Gorefest

Fear

One of the great adult alternative albums

Review Score:

(10/10)
Toad The Wet Sprocket released Fear in 1991. Around this time, R.E.M.'s Out Of Time album shot to number #1 and spawned several hits that musically were noticeably lighter songs than on their previous releases. The record industry, in typical fashion, began pushing bands that had a similar sound as R.E.M. and Toad were one of them. However, Toad The Wet Sprocket were arguably the best band to emerge during this time and Fear is not only their best album but also one of the best of its genre.

Fear is best known for the hits "All I Want" and "Walk On The Ocean", two well-crafted tracks with memorable melodies and thoughtful lyrics that became popular on Top 40, adult contemporary, and college radio. While many bands from this genre concentrated on writing middle of the road songs like "All I Want", Toad were more diverse musically and stronger lyrically. "Something To Say", "Pray Your Gods", "I Will Not Take These Things For Granted", and "Before You Were Born" are all great songs carried by Glenn Phillips' excellent vocals and lyrics. Unlike most lead singers today, Phillips' vocals clearly reflected the mood of the track and these songs are strong examples of this. The tracks "In My Ear" and "Is It For Me" are also strong tracks in the vein of their hit single "All I Want." The hardest tracks here, "Stories I Tell" and the anti-domestic abuse "Hold Her Down" may actually be the best songs here. What's also worth noting is the little nuances they use to distinguish their music, like the violins on "Walk On The Ocean" and "Something To Say", the backing choir-like vocals which end "Pray Your Gods", and the repetitive bass line that drives "Butterflies." This is an excellent album, certainly one of the best from the '90s. To sum this up, it's just as strong as Hootie & The Blowfish's Cracked Rear View only more diverse and it didn't sell 16 million copies. Highly recommended.

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