Sorrow (1997)
- Stripsearch (1997)
- I Started A Joke (1998)
[edit] Other Music Videos
- From Out Of Nowhere (Live)
- Caffeine (Live From Hanging With MTV) [There are a few more songs that were recorded from this show but only few saw the light.]
- Everything's Ruined (Live) [Billy wears a bumble bee suit in this video. It was a TV appearance.]
- This Guy's In Love With You (Live In Sydney)
[edit] VHS Releases
- Live At Brixton Academy, London: You Fat Bastards
- Video Croissant
- Evidence
- Who Cares A Lot: Greatest Videos
[edit] DVD Releases
Live At The Brixton Academy, London: You Fat Bastards/Who Cares A Lot?: The Greatest Videos
[edit] Trivia
- In October 2004 Midlife Crisis featured in popular videogame Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, playing on fictional Alternative station Radio X.
- The music video for "Last Cup of Sorrow" is based on the Alfred Hitchcock film Vertigo.
[edit] Bibliography
- The Real Thing (Tablature book, available in both guitar and bass format)
- Angel Dust (Tablature book, vailable in both guitar and bass format)
- The Real Story (story about Faith No More)
- King For A Day ... Fool For A Lifetime (tablature book, available in both guitar and bass format)
- Faith No More was also featured in a book about rock bands, along with Mr. Bungle and Fantomas. (Title Needed)
[edit] External links
- A popular fan page
- Caca Volante - a popular FNM and Mr. Bungle news site
- FNM.com - home to FAQ, band history
- [5] - Czech Rock magazine with Faith No More
- sonicwaveintl.com/conflict - CONFLICT ALBUM: Faith No More's Jim Martin project with Anand Clique's Anand Bhatt
| Faith No More |
| Roddy Bottum | Billy Gould | Mike Bordin | Mike Patton | Jon Hudson |
| Chuck Mosely | "Big" Jim Martin | Dean Menta | Trey Spruance | Mark Bowen | Courtney Love | Wade Worthington |
| Discography |
|---|
| Studio albums: We Care a Lot | Introduce Yourself | The Real Thing | Angel Dust | King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime | Album of the Year |
| Lives and compilations: Live at the Brixton Academy | Who Cares a Lot? | This Is It: The Best of Faith No More | Epic & Other Hits | The Platinum Collection |
| Singles: We Care a Lot | Anne's Song | From Out Of Nowhere | Epic | Falling to Pieces | Midlife Crisis | A Small Victory | Everything's Ruined | Songs to Make Love To | Another Body Murdered | Digging the Grave | Ricochet | Evidence | Ashes To Ashes | Last Cup Of Sorrow | Stripsearch | I Started a Joke |
| Related articles |
| Imperial Teen | Mr. Bungle | Faith No Man | Brujeria | Peeping Tom | Coma | Tomahawk | Fantômas |
| Categories: Faith No More albums | Faith No More songs |
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