After their debut album flopped, No Doubt was in limbo with their record label, Interscope. They had written a bunch of new material but they weren't sure if they were going to be dropped by their label. To remedy the situation, they went into a home studio and recorded this album, which was originally released independently. The songs are still mostly in the ska-vein, but they show the band was tightening up their sound. Songs like "Open The Gate", "Greener Pastures", "Snakes" and "That's Just Me" are all top notch songs as is "Total Hate '95" which features the late Brad Nowell of Sublime on backing vocals. The one song that really sums up the band's greatness is "Stricken". It is a perfect combination of ska and pop and is absolutely amazing. This album was belatedly released after the success of Tragic Kingdom, so it seemed like a bit of step backwards, but put in context, it perfectly bridges the gap between their debut and Tragic Kingdom

This is a great cd. It's got the kind of music that would make ya sing along and get up and dance! It's a great cd, safe for all ages (nothing with a need for advisenment). It's a great gift idea and perfect for any No Doubt fan's collection. It's got a variety of music, from slow to fast. Also note, Bradley (of Sublime) makes an apperance and voacls for the song Total Hate '95. This album also has a wonderful amount of old pictures of the band incuding the pictures of the band as young children on the cd itself. Also be sure to hunt down the origional collection and the singles for Doghouse and Squeal on 7" vinyl. Be sure to also pick up No Doubt's self titled album, Tragic Kingdom, video, and other items such as compulations and singles. Do Well & Doubt Not!

If you likd Tragic Kingdom, then you'll love Beacon Street Collection. It is basically the Olympic motto. Higher, Faster, Stronger. And a lot of fun too.

Gwen's voice is in top form here. No Doubt recorded this album in a agarage on Beacon Street. And am I ever glad they released it. ALl the songs are great. But standout tracks are : Total Hate, Stricken (an adorable love song), Greener Pastures, Squeal, Doghouse. Eric Stefani plays the keys here. I think he was really the key to No Doubt's ska sound because after he left they went to New Wave. Not that they aren't good now (ROS is my second fave after this CD) but he gave them that fun, ska sound.

It's just a great CD to have. And i fyou like ska, check out their self-titled one.

The Beacon Street Collection was released just before Tragic Kingdom, and it contains many songs that were produced prior to their "evolution" on Tragic Kingdom. Nonetheless, this album has some of the BEST No Doubt songs including "Total Hate", "Doghouse", "By the Way", "Greener Pastures", and the rock masterpiece "Open the Gate". Like all of No Doubt's album, this is a MUST HAVE if you like No Doubt or just rock/ska music!

This CD, simply put, is great. In a way, it has more life than the Tragic Kingdom CD (although I love the TK CD very much, too). This CD has a lot of unique songs, whereas in the TK album, there are a couple of songs that you can get tired of listening after a long period of time. All the songs on the Beacon Street Collection are very much listenable. My favourites are Stricken, Squeal, and Total Hate. Great keyboards, backup singing, and Gwen's voice is wonderful. If you want a CD that you can listen to for a long, long, long time with pure enjoyment, I high recommend this CD.