Without A Doubt

 Here is a reposting of my original feature article published in The Orange County Register on December 15, 2020. Today (Oct. 10, 2020) marks the 25th anniversary since the release of No Doubt's "Tragic Kingdom" was released...Robert Kinsler

Without A Doubt

It's been a long and hard road for O.C.'s No Doubt - kind of like being stuck on I-5 at rush hour.

There may be a feeling among some that No Doubt made a quick ascension to alternative-music fame with the success of the single "Just A Girl" from the band's "Tragic Kingdom" album.

Wrong.

Fame has come long after countless setbacks for the Anaheim quartet. The roadblocks made the musical journey anything but easy.

Although "Tragic Kingdom" and the resulting MTV play of "Just A Girl" have earned No Doubt attention across the country, there is a long history that includes two previous full-length albums and several singles that the world doesn't know about.

"We got together in 1987 and didn't put out our first record until 1992," singer Gwen Stefani said. "We've always been this live band and never satisfied with what we had done in the studio."

The rags-to-almost-riches part of the band's story began when the members hooked up with Interscope Records in 1991. They had been mixing a self-produced album at South Coast Recording Studios in Santa Ana when artist and repertoire rep Tony Ferguson got them to sign.

"Actually, Interscope wanted us to put those tracks out and record a few others. We begged them (to) let us rerecord it, and we wanted to go in a better studio," Stefani said. "We've always been a live band, and the studio part of it has been something we've been lacking in as far as experience because we never has enough time in there."

The record company agreed and let No Doubt redo the songs. Yet, after the self-titled album was completed, the group felt ignored.

"For our first record, it was kind of like doing our own record because everything was hands-off. There was no real producer; there was a producer, but he just sat back. We put it out on Interscope, but it was like putting it out ourselves."

Stefani said the only support for the album came when the band toured. However, except for some scattered airplay via college radio, even Southern California stations such as KROQ/106.7 FM ignored it.

After the commercial failure of "No Doubt", Stefani said, Interscope was slow to allow the band to record a follow- up.

"We came back from tour and were ready to put music out and stuff like that; I think they wanted us to keep writing. I think record companies get nervous about your second record," Stefani said.

That's when No Doubt did what by industry standards is the unthinkable - recording - recording and releasing its own bootleg CD, "The Beacon Street Collection," featuring tracks penned between 1992 and early 1995.

"We did it because we were so frustrated with our situation," Stefani said. "We started by doing these vinyl singles in our garage. Our goal was to do a series of them and eventually put them on a CD... that was our dream. We went in one weekend and made this CD. Tony (Ferguson)asked us one day: 'Do you have a new single?' We said "No, we have this' and pulled out 'Beacon Street.' 'You have this?' He was shocked."

"Beacon Street" paved the way for Trauma Records - the division of Interscope to which No Doubt is signed - to allow No Doubt to release "Tragic Kingdom."

The group, which includes bassist Tony Kanal, guitarist Tom Dumont and drummer Adrian Young, understood the record company's delay in putting out the new album.

"I think Tony saw some kind of future for us back in 1991, we had to prove that with the songs on ('Beacon Street'). The first record was recorded in 1991 during the birth of grunge and that record doesn't even touch on that; it was happy No Doubt music," Stefani said, noting that the new record has a tougher guitar sound.

"I think it was an alternative to what was happening at the time. Now radio is more accepting of all different kinds of music; it's broken up a little bit."

Although No Doubt's roots are in ska, the band has developed a sound that blends that early style with punk, pop and reggae.

"We've always had a problem with having so many influences and kinds of styles; it's always created kind of a problem, but I think on this album we finally found a way for it to work and people not to freak out about it," she said.

"I think, when you're 16 or 17, you just imitate the music you love. At the time it happened to be ska. And we were all just learning our instruments. I never even sang before I was in No Doubt. We were all these kids."

After finishing the recording of "Tragic Kingdom," Stefani's brother, keyboardist Eric Stefani, decided to leave the band to pursue a full-time career in animation (among his credits is work on "The Simpsons"). Because Eric was a principal songwriter and an original member, his exit could have spelled the end of the band.

"He decided to just do that (animation) and step back from music," Gwen Stefani said, adding that her brother and the British ska band Madness ranked as her first musical influences. She also credits her brother with giving her the confidence to perform in a band.

"It's just as exciting for him to see the record doing well," she said.

However, the group made a commitment to continue. The members thought they owed that to the dedicated fans who kept No Doubt a draw on the live circuit. No Doubt fans plaster their cars with the band's colorful bumper stickers and often sport No Doubt tattoos.

Even though No Doubt doesn't play punk music, the shows reflect the kind of hard-core enthusiasm usually reserved for punk and speed metal bands.

"We're proud of being from Orange County," she said, acknowledging that in the early days the band got its share of jabs for being from behind the so-called Orange curtain. The cover and inside sleeve of "Tragic Kingdom" display oranges prominently.

Summed Stefani, "We decided to take pride in where we come from."