(Used) FAITH NO MORE cd collection The Real Thing Introduce Yourself Angel Dust
Faith No More built their reputation by refusing to remain within one genre. Their music combines alternative rock, heavy metal, funk, punk, progressive rock and dark humour, held together by Billy Gould’s driving bass, Roddy Bottum’s keyboards and Mike Bordin’s distinctive drumming.
The band’s early albums featured vocalist Chuck Mosley, whose raw delivery gave the music a loose post-punk character. After Mike Patton joined in 1988, Faith No More achieved wider success and became increasingly adventurous. These three CDs capture that important transformation.
The Real Thing
Released in 1989, The Real Thing was the first Faith No More album with Mike Patton. It brought the band international attention through its combination of metallic guitar riffs, funk rhythms, dramatic keyboards and Patton’s remarkably flexible voice.
“Epic” became their breakthrough hit, while “From Out of Nowhere,” “Falling to Pieces,” “Surprise! You’re Dead!” and “Zombie Eaters” demonstrate the album’s range. The band also transforms Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” into a powerful and faithful cover.
The most accessible starting point for new listeners and one of the defining alternative-metal albums of its period.
Introduce Yourself
Released in 1987, Introduce Yourself was Faith No More’s second album and the final studio recording with vocalist Chuck Mosley.
The sound is rougher and more unpredictable than The Real Thing, blending post-punk, funk, aggressive rock and Roddy Bottum’s atmospheric keyboards. “We Care a Lot” appears in a newly recorded version, supported by “Anne’s Song,” “Chinese Arithmetic,” “Faster Disco,” “R N’ R” and the eccentric “Death March.”
An essential record for listeners who want to understand Faith No More before Mike Patton—and a fascinating document of the band developing its identity.
Angel Dust
Released in 1992, Angel Dust took the commercial success of The Real Thing and used it as an opportunity to become stranger, darker and more experimental.
“Midlife Crisis” and “A Small Victory” provide the immediate hooks, while “Land of Sunshine,” “Caffeine,” “Everything’s Ruined,” “Malpractice” and “Jizzlobber” move between brutality, theatrical pop and unsettling atmosphere. Their version of “Easy,” originally recorded by the Commodores, became another unexpected hit.
For many fans, Angel Dust is Faith No More’s masterpiece. It is less immediate than The Real Thing, but considerably more ambitious—and one of the most influential alternative-rock albums of the 1990s.