GEORGE CLINTON - PAINT THE WHITE HOUSE BLACK

Originally, the album this single is from and the other singles were released on Paisley Park records.  Shortly afterward, Paisley Park was shut down and Prince began releasing on his new label, NPG Records.  Some of the final Paisley Park albums were also released on NPG and this single is the NPG release.

It features a single edit of the song, 'Paint The White House Black' with unedited lyrics and the full length album version.  It also features the album track, 'Hollywood'.  This song is based on a play on words.  The subject of the song, Holly... "would" do a lot of things if she could.  And she wants to live in Hollywood, California.  It would've featured nicely on the soundtrack to the movie "Cool World", but here it just seems sophomoric and trite.  

The only song authentic to the release is the b-side, "Booty".  It's a jaunty tune more in line with the George Clinton escapades of the 70's than the music he was recording at Paisley Park.  Of all the outtakes I've heard from sessions for this album, "Booty" is one of the weakest.  There are stronger tracks, but somehow, this one ended up being featured.  It's by no means a bad song, it's just not his finest.

My final words:  A SAD END TO PAISLEY PARK AND A GOOD START TO THE NPG...  A FINE CLINTON MOMENT!!!

GEORGE CLINTON - PAINT THE WHITE HOUSE BLACK
01. Paint The White House Black (Uncensored Single Version)
02. Paint The White House Black (Album Version)
03. Hollywood
04. Booty

LEVEL 42 - WORLD MACHINE

Level 42 are an English band coming out in the mid 80's.  I didn't know much about them beyond the song they were most famous for in the US.  There was a time during the 90's...  I'd found a used CD store in Las Vegas where I could buy CDs for as little as a dollar.  I used the great selection to beef up my 80's collection.  I looked specifically for songs I loved then and hoped to discover new music from these different bands.  Level 42 was one of those groups.  I picked up this album hoping to discover more songs like 'Something About You'.

What I discovered is a group that had a lot of the pop sensibility of the Stock, Aitken, Waterman production happening all over the UK.  I don't know exactly when SAW started, but if it was after Level 42 came out, I'd say they copied some of the pop styling of this band.  Level 42 started out more jazz oriented and you can still hear the dedication to instrumentation on certain tracks.  

There's a lot to be said for the sensibility of the music appearing on this disc.  The lead singer has a nice voice and the catchier songs are fun to sing along with.  I recognize some of the tracks other than the one big hit from the disc.  For example, 'Leaving Me Now' is a great tune and I've heard it someplace before.  It could very well be a tune I've heard on a soundtrack.

There's a lot happening on this record and the tempo of most of the songs are more in line with R&B, Jazz infused soul and that tropical funk bands like Sade and UB40 were so popular for.  It really verged on Reggae.  However, there's only one song on the disc that really fits in with the popular 80's sound and that's 'Something About You'.  There's some great music on this disc and some of it I want to spend time with before I make a final decision.  Sadly, I wanted to write this review tonight and so it's not going to get the full review I could give it as I will continue to listen to it after I close this post out.

I'm hopeful I'll find more exciting and enticing songs to rave about before long.  In the meantime I'll say my final words:  AN ENJOYABLE, THOUGH SOMEWHAT LACKLUSTER RELEASE BY A POTENTIALLY GREAT BAND!

LEVEL 42 - WORLD MACHINE
01. World Machine
02. Physical Presence
03. Something About You
04. Leaving Me Now
05. I Sleep On My Heart
06. It's Not The Same For Us
07. Dream Crazy
08. Good Man In A Storm
09. Coup D'Etat
10. Lying Still

HINDU LOVE GODS - HINDU LOVE GODS

Hindu Love Gods are a band made up of Warren Zevon and members of REM.  The disc is essentially a collection of covers Zevon recorded with the band during sessions for one of his albums.  The music is blues influenced rock.  And it draws heavily from American blues standards.

The biggest hit from the record and the reason I bought the thing in the first place is the cover of 'Raspberry Beret' by Prince And The Revolution.  But I'll discuss that in greater detail in a bit.  First off, this isn't an album I've paid a lot of attention to after I listened to it the first time.

