On the eve of Sublime’s 1996 self-titled major-label debut, singer Bradley Nowell’s life ended in a heroin overdose. In the absence of a sustained career, this three-CD, one-DVD rarities box offers an impressive stand-in. Unencumbered by commercial considerations, this material does a better job than Sublime of revealing the band’s strength: Fluent in hard-core, hip-hop and ska, they were a reggae-fusion band in the tradition of the Clash and Bad Brains, digging deep into ’80s dancehall for inspiration. A 1990 demo of “Roots of Creation,” from their first recording session, lays the blueprint, joyfully bouncing between punk and skank. Buoyed by Nowell’s big-hearted combination of horniness and humanism, Sublime refined the formula over the next six years. Though bloated with live tracks, Everything tells the story of the backyard-barbecue band that could but never fully did.

Download: “Roots of Creation,” “89 Vision,” “Caress Me Dub”