Oftentimes at the end of a certain decade, music is released that comes to define the next one. In the late ’70s, new wave acts like Blondie and The Knack were first beginning to spring onto the scene – as well as bands like The Cure and Joy Division that were also beginning to release their material. A few years later and all four of those bands proved to be extremely successful (though The Knack burned out as fast as they rose to meteoric heights and Joy Division, who lost vocalist Ian Curtis, reformed as New Order), both critically and commercially speaking. The late ’80s had so much to offer, as well. Hip-hop was pushing its way toward the popular consciousness, with N.W.A., LL Cool J, and Ice-T (just to name a few) all putting out some of the most groundbreaking releases in the genre’s history. You also had grunge, which was emerging in Seattle (Soundgarden, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam precursor Mother Love Bone were releasing their formative material), as well as alternative rock and even some of the first precursors to nu-metal. Wait, what?
Influences on nu-metal can be found just about everywhere – from the groove metal of bands like Pantera and Machine Head to the funk rock and metal of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fishbone, and even Living Colour. Being that hip-hop was a huge influence, rap and rock were starting to collide as well – Aerosmith and Run-DMC’s “Walk This Way” helped to open up the floodgates in the late ’80s, and from then on all bets were off.
To say alternative metal band Faith No More played a key role in the development of the nu-metal genre (before it ever even existed) is an understatement, of course. Even before Mike Patton joined the band for 1989’s breakthrough on The Real Thing, he was a known quantitym- and of course, Faith No More was as well with the late vocalist Chuck Mosley. In fact the band’s early single, “We Care A Lot”, which saw a release all the way back in 1985 was one of the earliest examples of hip-hop and rock colliding. Mosley and Faith No More eventually parted ways after the Introduce Yourself album was released in 1987, paving the way for the extremely versatile vocalist Mike Patton – also of experimental act Mr. Bungle, a band he performed with while in high school.
Released in June of 1989, the album actually didn’t see immediate success for the band, failing to chart on the Billboard 200 until the release of the album’s second single, “Epic”. This single would come to define the band with it being easily their most well-known track, as well as one that bridged the gap between funk, metal, hip-hop, and alternative. With prominent keyboards courtesy of Roddy Bottum and Mike Bordin’s drumwork that provided the backbone of the band, the album was complemented by Seinfield-esque basslines from Bill Gould (seriously, they’re way up in the mix) and Mike Patton’s vocal stylings. To say the song (and album as a whole) has a prominent hip-hop influence is accurate, but said influence also doesn’t dominate The Real Thing – making for an eclectic experience overall. In fact, it’s all pretty (alternative) metal – just ask some of Jim Martin’s riffs that feature on “Epic” and the thrash metal cut “Surprise! You’re Dead!”, where Martin takes center stage on the latter.
If you want to talk about vocal range and prowess, there aren’t too many better at the craft than Patton. Barely 20 years old at the time he joined Faith No More, Patton was a relatively unknown quantity at the time (at least to fans in the alternative scene), but his presence was felt from the opening song, “From Out Of Nowhere”, A keyboard-driven opening gives way to his massive vocal presence, swinging wildly even from verse to verse throughout the song and album – but often in a melodic fashion. Considering the myriad number of vocal styles and cadences Patton is renowned for, The Real Thing has to rank as one of his more accessible performances. In fact, it wasn’t until 1992’s Angel Dust that things truly got weird.
“Woodpecker From Mars” stands out in particular because it’s a bass and guitar heavy instrumental jam session – no Mike Patton vocals to be found at all. In fact, it’s one any fan of instrumentals and great songwriting can appreciate, thankfully also not overstaying its welcome. And just in case you forgot Faith No More put the “metal” in alternative metal, there’s a faithful cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” tacked on for good measure.
“Edge Of The World” ends the album, and fittingly for Faith No More, it’s a complete left-field choice. You’re probably asking yourself “did I just listen to something I’d hear at a cabaret?” and the answer is pretty much yes. It’s one of many ways the band’s eclecticism served Faith No More well, and also allowed them to cast a wide-open net with who the band toured with over the years.
The eclectic nature of The Real Thing importantly served as a springboard for bands all across the musical spectrum as an important influence in the years to come. When the album was released in 1989, hair metal was still the dominant genre on the rock and metal charts – bands like Poison, Def Leppard, and Bon Jovi were still very much record sellers. By the time the “Epic” single was released in January 1990, those tides were starting to turn – with bands like Jane’s Addiction, Primus, Living Colour, and more starting to gain (or in some cases, already had) a mainstream audience. What did these bands have in common? They fell under the “alternative metal” umbrella, a harbinger of things to come for the music scene, and they also had a key funk metal influence. By 1991, Faith No More had helped open up the floodgates with their prior work the decade before.
One thing that’s particularly notable about the record’s influence centers specifically around Mike Patton’s unique vocal range and prowess. The usage of the term “vocals as an instrument” certainly applied here, with Mike Patton’s highs and lows, melodic and avant-garde stylings an integral part of Faith No More’s success. Seriously, just listen to the title track – it really has it all! Most interestingly, his voice provided a key influence on many of rock and metal’s future vocalists. Patton’s presence and influence is notable in everyone from Incubus’s Brandon Boyd to Glassjaw // Head Automatica’s Daryl Palumbo, just to name a few.
Overall, The Real Thing served as Faith No More’s introduction to a much wider audience, as well as a record that truly helped opened up alternative metal to the mainstream. While not necessarily solely responsible for the commercial decline of hair metal (grunge and industrial music played a strong part in that), Faith No More’s ability to push the conventional boundaries of rock and metal was uniquely influential in what would be a truly exciting decade of music ahead.