The first two tracks are both covers of songs Robert Johnson made famous back in the 1930's.  They're followed by the cover of Prince's 'Raspberry Beret' which is an ok version, but doesn't come anywhere near as exciting and fulfilling as the original.  Zevon's vocals are strained and he doesn't seem to have the timing the lyrics require to sound convincing.  Still, it's interesting to hear Prince covered by rock and blues musicians.  And it's nice to hear this song get attention for being more than just a standard pop song.

The next song, 'Crosscut Saw' is an old Delta-blues standard from the 1940's.  The next track, 'Junko Pardner' is an American Blues number from the 1950's.  'Mannish Boy' is also a 1950's Blues standard and was made famous by Muddy Waters.  'Wang Dang Doodle' is from 1960.

'Battleship Chains' is another more modern song.  Recorded in 1986 by The Georgia Satellites, it was barely cold before the Hindu Love Gods covered it and brought it back to the light of day.

'I'm A One Woman Man' is actually a country hit from the 1960's.  'Vigilante Man' is the product of Folk hero, Woody Guthrie.

So basically, you have a collection put together of songs that at one time or another were the standards for the genre of music they represented.  Although the arrangements don't really stand out much on this recording, the tracks were probably very exciting live.  Especially if you were familiar with the originals.

I'm not sure what to make of this disc.  I listened to it again probably for the second time since I actually bought it back in the 90's to prepare for this review and frankly, there's nothing here to bring me back to the disc anytime soon.  It's a cool cover of 'Raspberry Beret' but it's by no means the best cover of a Prince song and it's not enough to make me want to listen to the album over and over.  In the end, this will go back on the shelf and be part of a Prince cover collection I'll never really bother finishing.

There's a part of me that thinks it's cool this disc exists.  But unless you're a huge Warren Zevon fan or a huge REM fan, there's very little to get excited about here.  My final words:  SKIP IT, DOWNLOAD THE TRACKS YOU ACTUALLY WANT, BUT SKIP IT.  

HINDU LOVE GODS - HINDU LOVE GODS
01. Walkin' Blues
02. Travelin' Riverside Blues
03. Raspberry Beret
04. Crosscut Saw
05. Junko Pardner
06. Mannish Boy
07. Wang Dang Doodle
08. Battleship Chains
09. I'm A One Woman Man
10. Vigilante Man

PET SHOP BOYS - DISCO 3

"Disco 3" is the third disc in a series of releases the Pet Shop Boys do.  Each one is called Disco and the number after indicates the number of the release.  To date, I think there are 4 Disco albums.  They're a collection of mixes from previous releases and can also include b-sides or unreleased material.  I'm not sure how much of the material on this album is original and how much is re-released from singles.  I wasn't following them as closely during this period.  But I quite love this release.

The first track, 'Time On My Hands', is unique because it features vocals by Chris Lowe who generally doesn't contribute vocally to their music.  It's reminiscent of the track, 'Paninaro' which also features a rap of sorts performed by Lowe.  It's followed by the PSB version of a song they wrote for a musical they wrote and produced for a limited run in London called, "Closer To Heaven".  The song is 'Positive Role Model' and there are versions on other releases.  Most notable being the cast recording of the musical.  I love this song.  Probably because I find the lyrics hilarious and the idea behind the track quite tongue in cheek.

'Try It (I'm In Love With A Married Man)' is a Bobby Orlando cover and anyone who follows this group knows about their fascination with him as a producer and songwriter.  It's a great cover and is far superior to the original version in my opinion.  It's followed by one of the singles from the previous album, "Release".  'London (Thee Radikal Blaklite Edit)' starts out with a stomping beat and pretty much keeps the pace going throughout the entire song.  It's a pretty good mix.  I have it on another CD.  I bought some singles from this album and I think this remix is on one of them.

Next up is a new song called, 'Somebody Else's Business' and it's by far my favorite track on the disc.  I'm not sure why this song does it for me, but when it's on, I sing along at the top of my lungs.  The narrative of the story is tantalizing and it makes me curious about the origin of the song and who it's about.  Which is sorta funny considering the subject matter.  And I'm the type of person who's always judging others for gossip.  Yet here I am, with my ear to the door wondering who this is about.  

