After their severely flawed, albeit promising, debut full-length, Faith No More returned in 1987 with the much-improved Introduce Yourself. Boasting a heavier and more memorable style, Introduce Yourself was a huge step in the right direction for this American quintet. Even though The Real Thing is when Faith No More really got serious about making terrific music, this is still a highly enjoyable album in its own right. Chuck Mosley's vocals sound a million times better than they did on the debut, the production is improved, and the band even plays as a tighter unit. Although this is far from perfect, or even great, it's a crucial album in Faith No More's progression into the heavy metal juggernaut we know today. Even though it would be insane to recommend this album to someone who doesn't already own all of FNM's future releases, this is surely their best pre-Patton album.
Introduce Yourself is a genuinely fun album. The entire album has a "boy's night out" feel, with a great 80's sound. Everything about this album just screams "late 1980's" in bolded red font. The production, the punky vocal styles, and the mix of heavy metal and funk is just iconic of that era. Musically, the album is also quite good. Most of the songs are extremely catchy with irresistible basslines and riffs. Though Chuck Mosley's vocal abilities are still often questionable, he does sound much better than he did on We Care A Lot. The title track on We Care A Lot was re-recorded and released for this album, and I can easily conclude that this version of the song is much improved. I've always liked the original version, but a number of setbacks kept it from reaching its full potential. I'm really glad Faith No More decided to re-record the song; it's truly amazing how much better it sounds on Introduce Yourself. The other songs are all pretty good, with a few exceptions. There are a few truly forgettable songs like "Anne's Song", but there's also a couple great songs like "Faster Disco" and "Chinese Arithmetic". For the most part, the other songs are good, but not outstanding in any way.
The production on Introduce Yourself is a vast improvement over We Care A Lot. What was once a flat and boring sound is now full and warm. There could still be some improvements, but for an 80's heavy metal production, this is surely above average.
Generally speaking, Introduce Yourself is almost the same thing as We Care A Lot, though improved in every aspect. This is a fun and original album from Faith No More and definitely hinted at better things to come. Though it doesn't even touch The Real Thing or Angel Dust, this is still an enjoyable album. I'll give this good, but non-essential, album 3 stars. If Mike Patton were behind the microphone, I have a feeling my rating would've been higher.
Track Listing
1. Faster Disco (4:16)
2. Anne's Song (4:46)
3. Introduce Yourself (1:32)
4. Chinese Arithmetic (4:37)
5. Death March (3:02)
6. We Care a Lot (4:02)
7. R n' R (3:11)
8. The Crab Song (5:52)
9. Blood (3:42)
10. Spirit (2:52)
Total Time: 37:56
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