Faith No More’s second record with Mosley, 1987’s Introduce Yourself, is in every way its predecessor’s superior, and marks the beginning of the fully formed funk-rock-metal hybrid that the band would pilot to brief mainstream success two years later. Gould’s bass is far more prominent in the mix — all the better to showcase his percussive style; Martin’s guitar is a more integral (and interesting) piece of the arrangements after two years of performing with the band.

Twenty-eight years after its release, Introduce Yourself still wears its ambition on its sleeve, and at times hints toward the grand and emotive songwriting that the band would perfect soon after. For example, “The Crab Song” begins as a cheesy ballad, but thanks to some foreboding chord choices by Martin, works itself into an unsettling and groovy bit of metal that evokes both Run DMC and Judas Priest circa Sad Wings Of Destiny. It’s the best cut on the record, but the Grand Guignol of “Blood” and “Spirit,” the two songs that follow it, also deserve mention as hints of what’s to come. And “Chinese Arithmetic” serves as the template for several of the band’s singles on later records.

The title track, all minute and a half of it, is livelier than the half hour and change of We Care A Lot put together. However, the mix of punk and power-pop beneath serves as a prime example of the band’s greatest weakness with Mosley: cloying immaturity. The band members literally introduce themselves, with Mosley referring to his band mates in the most emasculated forms of their names (Billy, Roddy, Jimmy), as if they’re the Lost Boys, and Mosley positions himself as some sort of punk-rock Peter Pan. Worse is the non-starter storytelling in “Anne’s Song” and the horrible skit that opens “Death March.” No collection of music has ever been enriched by the uttering of “Fuck you I’ll skate to the beach and I’ll look better getting there.” Not once. Which is a shame because the rest of the song achieves some drama. It’s clear that for all of his shortcomings, Mosley had some insight into real darkness and had something to say about society. When he sang this superior re-recording of “We Care A Lot,” there’s some real anger and pathos in his voice. It’s clear why he was chosen out of all the people who first auditioned to be Faith No More’s singer, but too much of the time his lyrics were nonsense that his delivery failed to sell.

Apparently Mosley was as dissatisfied with the results of his work as I am. He famously fell asleep onstage during the album’s release show, and was relieved of his vocal duties not long after.