The Reality of My Surroundings

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The Reality of My Surroundings
The Reality of My Surroundings.jpg
Studio album by
Fishbone
ReleasedApril 23, 1991 (1991-04-23)
RecordedNovember 1990 – January 1991
Studio
  • Ocean Way (Hollywood, California)
  • Studio 55 (Hollywood)
  • Summa (West Hollywood)
  • Capitol (Hollywood)
Genre
Length59:39
Label Columbia [3]
Producer Fishbone, David Kahne
Fishbone chronology
Set the Booty Up Right
(1990)		The Reality of My Surroundings
(1991)		 Give a Monkey a Brain and He'll Swear He's the Center of the Universe
(1993)
Singles from The Reality of My Surroundings
  1. "Fight the Youth"
    Released: 1991
  2. "Everyday Sunshine"
    Released: 1991
  3. "Sunless Saturday"
    Released: 1991

The Reality of My Surroundings is the third studio album by the American rock band Fishbone, released on April 23, 1991, by Columbia Records. [4]

Contents

Background and recording

The Reality of My Surroundings was recorded after the band had achieved breakthrough success in 1988 following a stint opening for Red Hot Chili Peppers, which had contributed to their album Truth and Soul (1988) charting in the Billboard 200. [5] They had also appeared in the film Tapeheads that year at the suggestion of star John Cusack. [5]

The band spent most of 1989 composing the songs for the album, which contain elements of funk, rock, reggae, hard rock, punk rock and a new focus on heavy metal-inspired guitars. [5] [6] Basic tracks for the album were recorded in Hollywood at Ocean Way Recording, with overdubs done at Ocean Way, Studio 55, Summa and Capitol Studios. [7] All four "If I Were A...I'd" tracks were recorded live. [7]

AllMusic writer Greg Prato notes that the material is "unpredictable" and "off-the-wall" in comparison to its more "straightforward" predecessor. [6] "So Many Millions" contains the line, "I cannot get over legitimately, the reality of my surroundings do not point to the sky, so why even try", which Newsday writer Martin Johnson observed "captures the pall that lingers over much of the recording". [8]

The Reality of My Surroundings was Fishbone's first album to feature former Miles Davis music director John Bigham (guitar, keyboards), who joined the band in 1989 during the Truth and Soul tour. [9] Following this album's release, guitarist Kendall Jones left the band. [5]

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [6]
Robert Christgau Rating-Christgau-dud.svg [10]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Entertainment Weekly A− [11]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [12]

The album was a critical and commercial success, peaking at No. 49 on the Billboard 200 on May 18, 1991. [13] Due to the sudden implementation of Nielsen SoundScan tracking figures on the Billboard charts, The Reality of My Surroundings sharply dropped to No. 182 in two weeks. [14] The album ultimately spent ten weeks on the Billboard 200, and by 1997 the album had sold nearly 200,000 copies in the United States. [15] [16] The album was promoted with three single releases: "Fight the Youth", whose music video was given exposure on MTV, followed by "Everyday Sunshine" and "Sunless Saturday". [5]

The album is widely considered by fans and critics as the creative peak of the band. People called The Reality of My Surroundings Fishbone's most impressive album. [17] Trouser Press wrote that "the sprawling [album] reprises much of Truth and Soul‘s spirit and sound, but is far more ambitious in scope and philosophy." [18] Several critics likened the album to the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967). [6]

Fishbone experienced a large growth in concert tickets and record sales during this period, making two memorable television appearances: performing "Sunless Saturday" and "Everyday Sunshine" on Saturday Night Live , and the latter on The Arsenio Hall Show .[ citation needed ]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Fight the Youth"John Norwood Fisher, Philip Fisher, Kendall Jones5:01
2."If I Were A...I'd"Chris Dowd, Angelo Moore 0:54
3."So Many Millions"J. N. Fisher, Moore5:50
4."Asswhippin'"John Bigham, Dowd, J. N. Fisher, P. Fisher, Jones, Walter A. Kibby II, Moore0:40
5."Housework"J. N. Fisher, P. Fisher, Jones, Kibby, Moore4:46
6."Death March"Dowd, Moore0:34
7."Behavior Control Technician"J. N. Fisher, P. Fisher3:09
8."If I Were A...I'd"Dowd, Moore0:29
9."Pressure"Jones, Moore4:47
10."Junkies Prayer"Dowd, J. N. Fisher, Jones, Moore, Byron West3:01
11."Pray to the Junkiemaker"Dowd, Moore4:03
12."Everyday Sunshine"Dowd, Moore4:57
13."If I Were A...I'd"Dowd, Moore0:29
14."Naz-Tee May'en"J. N. Fisher, P. Fisher, Jones, Moore4:56
15."Babyhead"Kibby5:31
16."If I Were A...I'd"Dowd, Moore0:53
17."Those Days Are Gone"Dowd, J. N. Fisher5:23
18."Sunless Saturday"Jones4:18

Personnel

Credits adapted from CD liner notes. [7]

Fishbone

Additional musicians

Technical

Accolades

YearPublicationCountryAccoladeRank
1991Rock de LuxSpain"Albums of the Year"2 [19]
1991 OOR Netherlands "Albums of the Year"40 [19]
"*" denotes an unordered list.

Charts

Album – Billboard (United States)

YearChartPosition
1991 Billboard 200 49 [13]

Singles – Billboard (United States)

YearSingleChartPosition
1991"Sunless Saturday" Modern Rock Tracks 7
"Everyday Sunshine"Modern Rock Tracks14

References

  1. ↑ "Top 8 Iconic 'Funk Metal' Albums". Ultimate Guitar . October 18, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  2. ↑ Reynolds, Simon (May 24, 1991). "Hybrid sounds". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Larkin, Colin (May 27, 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN   9780857125958 – via Google Books.
  4. ↑ Gold, Jonathan (April 7, 1991). "Fishbone's New Line : The eclectic L.A. funk band never had trouble 'crossing over' to a white audience, but now it wants to cross back". Los Angeles Times .
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Stafford, James (April 22, 2016). "25 Years Ago: Fishbone Release the Funk-Metal Blueprint, 'The Reality of My Surroundings'". Diffuser . Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Prato, Greg. "The Reality of My Surroundings Review". AllMusic . Retrieved April 29, 2011.
  7. 1 2 3 Fishbone (1991). The Reality of My Surroundings (CD liner notes). New York: Columbia Records. CK 46142.
  8. ↑ Johnson, Martin (May 19, 1991). "Bad to the Fishbone". Newsday . Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  9. ↑ Crigler, Peter (August 2024). "Perfect Sound Forever: Fishbone". Perfect Sound Forever .
  10. ↑ "Robert Christgau: CG: Fishbone". Robert Christgau .
  11. ↑ Bernard, James (April 1991). "The Reality of My Surroundings Review". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved April 29, 2011.
  12. ↑ Brackett, Nathan (November 2004). "Fishbone Overview". The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. p. 298.
  13. 1 2 "Fishbone". Billboard .
  14. ↑ Harrington, Richard (May 22, 1991). "Billboard Does a Number". The Washington Post . Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  15. ↑ Boehm, Mike (November 21, 1997). "The Art of Bait and Switch". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Fishbone". Billboard . Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Picks and Pans Review: The Reality of My Surroundings". PEOPLE.com.
  18. ↑ "Fishbone". Trouser Press . Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  19. 1 2 "OOR – Albums of the Year". OOR . Retrieved April 29, 2011.
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