Early 90’s funky rock/metal

Anyone remember that fad back in the early 90’s that had those funky alternative rock bands masquerading as metal? I think it was more the image… if they had long hair and the music had some kind of distorted guitars, they were played on Headbanger’s Ball.

Animal Bag
White Trash
Ugly Kid Joe

They all pretty much were taking advantage of the RHCP’s Mother’s Milk style. And FNM had a big hit with their song Epic.

I actually like the first two UKJ albums. They were kinda fun. The video for the song Neighbor is very funny.

I'm a fan of Animal Bag. They were a local band for me. They started out more on the hair metal side of things. When they moved to L.A. the band realized they looked and sounded like everyone else. So they changed their style. I wouldn't say they were very funky sounding. Especially compared to bands like White Trash. Animal Bag had a little more of that alternative-metal style to me.

Ugly Kid Joe is good also one that comes to mind is Scatterbrain.

nevermore wrote:

I'm a fan of Animal Bag. They were a local band for me. They started out more on the hair metal side of things. When they moved to L.A. the band realized they looked and sounded like everyone else. So they changed their style. I wouldn't say they were very funky sounding. Especially compared to bands like White Trash. Animal Bag had a little more of that alternative-metal style to me.

Yeah, I guess I was thinking of their song “Everybody”. It kinda had a funky feel. Maybe more in the vein of Janes Addiction.

They also had a hippie type image. Not as ridiculous as Enuff Z’Nuff, but they did.

I like some stuff from Janes Addiction and Saigon Kick. I think Animal Bag was in that realm of alternative hard rock and metal.

Thrasher73 wrote:

Ugly Kid Joe is good also one that comes to mind is Scatterbrain.

Scatterbrain was cool!

I have their “Here Comes Trouble” album.

Don’t call me dude!

Some other funky type rock/metal… minus the obvious RHCP. And these bands were not exclusively funk oriented, they dabbled with it or used it on select songs.

Bang Tango
Living Color
Extreme
Faith No More
Mordred
Suicidal Tendencies (Freedumb and the later stuff)
Infectious Grooves
Primus

Troublezone wrote:

nevermore wrote:

I'm a fan of Animal Bag. They were a local band for me. They started out more on the hair metal side of things. When they moved to L.A. the band realized they looked and sounded like everyone else. So they changed their style. I wouldn't say they were very funky sounding. Especially compared to bands like White Trash. Animal Bag had a little more of that alternative-metal style to me.

Yeah, I guess I was thinking of their song “Everybody”. It kinda had a funky feel. Maybe more in the vein of Janes Addiction.

They also had a hippie type image. Not as ridiculous as Enuff Z’Nuff, but they did.

I like some stuff from Janes Addiction and Saigon Kick. I think Animal Bag was in that realm of alternative hard rock and metal.

"Everbody" does kinda have a funky feel. They definitely had a hippie image. The band actually recorded a 3rd album that was shelved called Image Damage that was very heavy.

Is that unreleased album “Image Damage” anywhere online? I’d like to hear it.

Troublezone wrote:

Is that unreleased album “Image Damage” anywhere online? I’d like to hear it.

I have a bootleg copy of the cd. I'm sure the songs have leaked somewhere online.

nevermore wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Is that unreleased album “Image Damage” anywhere online? I’d like to hear it.

I have a bootleg copy of the cd. I'm sure the songs have leaked somewhere online.

I think an independent label should release it.

Troublezone wrote:

nevermore wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Is that unreleased album “Image Damage” anywhere online? I’d like to hear it.

I have a bootleg copy of the cd. I'm sure the songs have leaked somewhere online.

I think an independent label should release it.

I think there had been talks of it at one point.

I loved, loved, LOVED Scatterbrain. The first (and only) time I ever stage-dived was when I saw them in NYC in early '92, during "Don't Call Me Dude."

Ugly Kid Joe opened that show, about six weeks later "Everything About You" blew up huge and they were everywhere. I was like "Geez, I just saw those guys and maybe fifty people were watching them."
Thanks to that gig, I ended up being a pretty big UKJ fan too. I must be one of the few who bought their third album Menace To Sobriety when it was a new release in '95. Shame that nobody was listening, cuz it's their best album IMO.

