Give a Monkey a Brain and He'll Swear He's the Center of the Universe
Give a Monkey a Brain and He'll Swear He's the Center of the Universe | ||||
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Studio album by Fishbone | ||||
Released | May 23, 1993 (1993-05-23) | |||
Recorded | One on One (Los Angeles) | |||
Genre |
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Length | 64:44 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | Terry Date, Fishbone | |||
Fishbone chronology | ||||
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Singles from Give a Monkey a Brain... | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Robert Christgau | ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | B+[3] |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Give a Monkey a Brain and He'll Swear He's the Center of the Universe is the fourth studio album by American rock band Fishbone. It was the last album to feature all six original members, as guitarist Kendall Jones left the band a few months after the album's release, and keyboardist/trombonist Chris Dowd would leave the next year.
It is Fishbone's heaviest album, with the band focusing on heavy metal without any trace of their trademark horn section until the fourth song, the ska-infused "Unyielding Conditioning". Saxophonist Branford Marsalis makes an appearance on the manic "Drunk Skitzo", and the ending of "Swim" includes excerpts of a Damon Wayans stand-up routine about his experience at a Fishbone concert.
Shortly after the release of the album, the band toured as part of the third annual Lollapalooza festival, before being dropped by Sony Records the following year.
The title is a quotation from the discordian religious text Principia Discordia.[citation needed]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Swim" | John Bigham | 4:42 |
2. | "Servitude" | Kendall Jones | 5:20 |
3. | "Black Flowers" | Chris Dowd | 5:46 |
4. | "Unyielding Conditioning" | Kendall Jones | 4:45 |
5. | "Properties of Propaganda (Fuk This Shit On Up)" | John Norwood Fisher | 5:22 |
6. | "The Warmth of Your Breath" | John Norwood Fisher, Angelo Moore | 4:55 |
7. | "Lemon Meringue" | John Norwood Fisher | 6:10 |
8. | "They All Have Abandoned Their Hopes" | John Norwood Fisher, Angelo Moore, Chris Dowd | 4:58 |
9. | "End the Reign" | Kendall Jones | 5:23 |
10. | "Drunk Skitzo" | Angelo Moore, John Norwood Fisher | 5:17 |
11. | "No Fear" | John Bigham | 6:01 |
12. | "Nutt Megalomaniac" | John Norwood Fisher | 5:43 |
Personnel
- Fishbone
- Angelo Moore – saxophone, vocals
- Walter A. Kibby II – trumpet, vocals
- Kendall Jones – lead guitar, vocals
- Chris Dowd – keyboards, trombone, vocals
- John Bigham – guitar, keyboards
- John Norwood Fisher – bass, vocals
- Philip "Fish" Fisher – drums
- Additional personnel
- Kristen Vigard – background vocals
- Branford Marsalis – saxophone on "Drunk Skitzo"
Accolades
Year | Publication | Country | Accolade | Rank | |
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1996 | Visions | Germany | "The Best Albums 1991–96" | * | [5] |
"*" denotes an unordered list. |
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)
Year | Chart | Position |
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1993 | Billboard 200 | 99 |
References
- ^ a b c d e Prato, Greg. "Give a Monkey a Brain and He'll Swear He's the Center of the Universe Review". AllMusic. Retrieved April 28, 2011.
- ^ Brackett, Nathan. "Fishbone". The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. November 2004. pg. 298, cited March 31, 2010
- ^ Bernard, James (May 1993). "Give a Monkey a Brain and He'll Swear He's the Center of the Universe". Entertainment Weekly. p. 66. Archived from the original on September 7, 2008. Retrieved April 28, 2011.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "Fishbone Review". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved April 28, 2011.
- ^ "Visions - The Best Albums 1991-96". Visions. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
- v
- t
- e
- Angelo Moore
- Mark Phillips
- Chris Dowd
- John Norwood Fisher
- "Dirty" Walter A. Kibby II
- Phillip "Fish" Fisher
- Kendall Jones
- John Bigham
- Anthony Brewster
- Dion Murdock
- John McKnight
- Tracey Singleton
- André "PaDre" Holmes
- Torri Ruffin
- Curtis Storey
- John Steward
- Jay Armant
- Dre Gipson
- Rocky George
- In Your Face
- Truth and Soul
- The Reality of My Surroundings
- Give a Monkey a Brain and He'll Swear He's the Center of the Universe
- Chim Chim's Badass Revenge
- Fishbone and the Familyhood Nextperience Present: The Psychotic Friends Nuttwerx
- Still Stuck in Your Throat
- Live at the Temple Bar and More
- Live in Amsterdam
- Fishbone Live
- Singles
- Fishbone 101: Nuttasaurusmeg Fossil Fuelin' the Fonkay
- Fishbone
- It's a Wonderful Life
- Set the Booty Up Right
- Fishbone and the Familyhood Nextperience Present: The Friendliest Psychosis of All
- "Party at Ground Zero"
- "Freddie's Dead"
- "Ma and Pa"
- "Fight the Youth"
- "Everyday Sunshine"
- "Sunless Saturday"
- "Swim"
- "Fix"
- Critical Times – Fishbone's Hen House Sessions
- Live in Amsterdam
- Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone