Starting out in San Francisco in 1981, Faith No More had a rough beginning regarding getting a singer. Their style (mixing rock, funk and some jazz for good measure) made finding a permanent singer a problem, with even Courtney Love trying out for a part (a bullet mercifully dodged there).
Eventually they settled with Chuck Mosley and released two albums with him on vocal duties, Introduce yourself and We care a lot. Eventually, Mosley got fired due to being “unreliable” and the band settled with a “clean cut” 20 year old, Mike Patton. Patton brought a breath of fresh air to the band with their 1989 classic, The Real Thing.
This brought their first major hit outside the USA. ‘Epic‘ caught the attention of a lot of people, although some comparisons were drawn to Red Hot Chilli Peppers (which did draw a few battle of words between them afterwards). Although it was ‘Falling to pieces‘ that cemented them on the public’s eye.
The band decided not to stay with a single genre, so in Angel Dust they delved into heavy metal, nu-metal (arguably, they were the genesis of the genre) and even a soothing cover of The Commodores’ ‘Easy‘.
King for a Day, Fool for a Lifetime was the pinnacle of this search for evolution and variety, as now it seemed that every single song was of a different genre (even bossa nova and gospel rear their heads). This prompted the public to scratch their heads and critics to divide, which has remained the case to this day.
Even though now they seem to be more of a cult group – known for their bizarre antics during their live shows – they still have a strong following. Their inability to keep a hold of one guitarist (with one even leaving mid-tour) is also a quirk they’ve addressed.
Their last gasp was Album of the Year, cheekily named as they expected its reception would be tepid (which it was). The videos for the singles of this last effort were imaginative, including a tribute to Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, living under a dictatorship and a good old haunted house.
For all their chameleon-like sense of change, their musical skills and often bizarre lyrics were never put in doubt (digs at Scientology, caffeine addiction and people driving badly were present).
Indeed, Mike Patton has been experimenting with many different genres, often producing several interesting side projects that can be a bit of an acquired taste. He even landed a voice over role as the growling noises of the creatures of the film I am Legend.
After an 11 year hiatus, the band came back in 2009 with several stints at festivals (Lowlands, Reading and Leeds) and a world tour, getting some kudos from a generation that grew up listening to the bands Faith No More influenced.
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