14 Comments

Fishbone’s debut EP is a banger from beginning to end!

Hope to see Carry the Zero on that final list.

Expand full comment
Apr 2Liked by Steve Goldberg

Despite somehow owning a Fishbone t-shirt (no idea how I acquired it) and wearing it proudly (I just really liked the t-shirt), I’m not sure I’ve ever heard their music. Listening to “Party at Ground Zero” now and enjoying it. I’ll have to dig into their catalog a little bit.

Thanks for the shoutout as well Steve, I appreciate it! Looking forward to these numeric playlists, they’re gonna be a lot of fun!!

Expand full comment
author
Apr 2·edited Apr 2Author

I'll mention here (it's also a response to a comment below) a live show I attended on the Truth and Soul tour.

I saw them in December 1988 at the Santa Monica Civic, and Public Enemy opened for them, with Stetsasonic and Living Colour before them. It was a friggin' insane show. During P.E.'s set, fights started breaking out and they only got to play a few songs before leaving the stage. We thought it was over, but the gangbangers left in the break and when Fishbone came on they were able to flip the energy, and Angelo Moore even did his patented "jump into the audience and get carried through the crowd on their hands" thing, which was the ballsiest thing I'd ever seen.

Looking up the exact date, I found a post on Chuck D's Facebook page all about that night:

https://www.facebook.com/MrChuckD/posts/fishbonepublic-enemy-living-colour-stetsasonic-december-17th-1988santa-monica-ci/6588927641180923/

And then, in the comments, someone posted a link to a video from that night!

https://youtu.be/--UBQIwJvpg?si=5Kn_U3SgF304L0Gw

Expand full comment

Thanks for the shout & kind words! "Party At Ground Zero" is fantastic, but I'd also submit that "Sunless Saturday," "So Many Millions," and "One Day" could all make a run at the title.

I finally (finally!) got to see them a few years ago, and even with a midday time slot and a good dose of Midwest humidity, they still put on an incredible show.

Expand full comment

Thanks for sharing, Steve. I was living in LA in '85 and would catch Fishbone all over town. One crazy night at the very cozy Al's Bar in Downtown LA, they tore the place up. I believe Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper opened for them. And, Elvis Costello's "Less Than Zero" is one of other favorite "zero" songs.

Expand full comment