Next up is another "Release" track, 'Here'.  This mix is an extended mix by the Pet Shop Boys and it's ok.  It doesn't add much to the original version.  I think this song in general isn't very exciting though I quite love the sentiment.  And I'm afraid the mix doesn't make it any more exciting for me.  'If Looks Could Kill'...  Wasn't there a James Bond film called that?  If there wasn't, there should've been and this would be the song for it.  Hehehe.  I like this number, though it's a bit subdued.  It's followed by another mix.  This time, the track in question is actually a b-side and the mix is from the single.  'Sexy Northerner' gets the Superchumbo treatment.  This track was featured on the single to 'Home And Dry' and is quite fun.  The mix is distracting rather than accentuating the original version.  This is a song the boys would do better leaving alone.  Some of the b-sides are better off not being mixed and this is one of them.

'Home And Dry', another "Release" single makes an appearance with a remix.  This one starts off rather frantic, but eventually settles down once Neil's vocals kick in.  Although it increases the tempo, it doesn't lose the delicate magic of the original track and that makes this probably the second best mix on the album.  The best being the next and final remix.  'London' is up again with a stripped down piano rendition.  This version really allows Neil's vocals to feature in a magnificent way.  We really get to hear his vocal control and how he manipulates his voice to make each word clear and perfect.  This is not only the best track to end the disc on, it's the best mix on the album.

The Disco CDs can be hard to get into sometimes.  But this one, as a whole is enjoyable to listen to and has just the right balance of mixes, b-sides and newly released material to make it unique.  The value is there, the quality is there...  In fact, the whole package is exactly where it needs to be to make this an essential release for fans.

My final words:  THE BEST DISCO OF THE BUNCH!!!

PET SHOP BOYS - DISCO 3
01. Time On My Hands
02. Positive Role Model
03. Try It (I'm In Love With A Married Man)
04. London (Thee Radikal Blaklite Edit)
05. Somebody Else's Business
06. Here (PSB New Extended Mix)
07. If Looks Could Kill
08. Sexy Northerner (Superchumbo Mix)
09. Home And Dry (Blank & Jones Remix)
10. London (Genuine Piano Mix)

RAVE 'TIL DAWN - RAVE 'TIL DAWN

This is a compilation disc of various rave groups in the early 90's when rave was taking off.  Most of the groups are Euro electronic outfits.  And almost half of the material comes from Praga Kahn and Oliver Adams of Lords Of Acid fame.

I originally had this collection on tape and I loved it so much when I found it on CD I had to buy it.  The songs are interesting and often humorous.  And the beats are quite infectious.  However, on recent listening, I feel the music is a bit dated.  It hasn't aged well at all.  Lol.

The first track is from a Belgium artist going by the name Ottorongo.  A basic shout and response song, 'Fuck You' is basically just a list of organizations the artist wants to rebel against.  Not exactly deep philosophical lyric content, and it's not a song you can play in public.  This one, although enjoyable, hurts the compilation in my opinion.  It limits the play-ability of the disc.  It's followed by 'Jump'.  The Movement was a short lived dance band who signed a record deal in 1992 after they changed the lyrics from this song from "Jump, motherf*cker, jump" to "Jump, everybody, jump".  This is another song that hurts the compilation.

The next track is 2 Unlimited's 'Get Ready For This'.  This band is made up of Dutch and Belgian members.  They had a series of hits throughout the early 90's and continue to record.  It's probably the most popular song on the collection and also my least favorite.  I never really got into this group.  Blue Pearl appear next with 'Can You Feel The Passion' and is a duo consisting of Youth musician, Martin Glover and American diva, Durga McBroom.  I love this song.  It's got great lyrics and an infectious sound.  One of the strongest on the record.

Code Red is the first LOA Trio number appearing on the disc.  'Dreamer, Dream' was released as a single under the band name, Code Red.  As previously mentioned, Code Red is just a pseudonym for Lords Of Acid.  It's an ok, number but you can tell it's one of the first these guys worked on.  The production is a little bogged down.  It's an interesting idea and blends a little  bit of house in with the chorus.

