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40oz. to Freedom
Studio album by Sublime
Released	June 1992
Recorded	1991-1992 at Mambo in Long Beach, California
Genre	Alternative rock Ska punk
Length	69:15
Label	Skunk Records, Gasoline Alley/MCA
Producer	Sublime
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Punknews.org link
Sublime chronology
Jah Won't Pay the Bills (1991) 40oz. to Freedom (1992) Robbin' the Hood (1994)

40oz. to Freedom is the 1992 debut album by the Southern California ska-punk and dub band Sublime. 40oz. to Freedom received mixed critical reviews upon its first release, but is now generally approved as a sincere record, with many spots of brilliance and ingenuity. Sublime would not achieve any mainstream success until the release of their eponymous album, two months after the overdose death of their lead singer and guitarist, Bradley Nowell, in 1996 (see 1996 in music). The name references the 40 oz malt liquor bottle.

40oz. to Freedom is one of the most popular albums released in the third-wave of ska. Its sound blended various forms of Jamaican music, including ska (Date Rape), rocksteady ("5446 That's My Number"), roots reggae ("Smoke Two Joints") and dub ("Let's Go Get Stoned", "D.J.s") with British and American hardcore punk ("New Thrash", "Hope"), hip hop ("Scarlet Begonias") and folk music ("Rivers of Babylon").

Contents 1 History 2 Total sales 3 Track listing 4 Personnel 4.1 Additional personnel 5 Production 6 Chart positions 6.1 Album 6.2 Singles 7 References

[edit] History

In 1995 (see 1995 in music), Sublime sent a CD to the influential radio station KROQ, and one of 40oz. to Freedom's songs, "Date Rape", became the most requested song on the station, leading the album to appear at #1 for five weeks on Billboard magazine's (North America) Pacific Region chart, and to appear on the Alternative Artist Albums Chart for fifty weeks. The band then signed with MCA Records, which, along with the birth of his son, convinced Nowell to voluntarily enter rehab. Though he remained clean for several months, Nowell died of a heroin overdose shortly before the release of Sublime's breakthrough album, Sublime.

On the original pressing of the album, which was distributed independently by Skunk Records, there were two additional songs. "Get Out!" appeared as the second track, and the theme from "Rawhide" was included on the same track as "Date Rape". Also, there were some samples included in "We're Only Gonna Die" and "Let's Go Get Stoned". The former two tracks and the latter samples had to be removed for national distribution due to copyright issues. Other differences on the original pressing include the fact that "Rivers of Babylon", a folky religious song originally by The Melodians, and the outro, "Thanx", were hidden tracks.

The album has six covers: "Smoke Two Joints" (by The Toyes),"We're Only Gonna Die" (by Bad Religion), "54-46 That's My Number" (by Toots & the Maytals), "Scarlet Begonias" (by Grateful Dead), "Rivers of Babylon" (by The Melodians), and "Hope" (by the Descendents).

[edit] Total sales

Since its release in 1992, the album has proved to be a seller over time, moving over 2,000,000 copies in the US alone and being certified Multi Platinum by the RIAA.^[1] It was Sublime's first successful album. Although the album was released in 1992, it hit its peak on the Billboard 200 in 1995 after the band had risen in popularity.

[edit] Track listing

1. "Waiting for My Ruca" (Nowell)– 2:20
2. "40oz. to Freedom" (Nowell)– 3:02
3. "Smoke Two Joints" (C. Kay, M. Kay)– 2:53
4. "We're Only Gonna Die for Our Arrogance" (Graffin) - 3:27
5. "Don't Push" (Nowell)– 4:18
6. "5446 That's My Number/Ball and Chain" (Hibbert, Nowell)– 5:17
7. "Badfish" (Nowell)– 3:04
8. "Let's Go Get Stoned" (Nowell)– 3:32
9. "New Thrash" (Nowell)– 1:30
10. "Scarlet Begonias" (Hunter, Garcia)– 3:31
11. "Live at E's" (Nowell)- 3:08
12. "D.J.s" (Nowell)– 3:18 (ending contains lyrics from Dandy Livingstone's "Rudy, A Message to You")
13. "Chica Me Tipo" (Nowell)– 2:16
14. "Right Back" (Nowell)– 2:49
15. "What Happened" (Nowell)– 3:27
16. "New Song" (Nowell)– 3:14
17. "Ebin" (Nowell)– 3:32
18. "Date Rape/Rawhide"* (Nowell)– 3:37 (4:38)
19. "Hope" (Aukerman)– 1:43
20. "KRS-One" (Nowell, Parker)– 2:23
21. "Rivers of Babylon" (Dowe, McNaughton)- 2:29
22. "Thanx Dub"** (Sublime)- 4:23 (6:23)

*"Get Out" and "Rawhide" were included on the original Skunk Records release of the album, but were removed from the later Gasoline Alley/MCA re-release due to legal issues with the samples and other copyrighted material used in them, however, in the album booklet, the lyrics for "Get Out" are still printed. "Rawhide" had originally been appended at the end of "Date Rape." "We're Only Gonna Die for Our Arrogance" and "Let's Go Get Stoned" had also used unlicensed samples on the original release which were later removed from the songs, hence the two different track lengths listed.

**Tracks 21 and 22 are unlisted on the album sleeve. Track 22 is commonly referred to as "Thanx" or "Thanx Dub" and had an extended length of 6:23 on the original release of the album.

[edit] Personnel

Sublime

• Bradley Nowell - vocals, guitar, percussion, sampler, bass, congas
• Eric Wilson - bass, organ, percussion, vocals, congas
• Bud Gaugh - drums on tracks 7, 8, 12 and 16 (MCA release), sampler
• Marshall Goodman - drums, turntables, vocals
• Michael "Miguel" Happoldt - sampler, guitar, vocals, piano, organ, sonicmanipultation

[edit] Additional personnel

• Todd Foreman - saxophone
• Chris Hauser - trumpet and bong rips
• Nick Martin - trombone
• Kelly Vargas - drums
• Brian Wallace - baritone sax
• Duane Hartman - alto sax
• Adam - vocals, congas
• Jack Maness - vocals, guitar

[edit] Production

• Producers: Michael "Miguel" Happoldt, Sublime
• Mastering: Brian Gardner
• Artwork: Opie Ortiz
• Photos: Josh Coffman

[edit] Chart positions

[edit] Album

Year	Album	Chart	Position
1995	40oz. to Freedom	Heatseekers	No. 15

[edit] Singles

1. "40oz. to Freedom"
2. "Date Rape"
3. "Ebin"
4. "Badfish"
5. "Smoke Two Joints"
6. "Let's Go Get Stoned"

[edit] References

v • d • e Sublime Bradley Nowell · Eric Wilson · Bud Gaugh Demo Jah Won't Pay the Bills Studio albums 40oz. to Freedom · Robbin' the Hood · Sublime Other albums Second-hand Smoke · Stand by Your Van · Sublime Acoustic: Bradley Nowell & Friends · Greatest Hits · 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Sublime · Gold · Everything Under the Sun Popular songs "Date Rape" · "Badfish" · "Smoke Two Joints" · "S.T.P."  · "What I Got" · "Wrong Way" · "Doin' Time" · "Santeria" · "April 29, 1992 (Miami)" · "Pool Shark" · "Garden Grove" Tributes and legacy Look at All the Love We Found · Forever Free · Long Beach Dub Allstars · Long Beach Shortbus · Badfish See also Discography · Skunk Records