Lesser-Known Bangers from Faith No More

I have been a fanboi of Faith No More since I first heard “Epic.” Not surprising, though. “Epic” was a massive hit, and a lot of people discovered FNM when it became a MTV staple. It would be easy to rewrite history and claim I loved them years before Mike Patton joined the band, but while my memory is usually sketchy at best, I actually do remember this. When I bought their older albums, I discovered Chuck Mosely’s songwriting talents, but that came after “Epic.”

10. “As the Worm Turns” – We Care A Lot (1985)

The first time I heard this was when I watched the Live at Brixton Academy concert video my friends had bought me for my birthday. Another friend picked up We Care a Lot for me when he found it at Modified Music in Salt Lake City. I have a special place in my heart for the Mike Patton version because it was the first one I heard, but I love Chuck’s as well. If I were hipper, I would have heard Chuck’s first, but I’ve never been hip, even tragically.

Chuck Mosely version from the album We Care A Lot (1985).

Mike Patton version from Live at Brixton Academy (1991).

9. “The Crab Song” – Introduce Yourself (1987)

I absolutely love this song. I loved it on Introduce Yourself, and I really dug it when Patton sung it at Rock in Rio. I’m not going to say I would dance around in my room and sing it at the top of my lungs, but I’m not not going to say it either.

The original Chuck Mosely version was from the album We Care A Lot (1985). This is the concert recording of Chuck performing with Faith No More at the Troubadour in 2016 prior to his death. A lot of that concert is available on YouTube, and it is a great show.

Mike Patton version from Rock in Rio II (1991).

8. ”Underwater Love” – The Real Thing (1989)

I always dug this song and hoped it would be a single from The Real Thing, but there had already been too many releases and hits from it, it seems. “From Out of Nowhere” did okay, but as soon as “Epic” came out and hit MTV, it had a resurgence in popularity. And “Falling to Pieces” kept the momentum, even if it did not match Epic in terms of popularity. But “Underwater Love” had that same poppy feel that I enjoyed from the album.

Mike Patton singing “Underwater Love” at Rock in Rio II (1991).

7. “The Perfect Crime” – Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991)

By the time Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey came out, I was in full-on Faith No More fanboi mode. And knowing there was a new song on the soundtrack, and that Jim Martin was going to be in the film set my hype meter to a hundred.

6. “RV” – Angel Dust (1992)

I’m a sucker for a spoken-word story song, so RV is right up my alley. And it reminds me of where I grew up in Pocatello, ID.

5. “Take This Bottle” – King for a Day…Fool for a Lifetime (1997)

“Take This Bottle” continued the eclectic sound into country music. I knew a couple of people who were angry about it, but they enjoyed the remake of the Commodores “Easy.” 

4. “Helpless” – Album of the Year (1997)

This was one of my favorite tracks from Album of the Year.

3. “Matador” – Sol Invictus (2015)

This whole album rocks on a level I had not expected, and I have learned to be surprised whenever FNM are in the studio. It is so different than their other sounds, and yet perfectly FNM.

2. “The Cowboy Song” – This is It! The Best of Faith No More (2003)

I love this quirky B-side that I first heard on the Live at Brixton concert VHS.

1.  “Absolute Zero” – Digging the Grave B-Side (1995)

I somehow had missed this and it popped up on YouTube when I was listening to the rest. I love it, and still have no idea how I didn’t know about it until today.