Two Little Boys are a band I know absolutely nothing about but I love the song, 'Stylophonia'.  It's fantastic and quite fun.  Next up is Praga Khan's 'Injected With A Poison'.  This song has been used on so many compilations and appeared on multiple albums and singles.  It's almost impossible to follow it through the years.  This version seems to be one of the original if not the actual original.  Once again, the LOA Trio strike!

English band, Shut Up And Dance are next with 'Green Man'.  This one is a bit of a challenge.  It makes use of progressive scales in a repetitive motif as a music.  Although that can be highly creative, here it slows the progress of the song down and feels like you're waiting for something to go nowhere.  Lords Of Acid make an official appearance on the release with 'Take Control'.  It's a good song, though not their best.  And it works nicely on this collection.  The final number is a LOA Trio number called 'A Million Colors' by Channel X.  Channel X was a bit more than just a pseudonym for Khan, Adams and Lierop; they actually released an entire album of music under this band name. 

So it's a great little collection and gives you a comprehensive idea of what was happening with Rave music in 1992.  My final words:  A FUN BUT UNNECESSARY CHRONICLE.

RAVE 'TIL DAWN - RAVE 'TIL DAWN

01. Ottorongo - Fuck You (Singalongmotherfucker Mix)

02. The Movement - Jump (Mutha Mix)

03. 2 Unlimited - Get Ready For This (Orchestral Mix)

04. Blue Pearl - Can You Feel The Passion (Palladium Mix)

05. Code Red - Dreamer, Dream

06. Two Little Boys - Stylophonia

07. Praga Khan Featuring Jade 4 U - Injected With A Poison (MNO Power Mix)

08. Shut Up & Dance - Green Man (Rum & Black Mix)

09. Lords Of Acid - Take Control

10. Channel X - A Million Colors

ELECTRIC SIX - SEXY TRASH

This disc is an interesting release not just because it doesn't have a label.  It's also interesting because it's a band production sold exclusively by the band at their shows for the fans.  The disc contains 30 tracks of demos, outtakes and rare songs recorded by the band between the span of 1996-2007.  Of course the results speak for themselves.  Most people who understand the nature of songwriting and the music business in general, will view this release as just that...  A comprehensive look at the song writing process and a glimpse into the building blocks used to create the sound of  popular band.

Fans, on the other hand, will see this little gem as more E6 material they haven't heard before.  I see it as a little of both.  Certain songs here I will add to my cannon of E6 numbers...  Others I will view as throwaway demos or outtakes of released versions.

I could try and do a play by play breakdown, but I think the one on the back of the cardboard sleeve does justice to the material included within.  Each song is given a small write up explaining where it came from, why is wasn't used, etc. etc.  The descriptions can also be a little self deprecating.  But they're fair.

And besides, there's so many tracks, I'd be here all day.  I will say this much for it in addition to everything though...  I love the disc and I'm so happy I have it.  I listened to it all the way home the night after I bought it at the concert.  There's so many cool little bits here...  You can spend hours and not get bored.  It's classic.  

My final words:  EXPLORE THE WORLD OF ELECTRIC SIX THROUGH THE SEXY TRASH THEY THREW AWAY...  RIGHT ONTO THIS SEXY DISC.

ELECTRIC SIX - SEXY TRASH
01. Immolate Me
02. I Know Karate
03. Baby Vs. Baby
04. My Baby Is A Nuclear Winter
05. One More Time
06. Antisocial Sex Boy Hit Machine
07. Future Girls
08. I Thought You Was Dead
09. Strike While The Iron Is Hot!
10. Turn It Up!
11. Telephone Conversation
12. Serious Help
13. Future Police
14. Living On The Sexy Planet
15. Be My Dark Angel
16. Devil Nights
17. Another Song About The Devil
18. Self Destruct
19. Bite Me
20. Stepsister
21. Filthy Blankets
22. I'm On A Diet
23. People Like You (Don't Like People Like Me)
24. Into The Roppongi
25. The World's Smallest Human Being
26. I Wish This Song Was Louder
27. I Buy The Drugs
28. Down At McDonnellz
29. I Don't Like You
30. Cold Future

THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS - SURRENDER

I have three versions of this album.  One is the standard US edition.  The other two are advance promo issues.  One is the US advance promo and the other is the UK advance.  Both versions have slightly different covers.  The UK being the most unique of the two.  It's a cardboard sleeve made from recycled material.  At least I think it is.

