Limp Bizkit - Three Dollar Bill, Yall$ (1997)^{Release ID: 17473}

It’s crazy to think that somehow this album would spurn an upwards momentum that would lead Limp Bizkit to, at one point, being the biggest band on the planet. Released in 1997, ‘Three Dollar Bill Y’all$’ is the debut album of the Florida-based nu metal outfit. They weren’t the first band to fuse rock and rap, in fact, bands like Stuck Mojo, Body Count, H-Blockx and Clawfinger and countless others were already worldwide names by this point. But for some reason, ‘Three Dollar…’ was one of the earlier albums that helped usher nu metal into the mainstream. I just can’t see what people saw in it!

Now, I should point out, I’m not a Limp Bizkit hater. In fact, I really like them! They’ve released some absolute bangers, and, let’s face it, was the soundtrack to my (and everyone else’s) teenage years at the turn of the century. But that still doesn’t explain to me what people back in 1997 saw in this album.

Overall, it’s very forgettable. The guitar riffs are quite messy, and Fred Durst’s blend of rapping, singing and shouting just aren’t really cutting it. At least not yet, anyway. Then there’s the cover of George Michael’s ‘Faith’ which was an early hit for the band, but again, does nothing for me. But if I had to pick, I guess ‘Pollution’, ‘Counterfeit’ and ‘Stuck’ are all okay.

But only okay. Nothing more.

It’s amazing that the band would go on to absolutely conquer the world, because if any bands released a debut this lacklustre and generic today, they’d be doomed. Still, the band are headed to bigger and better things, so skip this album and get the next one.