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):
I am not in the habit of feeling sorry for pretty-boy, zillionaire rock stars — but right now I can’t help but have the odd pang of sympathy for Bush’s Gavin Rossdale.
As anyone who’s been within six yards of a supermarket checkout or TV gossip show probably knows, these days Rossdale is only slightly more famous for his music than he is for being the boyfriend of No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani. And after listening to Return Of Saturn, the band’s latest sure-fire chart-topper of a disc, it’s clear he’s more than got his hands full with the pink-haired, Boop-voiced hottie.
The problem? Well, put it this way: Gwen doesn’t exactly seem to be the most romantically secure woman on the rock block. And she sure isn’t the type who quietly broods to herself — her band’s last disc, the ’95 smash hit Tragic Kingdom, was apparently a blow-by-blow chronicle of her breakup with bassist Tony Kanal. For Gavin, rough as it must be to have a woman who still works with her ex — and has pined openly for him — it can only be worse when she takes the microscope to every facet of your relationship and then shares it with, oh, several kajillion strangers.
Which is exactly what Stefani does on the band’s much-anticipated followup to Tragic Kingdom. The title refers to the turmoil of turning 30 (the same period of time it takes for Saturn to circle the Sun). Stefani (who, last I heard, still lived at home with her parents) passed that milestone last year. But for someone starting her fourth decade on this planet, she still displays the emotional volatility and fragile self-esteem of a lovestruck 16-year-old. Apparently she wasn’t kidding — at heart, she really is just a girl.
And every mood-swing, obsession and second-guess seems to have gone into these lyrics, which come off as a virtual diary of her hot-and-cold relationship with Rossdale. Half the time, she’s cutting his head out of their pictures: “I kinda always knew I’d end up your ex-girlfriend,” she sneers on Ex-Girlfriend, a short, sharp shot of new wave guitar-rock. “You know it makes me sick to be on that list — but I should have thought of that before we kissed.” Five songs later, of course, all is forgiven and she’s writing her first name next to his last name in her notebook: “I wouldn’t mind if my name changed to Mrs.,” she hints coyly over the dreamy skank of Marry Me. “Will you be the one to marry me?” And if she can’t come by a betrothal honestly, well, a gal has other weapons in her arsenal, as Simple Kind Of Life makes clear. “Sometimes I wish for a mistake,” she sighs. “You seem like you’d be a good dad.” (Yikes!)
What Kanal thinks of all this is anybody’s guess (I would not be surprised if it’s something along the line of ‘Better him than me’). But you have to give him — along with guitarist Tom Dumont and drummer Adrian Young — props for not only weathering all Gwen’s personal storms but continuing to grow musically despite them. Return Of Saturn, like most recent albums from former ska-punk acts, tones down the scritch-scratch guitars and herky-jerk beats that fuelled much of their early work. In their place, there’s more of the zippy, ’80s-style new wave that seems to be their second-biggest influence. To keep from coming off like a nostalgia act, they experiment with other styles, adding a dash of everything from flamenco guitars to trip-hoppy loops into the recipe. And for the faithful, there’s even the occasional chunky, off-beat riddim and jubilant horn line. Reportedly, the band spent two years writing and recording this disc. It shows; musically, this is their finest hour, more varied, tasteful and (dare I say) mature than Tragic Kingdom.
Which brings me to one last reason to feel bad for Gavin. If there’s one thing worse than having your girlfriend air your dirty laundry, it’s gotta be knowing she’s going to sell umpteen million more albums than you did. Sorry, old boy.
