The Singles 1992–2003

Infobox Album
Name = The Singles 1992-2003
Type = greatest hits
Artist = No Doubt


Released = November 25, 2003
Recorded = 1991-2003
Genre = Ska-punk
Alternative rock
Length = 59:44
Label = Interscope
Format = CD
Producer = Glen Ballard, Dito Godwin, Jerry Harrison, Nellee Hooper, No Doubt, Sly and Robbie, Matthew Wilder
Reviews = *Allmusic rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:rxs9kebtdq7b link]
*BBC (mixed) [http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/release/2p8c/ link]
*"NME" (6/10) [http://www.nme.com/reviews/no-doubt/7253 link]
*OMH Media (mixed) [http://www.musicomh.com/albums/no-doubt.htm link]
*Rhapsody (positive) [http://www.rhapsody.com/nodoubt/thesingles19922003#albumreview link]
Last album = "Rock Steady"
(2001)
This album = "The Singles 1992-2003"
(2003)
Next album = "Boom Box"
(2003)

"The Singles 1992-2003" is a compilation album by the American third wave ska band No Doubt, released on November 25, 2003 on Interscope Records (see 2003 in music.) It features thirteen of the band's singles from their later three studio albums, "Tragic Kingdom", "Return of Saturn" and "Rock Steady", and the song "Trapped in a Box", unreleased from their debut album, "No Doubt". The album also included a cover of Talk Talk's song "It's My Life", which was the only new song on the album and which was released as a single. It was the band's final album to date and was released alongside "Everything in Time", which contained B-sides, remixes and rarities, and the box set Boom Box, which contained "The Singles 1992–2003", "Everything in Time", "The Videos 1992-2003" and "Live in the Tragic Kingdom".

Background

No Doubt decided to go into hiatus in April 2003. [http://www.nodoubt.com/band/ Timeline of the band's history] at No Doubt's official website. Retrieved September 28, 2008.] This was for two reasons: No Doubt's fifth studio album, "Rock Steady", was released in December 2001 and was very successful, selling 3 million copies, [http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6599207/316_rock_steady "316) Rock Steady"] . "Rolling Stone". November 1, 2003. Retrieved September 30, 2008.] and being certified double platinum by the RIAA. Four singles were released from it between 2001 and 2003: "Hey Baby", "Hella Good", "Underneath It All" and "Running". The band members then decided to take a break to spend time with their families before starting to compile their greatest hits album in September 2003.

The other main reason was that, in early 2003,Moss, Corey and Downey, Ryan. [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1471367/20030418/no_doubt.jhtml "Gwen Stefani Recording Solo Material"] . MTV News. April 18, 2003. Retrieved September 28, 2008.] their lead singer Gwen Stefani started work on her 1980s-inspired New Wave/dance-pop music side project, under which she released two solo albums: "Love. Angel. Music. Baby." on November 22, 2004 and "The Sweet Escape" on December 15, 2006.

Music

The album was a compilation of thirteen commercially-released singles by the band from their previous studio albums "Tragic Kingdom", "Return of Saturn" and "Rock Steady" and the song "Trapped in a Box" from No Doubt's debut album, "No Doubt", which was never released as a single. However "The Singles" did not include "Happy Now?" and "Hey You!", two singles from "Tragic Kingdom", neither of which were commercially successful, or "Squeal" and "Doghouse" from "The Beacon Street Collection", which were both independently released. "Girls Get the Bass in the Back", a remix of "Hey Baby", and a cover version of "It's My Life" were also included.

Production

Being a greatest hits album and containing only one new song, recording "The Singles 1992–2003" took very little time compared with the band's studio albums. Production started in September 2003 with the recording of a cover version of Talk Talk's song "It's My Life", produced by Nellee Hooper. The accompanying music video for the song was filmed by director David LaChapelle at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Gwen Stefani insisted that just because no songwriting was involved in the production of the album didn't mean no effort would be needed: the band had to decide which of their songs to include and which to leave out. Two months later on the 25th of November, the album was released along with the B-side, rarity, and remix collection "Everything in Time" and box set "Boom Box".

