Kahlil Breithaupt (kahlil@hevanet.com)
Thu, 06 May 1999 10:08:25 -0700
> While it does sound scary in some regards, it does have potential. Tom
> Jones has some moments...check out Dr. Love from the excellent "Atomic
> Jones" LP.
...or Art of Noise's KISS, where you have the perfection of Anne Dudley to bring
out the best in a performance. If the JTQ are in a position to directly
influence the performance (through critique or frenetic energy) then Jones may
pull off a genuine instead of tongue-in-cheek performance. The guy has a great
voice when he's not poking fun at himself. And the JTQ are great when they're
not under the influence of an outsider. If Stephen Hague puts a heavy footprint
on this track it'll likely miss the boat completely.
> And JTQ can use a different direction. Their orginal raw sound
> has gotten more and more plastic over the years. If they get some of that
> old skool Moneyspyder swing with Jones at his best, I'd definitely checkit.
I'm not sure what you mean by plastic. Certainly their recording facilities and
techniques have improved, which tends to add a certain polish without any mixing
help. I do criticize the use of DJ's to polute the original work. I do miss
the 60's go-go cliche' of the past, but equally love the 70's cop show theme
they are using at the moment. In between they messed around with Jazz, Funk,
and Soul, all with their own unique brand. I'm glad that they've experimented
with all of these styles separately as it gives each project an important
historical place, and really eliminates the need to compare one record to the
next. They have made some false steps at times, but don't believe there has
been a consistent decline that deserves such a label as "plastic".
> After all, Shirley Bassey sounded pretty damn good with the Propellerheads a
> while back.
Oh yes! But Bassey is a true diva, and in my mind added the right level of
sophistication to the Prop's work that probably went beyond just History
Repeating. I'm sure the collaboration made them think about other parts of the
record in a different way, and raised the bar another notch for both
Propellerheads and techno in general. There seems to be a recent trend of
"electronica" dipping into the pool of classic pop to add some meat to an
otherwise bland genre. The "The The" influences on the new Underworld lp are
both blatant and beautiful. Yello pioneered this practice in a big way, and it
is ironic that they've traded Bassey's class for Carl Cox's drum loop, and that
the next generation has finally gotten a clue to this wealth of sound. JTQ vs
The Propellerheads would be an awesome fantasy project indeed!
James Taylor Quartet
"Theme from CHiPs (Propellerheads Catch the Drug Smuggling Hill Racers Mix)"
Kahlil.
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