Musically, this album is another triumph for the Chems.  The opening track is 'Music: Response' and it features a vocal sample by Missy Elliott.  This is a deep track that starts off somewhat light but falls into bass rhythm section that's off the charts.  It's absolutely brilliant.  The second track, 'Under The Influence' is just as smart.  It's got a driving beat that picks up right where the first album leaves off.  There's a girl saying over and over, "I was under the influence" and the frantic keyboards and beats makes you feel almost entranced as well.  I should not, on the US advance promo, this song is titled, 'Influenced'.  I should also note, 'Music: Response' was released as a single E.P. towards the end of the album's promotion period.  'Under The Influence' was released almost a year before the album as 'Electronic Battle Weapon 3' in an extended version.

The next track is another single, 'Out Of Control'.  I like the music, but I'm not a huge fan of the song.  Bernard Sumner is best known for his work with New Order, Joy Division and Electronic.  He's worked with The Chemical Brothers before and he's done good work with them in the past.  'Orange Wedge' features some island sounding percussion with some high pitched synth lines playing over the drums.  There's also something sounding vaguely like dogs barking.  'Let Forever Be' is another single and features Noel Gallagher on vocals.  Gallagher is the lead singer of Oasis.  And he does a great job here.  

'The Sunshine Underground' starts off with a keyboard line that evokes the anthem quality of many previous numbers.  The build is slow but cheerful and when it finally explodes, it's absolutely wonderful.  It has a similar quality to 'The Private Psychedelic Reel'.  These anthem tracks seem to have a 70's sound to them and they are positive and completely uplifting.  'Asleep From Day' comes up next and features another vocalist.  This time, it's a singer who's also worked with the Chems before.  Hope Sandoval, the dreamy singer from Mazzy Star lends her talents to this odd little gem.  I'm not exactly sure what the song is about, but it's quite relaxing and serves as the first true slow song on the album.

It's followed by a tune that builds the beats back up with a repeated scale building into a cascading collapse of sound.  'Got Glint?' is an interesting number and certainly adds to the conceptual nature of the album.  It's followed by the album's biggest and most well known single, 'Hey Boy Hey Girl'.  This is one of those tracks people expect to hear in concert and during live performances of any sort.  It's a staple of the Chemical Brothers discography.  And well deserved.  This number rocks the beat relentlessly.  Next up is another interesting track.  It's 'Surrender'.  The title track from the album.  It should be noted, on the US advance promo, the song is titled, 'Racing The Tide' and truth be told, I feel it's the more appropriate title.  When I hear this tune, I can imagine running along a beach jumping out of the path of oncoming waves early in the morning.  As the sun is coming up.  After a long night of merriment and happiness.  The peaceful come down for a crazy trip.

Jonathan Donahue, of Mercury Rev and The Flaming Lips adds vocals to the final farewell track, 'Dream On'.  If 'Surrender' was the gentle come down from the trip of the album, 'Dream On' is the clear bird song of the morning lulling the night time revelers to sleep.  We truly become the Sunshine Underground.  Finding our peaceful places to dream while the day emerges and spreads out before us.

I don't need to go on and on about this album.  Pick it up, listen to it and find yourself convinced as much as I am.  My final words:  THE PERFECT MUSICAL TRIP FOR THE OPEN MIND.

THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS - SURRENDER
01. Music: Response
02. Under The Influence (Influenced)
03. Out Of Control
04. Orange Wedge
05. Let Forever Be
06. The Sunshine Underground
07. Asleep From Day
08. Got Glint?
09. Hey Boy Hey Girl
10. Surrender (Racing The Tide)
11. Dream On

GIRL 6 - MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE

Spike Lee's film, "Girl 6" wasn't a huge hit as far as I know.  But I found the movie heartwarming.  I enjoyed it greatly.  And it's not just because Prince provided the music for it.

If you watch the film, you'll hear Prince material all over the place.  Virtually every Prince album can be heard throughout the film.  Which leads me to my complaints.

