Three albums from the 1980s that you shouldn't live without

Fishbone - Truth and Soul

If you have never listened to Fishbone before, there is a lot to prepare for. Many of their songs are unreal and several of their albums are fantastic. But the band does wear their influences where you can hear them and they aren't going to stick around much on one genre. Heck, there are many tunes that have different genres at work within a few minutes timeframe.

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But this is part of what makes Truth and Soul so excellent. Fishbone pounces from one sound to the next and strikes each chord perfectly. Their second full-length studio album was also an intentional attempt to move away from a frat boy-type aura to one where the band were adults making eclectic music.

Truth and Soul also has a lot more social commentary, which the group does extremely well but in their own unique way, "Freddie's Dead" starts the album and is much more heavy rock than the Curtis Mayfield original. "Ma and Pa" was the second single from the record (after "Freddie's Dead") and is about the breakup of a family. "Mighty Long Way" is about progress wrapped in the music of pure fun. "Subliminal Fascism" is about just what the title suggests but is one minute of punk. And "Change" is about hope and one of the most beautiful songs Fishbone has ever done.

There aren't too many bands like Fishbone anymore. Most people you have any chance of hearing on the radio seem to have to fit into some record companies little box. With Fishbone, there's no box and we are better off for that.