Rancid - 'B Sides and C Sides'

Fans looking forward to the long-delayed seventh album from California punk rockers Rancid have been given a reprieve of sorts this month. While the band’s new release, B Sides and C Sides, doesn’t include any new material, it does live up to its name, offering 21 fairly solid rarities. While it’s sometimes obvious why the songs were relegated to backing status, with a few of the tunes meaninglessly repeating their titles over and over for choruses, it’s hard to put down this compilation too much.

Fact is, it’s still a Rancid release. While the packaging is as basic as can be, with no liner notes to put the tracks in context, the disc is still expertly arranged. Instead of a chronological approach, the band opted to arrange the songs based on flow. Even though the recording dates cover a decade (1993-2003), the record still feels like your average Rancid disc. Opening cut “Ben Zanotto,” originally from the “Let Me Go” single, kicks off with punky pacing and melody. While it’s a bit light on lyrics, the band compensates with some catchy “na na nas.” Track two, “Stop,” aims more for the ska spectrum, and it’s between these two styles that most of B Sides oscillates.

Not that there aren’t any surprises. “Devil’s Dance” has a rockabilly vibe reminiscent of The Blasters or The Stray Cats. It’s rare for the band to record a softer track without any dub influence, but “Devil’s Dance” is just that. While Rancid never experimented quite as much as its idol, The Clash, B Sides and C Sides at least reveals the act’s dedication to such an ideal.

Mostly, though, these B-sides mirror the singles/albums they come from. The reggae of “Things to Come” synchs up beautifully with what made it onto Life Won’t Wait. Meanwhile, cuts like “Dead and Gone” (featuring everyone’s favorite frog-throated singer, Matt Freeman) and “Sick Sick World” have the same no-frills approach to songwriting as Rancid 2000 did. Finally, there’s the classic Rancid sound, a compromise between searing punk riffs and eclectic world music, like on “Roots Radical” B-side “I Wanna Riot.”

So here’s the gist: If you’ve stuck with the band through each of its phases, or just don’t feel like picking up most of the singles, imports, compilations and soundtracks Rancid has been on, you’ll be pleased to see how they all come together on B Sides and C Sides.