It is to No Doubt's credit that an album of their "B" sides, combined with material that didn't make previous albums, could be so good. This is clearly a group overflowing with talent, originality and creativity.

This album rivals "Rock Steady" and "Tragic Kingdom" in intensity, with rocking reggae and ska beats, guaranteed to have you tapping and nodding along from the first listen. Not recommended for your CD drive if you work in a formal office setting, because even with headphones, it'll be painfully obvious what you're up to.

Stand out songs include "New Friend", "Oi to the World", "Full Circle", and the slower "Cellophane Boy", "I Throw My Toys Around" (with Elvis Costello)and the classic title song.

No Doubt's "B" is better than many other's bytes or barks.

Amanda Richards, November 9, 2004

First off, I would like to say that I love No Doubt (but though I love Gwen, and her music is good in its own way, I think that the solo career was a mistake). I think that they are the most talented band of all time, certainly the most talented band that I have ever heard. I just started to love No Doubt recently, and ordered all their CDs. Though this is a CD of B-Sides, I think that it is one of their best and that the songs should have all made it onto the records they were written for.

1. Big Distraction: 5/5. I love this song, I can't exactly explain why. The horn parts in it sort of sound like their early ska stuff, and I love the tune.

2. Leftovers: 4.5/5. Not my favorite on this CD, but it is good in its own way. It is a bit slow, and reminds me of a cross between something from Tragic Kingdom and Return of Saturn.

3. Under Construction: 5/5. I like the tune and guitar parts of this song. It reminds me of 'Six Feet Under' from Return of Saturn.

4. Beauty Contest: 5/5. A sad song, and has very deep lyrics. The phrase 'born to blossom, bloom to perish' is originally used in this song, but some of you may recognize it from Gwen's 'What You Waiting For?'. Wait until the last few seconds of the song, it's really cute!

5. Full Circle: 5/5. I love this song. The tune is really catchy, and the lyrics are good.

6. Cellophane Boy: 5/5. Another song that reminds me of a cross between something from Tragic Kingdom and Return of Saturn. Slow tune, not very catchy, but the lyrics are great.

7. Everything In Time (Los Angeles): 5/5. This song and Everything In Time (London) sound completely different, but they are both sad sounding and very beautiful lyrically.

8. You're So Foxy: 4/5. I like it, but it's just not one of my favorites. The verses are completely different from the chorus, and that's what sets it apart. On the inside cover of the CD, it said that this was a possible single, but if it was I don't think it would have even made it into the top 20. It doesn't sound like a song that you would hear on the radio.

9. Panic: 5/5. Love the lyrics, but the tune makes me all jittery. Another song where the verses sound completely different from the chorus.

10. New Friend: 5/5. This is one of my favorites from this CD. It's very reggae sounding, and the tune is so catchy! I think that this should have made it onto Rock Steady. Also, the song 'In My Head' from Rock Steady came from this song.

11. Everything In Time (London): 5/5. A very good song, great lyrics, but it makes me want to cry sometimes.

12. Sailin' On: 4/5. This was a cover song, it was originally by the Bad Brains. I like the way that they have adapted and made it theirs, their version is much slower than the original.

13. Oi To The World: 5/5. A really cool Christmas song. The lyrics are awesome, and though this wasn't their song originally, Gwen sounds truly great singing it.

14. I Throw My Toys Around: 5/5. This song was from the Rugrats movie, and features Elvis Costello. The tune is slow but catchy, and the lyrics are really cute.

15. New & Approved: 4/5. The remix is good, but goes on for too long. Personally, I liked the original better.

16 and 17. A Real Love Survives and A Rock Steady Vibe: 3/5. Catchy beat, but it isn't really by No Doubt. It mostly just has Miss Dynamite and Sweetie Irie rapping, and then occasionally has Gwen saying "A real love survives" in the background. Not my favorites.

I bought this album simply because I am a No Doubt fan. I didn't expect much out of it except a few pretty good songs. I was so wrong. This CD is amazing. All of the songs were good enough to be on the albums if not singles! I enjoy all of the songs on this album. In fact, one of them has become my favorite No Doubt song of all time, if not my favorite song of all time. That song is "Full Circle". It's got amazing lyrics, vocals and melody. I love the line "Six degrees of seperation/ we all love someone else/ it all comes full circle." My second fave song on this album is "You're So Foxy". In the liner notes it said that this one was a possible single. You'd think that it at least would have made the album, but oh well. It doesn't matter now because you can have it anyway. All of the songs on this album are amazing. This is a must have for anyone, especially a No Doubt fan.

When artists record B-Sides, and other rare tracks that are not included in the final cut of the studio albums, it's usually because they're just simply bad songs that don't fit the standards of the album or the band

In the case of 'No Doubt', I still wonder why they left these great songs out of their studio albums. The only songs that I have to say I didn't like that much were the remixes of 'Rock Steady', but other than that an excellent rarities album.

But anyways, I'm thankful that No Doubt decided to put this collection out. It goes to show that even their rare tracks are as good as their studio album material.

I bought this CD, desperate for new No Doubt songs and expecting something that was just pretty good, since it's an album of mostly B-sides and songs that were scrapped before they could make it onto any original No Doubt CD. I'm really glad that I did get it because this CD completely exceeded my expectations. These songs do not sound like rejects. They're all good enough to have made it onto the albums they were originally recorded for. The remixes are also great. It's like listening to a brand new, original No Doubt CD, which we're not likely to get for a while. This is definitely a must-have for any No Doubt fan.