1 - with so many Prince songs used in the film, why release a soundtrack with only 13 tracks?  Many songs appearing in the film were left off the album.

2 - why not let Prince record all new material for the record?  We know he's got a lot of unreleased material and you know he could easily write enough to fill a soundtrack album...  Why poach from already released projects?

As it is, we end up with 3 new Prince songs.  Two of which showed up on subsequent releases.  'She Spoke 2 Me' was released on his "Vault...Old Friends 4 Sale" disc; although with a different edit.  'Don't Talk 2 Strangers' was recorded and released by Chaka Khan on her NPG Records album, "Come 2 My House".  The only track therefore left completely for the soundtrack is 'Girl 6'.  The title number.  Sadly, this track isn't the finest example of Prince's song writing ability.  In fact, he doesn't even get credit for the music.  Tommy Elm; or Tommy Barbarella as he's known in the NPG, wrote the music.  Prince provided the lyrics.  I have a hard time believing he didn't have a hand in the music.  And I suspect there's a more Princely version somewhere.  The music as it is on the release sounds more like a mix than an actual composition even though the tempo is slower than you'd expect.

Of the rest of the material, there are some bonus tracks here and there.  The Family's, 'The Screams Of Passion' was never released on CD in the US, so its inclusion here is a long awaited bonus for fans.  Also because it's so hard to find and expensive to buy, Vanity 6's 'Nasty Girl' is another welcome addition for many.

All in all, it's a nice package, but more like a greatest hits package of songs Prince wrote than a soundtrack.  And considering how much material was left off, it's disappointing as a single disc.  And considering 'Girl 6' had a single release, there's not a single song on this disc you can't find on another CD.  That minimizes the value of the release in my mind.

I'll discuss songs more fully on their albums.  For now let me close with my final words:  AN INTERESTING COLLECTION OF PRINCE MATERIAL.  ONE YOU COULD TAKE OR LEAVE.

GIRL 6 - MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE
01. Prince - She Spoke 2 Me
02. Prince - Pink Cashmere
03. The New Power Generation - Count The Days
04. Prince And The Revolution - Girls & Boys
05. The Family - The Screams Of Passion
06. Vanity 6 - Nasty Girl
07. Prince And The Revolution - Erotic City
08. Prince - Hot Thing
09. Prince - Adore
10. Prince - The Cross
11. Prince - How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?
12. Prince - Don't Talk 2 Strangers
13. The New Power Generation - Girl 6

DIE PRINZEN - SCHWEINE

Die Prinzen are a German pop group I discovered while living in Switzerland.  I didn't so much discover them as I liked one of their songs and I picked up a couple of their CDs at a market for a very low price.  Now the question becomes...  Did I make the right choice in buying these discs?  Um........................

Let me say the first time I heard these albums, I thought these guys were huge fans of Michael Jackson.  Since I wasn't, I didn't care much for the similarities I heard that occasionally pop up.  And let's not forget the look...  These guys are completely dorky.  

The music is mediocre pop fare and the lyrics are mostly uninspired and boring.  It should be a crime that most of these songs were committed to tape in any form.  There's only one song I actually like on here and one other I somewhat like.  The album starts with an alarm going off as if to wake you up and ends with a song giving you the impression you're going to bed.  Played on repeat, this is a nightmare groundhog day you would never escape from.

If you want to check out the only two songs worth hearing on the album, listen to 'Ich Will Ein Baby' and 'Hau Endlich Ab'.  Then do yourself a favor and avoid the rest as much as humanly possible.

I'm not going to do a breakdown this time because quite frankly, listening to this disaster years after hearing it the first time was torture enough.  Why drag it out any longer with metaphors?

My final words:  A BIG GERMAN FLOP

DIE PRINZEN - SCHWEINE
01. Entspann Dich
02. Ich Will Ein Baby
03. (Du Mußt Ein) Schwein Sein

04. Schwartz
05. Sie Denkt Immer Nur An Dich
06. Hau' Endlich Ab
07. Es Ist Wie Es Ist
08. Was Gut Ist
09. Geld Ist Schön (Danke)
10. Kansst Du Mir Noch Einmal Verzeihn
11. Kannst Du Mich Hörn
12. Sinnloses Lied
13. Müde