No Doubt Return Of Saturn on 2LP
Originally released in 2000, Return of Saturn is the highly anticipated fourth full-length from the Southern California new wave/ska inspired group No Doubt and follow-up to their breakthrough 1995 album Tragic 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 Saturn is 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 of Tragic Kingdom. While that youthful recording reflects the concerns and observations of a band at the edge of possibility, Return of Saturn represents 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 Saturn was recorded in two Los Angeles studios during 1998 and 1999. Twelve of the album's 13 songs were produced by Glen 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. Songs on Return of Saturn like "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 of No Doubt's three previous albums (1992's No Doubt, 1995's Beacon 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!