ingles

The only single from "The Singles 1992–2003" was a cover of the song "It's My Life", originally released in 1984 by the synthpop band Talk Talk. Because the band were taking a break while lead singer Gwen Stefani recorded her solo debut album "Love. Angel. Music. Baby.", they decided to do a cover version to avoid having to write a new song.Vineyard, Jennifer and Pak, SuChin. [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1478221/20030915/no_doubt.jhtml "No Doubt To Tell Fans 'It's My Life'"] . MTV News. September 15, 2003. Retrieved September 28, 2008.] The band listened to hundreds of songs and narrowed it down to "It's My Life" and the song "Don't Change", released in 1982 by the Australian rock/New Wave group INXS.Montoya, Paris and Lanham, Tom. Liner notes for "It's My Life" on "The Singles 1992-2003". Retrieved September 28, 2008.] No Doubt had doubts on recording a cover and contemplated writing new material, but decided on "It's My Life" after rehearsing the song with producer Nellee Hooper, referring to it as a "feel-good" song. Gwen Stefani stated:

It later became one of the band's biggest hits, selling 4,827,000 copies [ [http://www.mediatraffic.de/tracks-2004.htm "Tracks Countdown 2004"] . Media Traffic. 2005. Retrieved September 28, 2008.] and being certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association [ [http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts-top-100-singles-2004.htm "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 2004"] . Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved September 28, 2008.] and gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. [ [http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH "Searchable Database"] . Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 28, 2008.] The song was nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 47th Grammy Awards but lost to Los Lonely Boys' "Heaven". [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/entertainment/4262875.stm "Grammy Awards 2005: Key winners"] . BBC News. February 14, 2005. Retrieved September 28, 2008.] Jacques Lu Cont, the song's programmer, created the Thin White Duke mix of "It's My Life", which won the award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical. [ [http://www.ascap.com/eventsawards/awards/grammys/2005/index.html "47th Grammy Award Winners Announced"] . American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved September 28, 2008.]

Critical reception

"The Singles 1992–2003" was generally well received by music critics. Mike McGuirk of Rhapsody described the album as "a real joy" and a mix of "ska, teen pop and hip-hop". [ [http://www.rhapsody.com/nodoubt/thesingles19922003#albumreview Review] from Rhapsody. Retrieved October 4, 2008.] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic called the album a "stellar collection" and said that it had "a cheerful, giddy sound that marked a sea change from the sound of the early 1990s, when even catchy melodies were cloaked in a sense of gloom", and noticed that the album showed a lot of New Wave influence. [ [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:dvftxqualdde~T1 Allmusic's review] of "The Singles 1992–2003". Retrieved October 4, 2008.] Anthony Thornton of NME said that "despite being an album packed with as much drama as the band themselves have suffered, it’ll be the pop anthems you come back for and fortunately there’s enough here to keep even the soap addicts happy". [ [http://www.nme.com/reviews/no-doubt/7253 NME's review] of "The Singles 1992–2003". Retrieved October 4, 2008.] Sarah McDonnell of OMH said that the album's music was "sheer diversity" due to the band's "pick 'n mix approach to musical styles". The high points were "Gwen Stefani's lyrics, which deal principally with coming to terms with her own femininity" and "the band's collaborations with various hip producers", such as The Neptunes, Nellee Hooper and Sly and Robbie; and the low points were the album's "hotch-potch feel", "random tracklisting" and the "forays into reggae".http://www.musicomh.com/albums/no-doubt.htm OMH's review] of "The Singles 1992–2003". Retrieved October 5, 2008.] Ruth Mitchell of the BBC called the album a typical Christmas album that was "unlikely to stand out from the crowd" and "too long, [getting] tiresome about half way through", although complimenting "Just a Girl", "Hey Baby" and "Underneath It All". She also described the placement of "Don't Speak", "the foursome's most glorious pop moment", at the back of album as a "shame". [http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/release/2p8c/ BBC's review] of "The Singles 1992–2003". Retrieved October 5, 2008.]

