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A great deal of the groundwork for the mid- to late-'90s explosion of ska and ska-metal was laid by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, who were one of the first bands to cross high-energy ska with hardcore punk and heavy metal, and also helped shift its tone towards testosterone-filled party music. The Bosstones built up a devoted cult following throughout their career, but even in spite of their 1997 radio smash "The Impression That I Get," their level of commercial success has not yet matched that of more pop-oriented third-wave ska bands, like No Doubt and Sublime, who followed in their wake.
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones formed in 1985 in Boston, featuring Tim Bridewell, Dicky Barrett (vocals), Nate Albert (guitar), Joe Gittleman (bass), Josh Dalsimer (drums), and Tim "Johnny Vegas" Burton (saxophone), plus dancer Ben Carr. While all the members shared a love of ska, their tastes also ran elsewhere; Barrett, in particular, was involved in the local straight-edge hardcore scene and played with a band called Impact Unit. Originally calling themselves simply the Bosstones, the group appended "Mighty Mighty" to their name after discovering a Boston-area a cappella group with an identical moniker. The group appeared on a ska compilation, but then disbanded temporarily to allow Albert to finish high school. In 1989, the Bosstones re-formed and recorded their debut album, Devil's Night Out, which was released in 1990 on Taang! Records. The follow-up, 1992's More Noise and Other Disturbances, saw several personnel shifts; Bridewell and Dalsimer departed, the latter to attend college, and the two were replaced by drummer Joe Sirois, saxophonist Kevin Lenear, and trombonist Dennis Brockenborough, a lineup that has thus far lasted through the remainder of the band's career. 1992 also saw the release of the Where'd You Go EP, which contained several hard rock covers.
In 1993, the Bosstones signed a major-label deal with Mercury and released Don't Know How to Party; in spite of their fondness for plaid, a holdover from their early pajama-clad gigs, the group also landed a television commercial for a jean company. 1994 saw the band paying homage to their hardcore roots with a mini-album of mostly covers, Ska-Core, the Devil and More, as well as the full-length Question the Answers, one of their finest efforts. A year later, the Bosstones appeared in the film Clueless, performing "Where'd You Go" and "Someday I Suppose," two of their most popular numbers; they also landed a main-stage slot on that summer's Lollapalooza tour.
Even if their music strays far afield from the classic Two-Tone ska-revival, the Bosstones (unlike many of their contemporaries) have retained some of that movement's political consciousness. In 1996, the band helped organize the Safe and Sound benefit album in response to Boston-area family planning clinic slayings, and also perform frequently at benefit shows for battered women's groups; most of their concerts also feature information booths from the Anti-Racist Action Group. In 1997, thanks to the breakthrough of ska-pop bands like No Doubt and Sublime, Let's Face It became the band's biggest-selling album yet, buoyed by the modern-rock radio smash "The Impression That I Get." Live from the Middle East followed in 1998. ~ Steve Huey, All-Music Guide
| Year | Title | Label |
| 1998 | Live From The Middle-East | Mercury |
| 1997 | Let's Face It | Mercury |
| 1994 | Question The Answers | Mercury |
| 1994 | Ska Core, The Devil & More | Mercury |
| 1993 | Don't Know How To Party | PolyGram |
| 1992 | Where'd You Go? | Taang! |
| 1992 | More Noise And Other Disturbance | Taang! |
| 1990 | Devils Night Out | Taang! |
| 1994 | Simmer Down (Single) | Mercury |
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