This came out in 2000 — or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Some bands are just too eclectic for their own good — none more so than the freaky funketeers of L.A.’s Fishbone, a band that hyperactively mixed metal, ska, punk, jazz, funk, soul, R&B and reggae, often in the same song.
As a result, they’ve never been able to break out of cult-band jail during their 20-year career. Psychotic Friends Nuttwerx, their seventh full-length and first disc in four years, may be their best shot at going over the wall. Sure, they still play in every musical style known to man or alien — but here, pretty much one at a time, and one per song. Along with this more focused approach, some well-chosen covers (The Temptations’ Shakey Ground, Sly Stone’s Everybody Is A Star) help, as does a truly bizarre lineup of guests — admit it, aren’t you curious to hear a song that features Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ivan Neville, Jeff (Skunk) Baxter AND Donny Osmond? Make no mistake, Fishbone are still eclectic. This time, though, it may be for their own good.
