Retro Spins: Faith No More - The Real Thing

Many people forget that Faith No More was not only relevant in the 80's, but also had their biggest hit from their 1989 album, The Real Thing. This is most likely contributed to the fact that the album had been out for a full year before Epic finally hit the charts in June of 1990. It would just barely make it into the number ten spot in late August, and eventually make it to number nine. However, soon thereafter it would drift away amidst the bloomers of the 90's.

Falling To Pieces would eventually land on the charts and make it's way to the number forty spot by October. While it wouldn't be the last chart topper for the band, it would be for this album.

Personally speaking, for as much as I enjoy the song, Epic, I much more prefer We Care A Lot from their 1985 album of the same name, later re-recorded and added to their follow up, Introduce Yourself (1987). This may be bias though since the song references Transformers and Garbage Pail Kids. Hits a nostalgic note with me.

But, enough about songs and albums I like more. Let's talk about the one at hand.

Question - Is your impression about music supposed to be that it's, "Loud?" Cause that's my honest first impression of this album. Even though it's turned down relatively low, it feels like a wall of sound pushing against me. It's kind of unnerving. Almost uncomfortable.

The Real Thing marked a change for the band. It saw the departure of original singer, Chuck Mosley, and introduced Mike Patton as the new front man. Patton's voice was unique unto its own with the tendency to be almost nasally, powerful and forceful if necessary, but also smooth and silky when called for.

The album had some "good" points in it, despite being overly loud. Of course, Epic, is a solid tune. But so too was the title track, The Real Thing. Then there's War Pigs...

Look I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If you can't improve on a cover, then don't do one. It shouldn't just be a throw away track to fill space on an album.

Overall, The Real Thing was forgettable. It's loud, it's bland and it doesn't have much to offer. Perhaps on the cusp of 1990 it was something to behold, but times have changed. Maybe it just didn't have the oomph to age well.

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