...and of course Faith No More's The Real Thing was freakin huge. That album still sounds fresh today. I also own FNM's Angel Dust which has never fully clicked with me, it has some good tracks on it but also a lot of weird filler nonsense. Those two albums were about as far as I went with FNM though.

Fat Freddy wrote:

I loved, loved, LOVED Scatterbrain. The first (and only) time I ever stage-dived was when I saw them in NYC in early '92, during "Don't Call Me Dude."

Ugly Kid Joe opened that show, about six weeks later "Everything About You" blew up huge and they were everywhere. I was like "Geez, I just saw those guys and maybe fifty people were watching them."
Thanks to that gig, I ended up being a pretty big UKJ fan too. I must be one of the few who bought their third album Menace To Sobriety when it was a new release in '95. Shame that nobody was listening, cuz it's their best album IMO.

...and of course Faith No More's The Real Thing was freakin huge. That album still sounds fresh today. I also own FNM's Angel Dust which has never fully clicked with me, it has some good tracks on it but also a lot of weird filler nonsense. Those two albums were about as far as I went with FNM though.

Cool that you dived at the Scatterbrain show! I agree with everything you said, except I still prefer UKJ’s second album. But then again, I never owned Menace to Sobriety. The Real Thing by FNM is their only amazing album. Angel Dust is exactly as you described. Too much Mr. Bungle influence.

Troublezone wrote:

Cool that you dived at the Scatterbrain show! I agree with everything you said, except I still prefer UKJ’s second album. But then again, I never owned Menace to Sobriety.  

Menace... is my favorite UKJ album. Definitely worth a listen, it's just as good as the EP and America's Least Wanted IMO.

If you've got 49 minutes to spare, here's the entire album on YouTube:



Fun fact: Shannon Larkin (formerly of Wrathchild America/Souls At Zero, later of Godsmack) played drums on this record.

I never really cared much for the funky stuff, but this is pretty good. And by the way men, you're all wrong about Angel Dust. That's a freaking masterpiece and the last great album from that outfit. BOOM!

John Madden wrote:

I never really cared much for the funky stuff, but this is pretty good. And by the way men, you're all wrong about Angel Dust. That's a freaking masterpiece and the last great album from that outfit. BOOM!

I agree about Angel Dust. It's an awesome album.

Troublezone, this song came out in 1995, but it seems like this fits the bill of what you're discussing. It was only released in Canada, but it was a hit there.

I dusted off Bang Tango's Psycho Cafe album yesterday and there's some cool funky stuff happening on that album, esp. in the bass playing...

Fat Freddy wrote:

I dusted off Bang Tango's Psycho Cafe album yesterday and there's some cool funky stuff happening on that album, esp. in the bass playing...

Yep, they did have the funky bass back then.

Required Fields wrote:

Troublezone, this song came out in 1995, but it seems like this fits the bill of what you're discussing. It was only released in Canada, but it was a hit there.

Major RHCP influence!

Their name is crazy!

I vaguely remember 24-7 Spies being funky, among other things.

EDIT: But totally forgot how to spell their name right
Apparently it is 24-7 Spyz

James B. wrote:

I vaguely remember 24-7 Spies being funky, among other things.

EDIT: But totally forgot how to spell their name right
Apparently it is 24-7 Spyz

I remember them. They were advertised in the metal zines a decent amount. Never bothered to listen to ‘em though…

There's some funky stuff happenin' on this Death Angel track from Act III...

Back when this thread was current, a band came to mind that I could not remember the name of. I tried looking up what I assumed was their name and nothing.... It appears what was thought to be their name ended up being the name of the album.

"Southpaw" by Precious Death

The funk is not prevalent on each and every tune, but when it is there, it is there.

James B. wrote:

Back when this thread was current, a band came to mind that I could not remember the name of.  I tried looking up what I assumed was their name and nothing....  It appears what was thought to be their name ended up being the name of the album.

"Southpaw" by Precious Death

The funk is not prevalent on each and every tune, but when it is there, it is there.

Good album!

It had a very heavy alternative sound like Faith No More. A little bit of spunky thrash moments too.