Faith No More
- GENRE: alternative metal, alternative rock, avant-garde metal, funk metal
- COUNTRY: USA
One of the great chameleons of rock. Faith No More entered the mainstream while being at times the most anti-mainstream act out there. It is a completely otherworldly phenomenon – a band gave us both a graceful cover of Commodores’s “Easy” and a daring venture into almost-grind territories. The hitmakers behind “Epic” and “Midlife Crsis” are making a comeback after a decade-long hiatus.
History:
Faith No More was founded in 1979 in San Francisco. During the early days, the band experienced many line-up changes, for a short moment even Courtney Love, who would go on to become the frontwoman of Hole, was a vocalist for the band. In 1985, Faith No More debuted with the full-length album We Care a Lot, which included many of the band’s first hits, most notably the titular track, which has since become a concert staple. The mixture of funk rock, metal and rap exhibited on the record and its follow-up, Introduce Yourself, resonated with the public, but the true breakthrough was yet to come. In 1988, the vocalist Chuck Mosley exitted the band and his spot was taken over by the 20-year-old Mike Patton, one of the most versatile rock voices other there and one hell of a charismatic frontman. With him on board, the band released their next album, The Real Thing, which spanned their first huge hit, “Epic”. The record made the band into global stars and earned them a Grammy nomination, and on its coattails came invitations to tour with rock giants. And they only got kicked off the tour with Guns N’ Roses because they were publically mocking their main star. The subsequent release from the band, Angel Dust, showcased a more experimental side and solidified their status as one of the most original bands of the 90s scene – in a world divided into grunge and metal, rap and pop, Faith No More felt at home everywhere. In the next couple of years, the band went on to release two more albums – King for a Day… Fool for a Lifetime and Album of the Year – and then announced their hiatus in 1998, only making a comeback 11 years later. In 2015, they released Sol Invictus, their first full-length album in almost two decades. In 2016, they went on hiatus again, but they are coming back – to Mystic Festival no less.
Discography:
LP:
We Care a Lot, 1985
Introduce Yourself, 1987
The Real Thing, 1989
Angel Dust, 1992
King for a Day… Fool for a Lifetime, 1995
Album of the Year, 1997
Sol Invictus, 2015
EP:
From out of Nowhere, 1990
The Interview Sessions, 1998
Demo:
Faith. No More., 1983
Faith. No More., 1984
Singles:
Quiet in Heaven / Song of Liberty, 1983
We Care a Lot, 1987
We Care a Lot, 1988
Anne’s Song, 1988
From Out of Nowhere, 1989
Epic / Edge of the World, 1990
Epic, 1990
Falling to Pieces, 1990
We Care a Lot, 1991
Epic / Falling to Pieces, 1992
Midlife Crisis, 1992
A Small Victory, 1992
A Small Victory (Remixed by Youth), 1992
Everything’s Ruined, 1992
I’m Easy / Be Aggressive, 1993
Songs to Make Love To, 1993
Digging the Grave, 1995
Ricochet, 1995
Evidence, 1995
Ashes to Ashes, 1997
Last Cup of Sorrow, 1997
Stripsearch, 1998
We Care a Lot / I Started a Joke, 1998
I Started a Joke, 1998
Motherfucker, 2014
Superhero, 2015
Sunny Side Up, 2015
Cone of Shame!!, 2016
Splits:
Sounds – Waves 2, 1988 (z Jesus and Mary Chain, Head of David i The Godfathers)
Pictures of You / From out of Nowhere, 1989 (z The Cure)
Kerrang! Flexible Fiend, 1989 (z Balaam and the Angel)
Raw Cuts Volume 2, 1991 (z No Sweat, Jagged Edge i Dirty White Boy)
Faith and More – Reprise Rock Preview 92, 1992 (z Black Sabbath, Rhino Bucket, Life Sex & Death i Heavy Bones)
Season’s Greetings (Soil X Samples 8), 1992 (z L7)
Another Body Murdered, 1993 (z Helmet)
This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us, 1997 (ze Sparks)
I Started a Joke, 2016 (z Bee Gees)
Live albums:
Live at the Brixton Academy, 1991
Compilations:
Who Cares a Lot? The Greatest Hits, 1998
Angel Dust / King for a Day, 2000
This Is It: The Best of Faith No More, 2003
Epic and Other Hits, 2005
Faith No More: The Platinum Collection, 2005
Angel Dust / The Real Thing, 2008
The Works – A 3 CD Retrospective, 2008
The Very Best Definitive Ultimate Greatest Hits Collection, 2009
Midlife Crisis – The Very Best Of, 2010
Collaborations:
Another Body Murdered, 1993 (z Boo-Ya T.R.I.B.E.)