Track listing

Main version [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/discography/index.jsp?pid=19895&aid=609605 "The Singles 1992–2003" track listing] at the "Billboard" page on the main version of the album.] tracklist
writing_credits = yes
title1 = Just a Girl
writer1 = Gwen Stefani, Tony Kanal
length1 = 3:25
title2 = It's My Life
writer2 = Mark Hollis, T. Friese-Greene
length2 = 3:45
title3 = Hey Baby
writer3 = G. Stefani, Kanal, Tom Dumont, R. Price
length3 = 3:26
title4 = Bathwater
writer4 = G. Stefani, Kanal, Dumont
length4 = 4:00
title5 = Sunday Morning
writer5 = Kanal, G. Stefani, Eric Stefani
length5 = 4:31
title6 = Hella Good
writer6 = G. Stefani, P. Williams, Chad Hugo, Kanal
length6 = 4:02
title7 = New
writer7 = G. Stefani, Dumont
length7 = 4:24
title8 = Underneath It All
writer8 = G. Stefani, Dave Stewart
length8 = 5:02
title9 = Excuse Me Mr.
writer9 = G. Stefani, Dumont
length9 = 3:04
title10 = Running
writer10 = G. Stefani, Kanal
length10 = 4:00
title11 = Spiderwebs
writer11 = G. Stefani, Kanal
length11 = 4:26
title12 = Simple Kind of Life
writer12 = G. Stefani
length12 = 4:15
title13 = Don't Speak
writer13 = E. Stefani, G. Stefani
length13 = 4:22
title14 = Ex-Girlfriend
writer14 = G. Stefani, Dumont, Kanal
length14 = 3:31
title15 = Trapped in a Box
writer15 = E. Stefani, Dumont, G. Stefani, Kanal
length15 = 3.23

Bonus track [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/discography/index.jsp?pid=19895&aid=1083328 "The Singles 1992–2003" track listing] at the "Billboard" page on the bonus track version of the album.] tracklist
writing_credits = yes
title16 = Girls Get the Bass in the Back
writer16 = G. Stefani, T. Kanal, T. Dumont, R. Price; remixed by Philip Steir
length16 = 6:15
note16 = "Hey Baby" remix

Import bonus tracks [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/discography/index.jsp?pid=19895&aid=616441 "The Singles 1992–2003" track listing] at the "Billboard" page on the import version of the album.] tracklist
writing_credits = yes
title16 = Girls Get the Bass in the Back
writer16 = G. Stefani, T. Kanal, T. Dumont, R. Price; remixed by Philip Steir
length16 = 6:15
note16 = "Hey Baby" remix
title17 = Underneath It All
writer17 = G. Stefani, D. Stuart
length17 = 3:47
note17 = Live acoustic version

Credits

;Personnel [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:dvftxqualdde~T2 Credits for "The Singles 1992–2003"] at Allmusic. Retrieved October 1, 2008.]
*Gwen Stefani – vocals
*Tom Dumont – guitar, keyboard
*Tony Kanal – bass
*Adrian Young – percussion, drums
*Eric Stefani - piano, keyboards
*Phil Jordan – trumpet
*Gabrial McNair – keyboard, trombone
*Stephen Bradley – keyboard, trumpet
*Melissa "Missy" Hasin – cello
*Eric Carpenter - saxophone
*Matthew Wilder – keyboard
*Stephen Bradley - trumpet
*John Hammerstedt - trumpet
*Alex Henderson - trombone
*Lady Saw - vocals (guest appearance on "Underneath It All")
*Phil Jordan - trumpet
*Gabrial McNair - synthesiser, piano, trombone, keyboards, mellotron, horn arrangements
*Stephen Perkins - drums
*Andy Potts - saxophone
*Robbie Shakespeare - bass
*Django Stewart - saxophone;Production
*Producer: Matthew Wilder, Sly Dunbar, Dito Godwin, Jerry Harrison, Nellee Hooper, Brian Jobson, Wayne Jobson, Philip Steir, Robbie Shakespeare, Mark "Spike" Stent, Glen Ballard
*Engineers: Rory Baker, Bryan Carrigan, Scott Campbell, Michael Carnevale, Daniel Chase, Greg Collins, The Count, Karl Derfler, Simon Gogerly, Matt Hyde, Alain Johannes, Phil Kaffel, Anthony Kilhoffer, George Landress, Tkae Mendez, Kevin Mills, Chuck Reed, Ian Rossiter
*Mixing: Sean Beavan, Matt Fields, John Gould, Paul Palmer, Jack Joseph Puig, Mark "Spike" Stent, David Treahearn, Keith Uddin, Paul Walton, Wayne Wilkins
*Mastering: Brian Gardner
*Photography: Dan Arsenault, Jeffrey Bender, Chris Cuffaro, Joseph Cultice, Sonya Farrell, Nicole Frantz, Stephanie Hsu, Davic LaChapelle, Frank Ockenfels, F. Scott Schafer
*Programming: Ned Douglas, Sly Dunbar, Stuart Price, Fabien Waltman
*Liner notes: Tom Lanham, Paris Montoya

Chart positions

Import bonus track version [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:dbftxqraldte "The Singles 1992–2003" release history of import bonus track version] at Allmusic.]

References

External links

* [http://www.nodoubt.com Official No Doubt website]