NO DOUBT

Formed: 1987, Orange County, California

Members: Tom Dumont, guitar (born Los Angeles, California, 11 January 1968); Tony Kanal, bass (born Kingsbury, London, England, 27 August 1970); Gwen Stefani, vocals (born Fullerton, California, 3 October 1969); Adrian Young, drums (born Long Beach, California, 26 August 1969). Former members: John Spence, vocals (born 1969; died Anaheim, California, 21 December 1987); Eric Stefani, keyboards (born Fullerton, California, 17 June 1967).

Genre: Rock

Best-selling album since 1990: Tragic Kingdom (1995)

Hit songs since 1990: "Just a Girl," "Spiderwebs," "Don't Speak"

No Doubt first came to prominence as part of the mid-1990s ska revival, but transcended the movement to become one of rock music's most successful mainstream radio acts.

Orange County Origins

The band had its origins in Orange County, California. Siblings Eric and Gwen Stefani and friend John Spence shared a common affection for British ska bands of the early 1980s such as Madness and English Beat; the trio, which came to be known as "No Doubt" after one of Spence's favorite expressions, incorporated ska's frenetic, horn-driven reggae styling into its developing sound. Eric Stefani manned the keyboards, while Spence and Gwen Stefani shared vocal duties.

No Doubt brought its raucous music to the Anaheim party circuit, relentlessly gigging and, in the process, securing a sizable cult following. To flesh out its sound, the band added bass player Tony Kanal and, later, guitarist Tom Dumont and drummer Adrian Young. In December 1987 Spence committed suicide, leaving Gwen Stefani alone at the microphone.

Interscope Records signed No Doubt to a recording contract in 1991 and released the band's self-titled debut the following year. The album barely made a splash on alternative radio, which was then dominated by the dark and moody sounds of grunge acts such as Nirvana and Soundgarden. A national tour also flopped, and Interscope temporarily withdrew its financial support of the band. No Doubt took a further hit when founding member Eric Stefani left the band to pursue a career in animation.

One More Chance

Interscope gave the band one final opportunity to prove itself in the studio; the band responded with what would become Tragic Kingdom, released in 1995. The album served to document another setback that the band had experienced during its recording, namely the breakup of Gwen Stefani and Kanal, who had dated for seven years. The album was a slow mover at first, but ultimately the single "Just a Girl" landed in MTV's coveted Buzz Bin. MTV audiences embraced "Just a Girl," seizing upon its driving, propulsive guitar riff as well as Stefani's lyrical beef with men who sought to constrain her existence: "'Cause I'm just a girl, little ol' me / Don't let me out of your sight / I'm just a girl, all pretty and petite / So don't let me have any rights / Oh . . . I've had it up to here!" With her unique fashion style that juxtaposed athletic wear with traditional Indian jewelry, Stefani quickly became the band's visual reference point.

The band also scored hits with "Spiderwebs" and "Don't Speak," the latter topping the singles charts. "Spiderwebs" fuses the band's ska influence with punk-rock sensibilities, with Dumont's guitars alternating between frenetic reggae upstrokes and heavy distortion-laden riffs. The ballad "Don't Speak" generated significant interest as a result of its curious video, which depicts Kanal, Dumont, and Young ostracizing Stefani for what they consider disproportionate media coverage of her; the video's subtext was rooted in fact, as the band apparently nearly broke up at the height of its success because of the inter-band divisions.

No Doubt benefited from an increased public awareness and interest in ska music in the mid-1990s, largely the result of the Offspring and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones having made minor inroads in commercial radio in the preceding years. No Doubt's success bolstered the movement, and a host of other ska-influenced acts such as Sublime, Less Than Jake, and Save Ferris experienced their first mainstream airplay.

It was five years before No Doubt released Return of Saturn (2000), the much-anticipated follow-up to Tragic Kingdom. Return of Saturn represented a great leap forward for the band, in terms of musical and lyrical development. The band retained its ska sensibility, but broadened its sound, incorporating the sound of 1980s new wave music as well as modern electronic flourishes. Stefani's lyrics touched on more adult themes, including her desire to marry and have a family. The song "Marry Me" garnered much attention, as gossip columnists seized on Stefani's seemingly telegraphed plea to current boyfriend (and future husband) Gavin Rossdale of the band Bush: "I can't help that I liked to be kissed / And I wouldn't mind if my name changed to Mrs." The hit single "Simple Kind of Life," the first song for which Stefani composed the music in addition to writing the lyrics, also resonated with listeners in its emotional honesty: "And all I wanted was a simple thing, a simple kind of life."

Stefani made a pair of high-profile collaborations with Eve and Moby, fueling speculation that she would soon depart No Doubt for a solo career, but the band's lineup remained intact for Rock Steady, released in 2001. The album, recorded in Jamaica, featured a decided reggae vibe, a not-so-subtle nod to the band's ska origins. The lead single "Hey Baby," with its call-and-response engagement with listeners ("All the boys say, 'Hey baby, hey baby, hey' / Girls say, 'Hey baby, Hey Baby, hey'") was a major hit, as were the follow-ups "Hella Good" and "Underneath It All." Rock Steady sold 2 million copies and earned the band its first Grammy Award.

No Doubt surprised many critics by shaking off the limitations of ska and evolving a powerful and unique mainstream sound. And, by charting three consecutive smash albums for the band, mainstream audiences illustrated their willingness to follow No Doubt in its continued development.

Spot Light: Tragic Kingdom (1995)

Much like Fleetwood Mac's landmark album Rumours (1977), No Doubt's Tragic Kingdom fascinated audiences with its frank expression of inter-band turmoil. In the case of Tragic Kingdom, it was the breakup of singer Gwen Stefani and bass player Tony Kanal that served as the flashpoint during the recording of the album. Stefani and Kanal had dated for seven years before breaking up prior to the recording of Tragic Kingdom. Their breakup occasioned a flood of intense, highly personal lyrics from Stefani. On songs such as the hit single "Don't Speak," Stefani wallows in confusion and self-doubt: "I really feel I'm losing my best friend / I can't believe this could be the end." On other tracks such as "Happy Now?," Stefani angrily lobs lyrical salvos at Kanal: "No more leaning on your shoulder / I won't be there, no more bother." Kanal and Stefani remained professionals throughout the ordeal, completing the recording of the album. The pair's friendship survived the painful breakup, and they would ultimately come to joke about their highly public split. In the promotional video for "Ex-Girlfriend" from Return of Saturn (2000), for instance, the pair struggle to kill each other before falling out a window together.

SELECTIVE DISCOGRAPHY:

No Doubt (Interscope Records, 1992); Tragic Kingdom (Trauma/Interscope Records, 1995); Return of Saturn (Interscope Records, 2000); Rock Steady (Interscope Records, 2001).

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