As promised, I’m reviewing every Dope studio album EVER. And we’re starting with a review of 1999’s Felons and Revolutionaries.
Worth noting: I’m not a journalist, and have never claimed to be. I AM however, a very opinionated fan with a loud mouth and a platform. That’s … almost there on the qualifications, let’s be real. Point is, don’t take this like I’m a music industry expert or anything. My reviews also tend to reflect that I find it unproductive to be overly critical just for the sake of a “balanced critique.” If there’s nothing particularly at fault with a work, I won’t pick it apart just to find something to criticize.
With that said, let’s get into this review of Felons and Revolutionaries.
Felons and Revolutionaries: The Beginning
Dope burst onto the world stage with the release of Felons and Revolutionaries in 1999. As of this writing, it is their best selling album. It’s also *most likely* the album you’ve heard the most from commercially: the song Debonaire was featured on The Fast and the Furious and Scream 3 OSTs. Debonaire was also used as the entrance music for the wrestler Rhyno when he was in ECW, which I actually didn’t know until recently.
Along with the ever popular Debonaire, the tracks Sick, Everything Sucks and Pig Society were released as singles from Felons. Debonaire, Sick and Everything Sucks also received music videos. The album was produced by Edsel and John Travis, with Edsel also helming the design and artwork for this release.
The Review: Cristina’s POV
Felons and Revolutionaries has received generally favourable reviews, and for good reason. It’s a damn good album. For those of you who got into Dope with No Regrets or later releases, though, you might think you’re listening to a different band at first. That’s because with their debut, Dope was definitely giving more industrial vibes. This might be a slightly different Dope in style but not in overall tone. But if you’re not big into industrial, this might not be your go to Dope album.
Debonaire is without a doubt the strongest track on the album, along with (arguably) being Dope’s most commercially successful single. Don’t sleep on low key bangers Spine for You, Kimberly’s Ghost and One Fix, though. This album is also notable for featuring one of very few covers by any artist that is (in my opinion) better than the original: You Spin me Round (Like a Record). Originally performed by Dead or Alive off the album Youthquake, Dope’s arrangement is still a mainstay in their live shows. When it comes to another cover on Felons (N.W.A’s “Fuck tha Police”), the re-recorded version on American Apathy is the stronger pick.
The Verdict?
Felons and Revolutionaries is still a bop 25 years on, and gives no impression of feeling dated or “of its time”. Music is a landscape that sometimes changes by the second. It’s not often that albums from this era still feel so fresh and relevant. I’ve never really understood how Edsel seems to manage keeping his music so continually timeless. At the end of the day, I don’t need to understand. Don’t take things too seriously or overcomplicate them. Good is good.
I’ll see you with the next review where we take a look at Life. The album that spawned that one song that will forever remain Dope’s most infamous track…