11-minute space-rock and blues excursion that Syd Barrett might have envisioned if he ’ d had Michael Bloomfield in tow . The song takes a tone more befitting the song ’ s lyrics of heartache and mistrust . Third Mind performed “ Everybody ’ s Talkin ’” songwriter Fred Neil ’ s shimmering and fathomless “ The Dolphins ” on their debut . On 2 , they conclude with Neil ’ s wistful and sentimental 1965 single “ Little Bit of Rain .” The group initially hews closer to Neil ’ s gently twinkling arrangement than the remainder of the album ’ s material , suggesting Alvin ’ s long-standing affinity for the influential folk-rock figure . The players still take time to explore fresh possibilities and twists to the original , which is a statement that describes the imaginative , interactive ethos of Third Mind in a nutshell .
– Jeff Elbel
8
You ” leans on a vocal sample by Camille Yarbrough . “ I have to praise you like I should ,” she sings as Cook extends the last syllable to impossible lengths . The song is buoyed by a driving piano clip , an effervescent electric piano progression , and the theme from the Saturday morning cartoon Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids . The album ’ s determined fourth single , “ Right Here , Right Now ,” was led by a sample of Angela Bassett ’ s voice from the sci-fi film Strange Days and propelled by a truly big beat with a dramatic string sample from a James Gang song drifting above it . The track arrived six months after the album ’ s release and 10 months after the initial arrival of “ The Rockafeller Skank .” Four charting singles within a year made Fatboy Slim ubiquitous at radio , MTV , and countless house parties .
The 2xLP anniversary reissue of You ’ ve Come a Long Way , Baby has been half-speed mastered at Abbey Road Studios and arrives on heavyweight black vinyl in a gatefold sleeve . A six-page booklet includes Ralph Moore ’ s retrospective essay , which quotes members of Cook ’ s creative and industry circle and places the album ’ s creation in the context of its time .
– Jeff Elbel
9 tickets at www . hdhomecoming . com
18 illinoisentertainer . com february 2024
FATBOY SLIM You ’ ve Come a Long Way , Baby 2xLP 25th anniversary reissue
( Astralwerks )
Originally released in October 1998 , the second Fatboy Slim album by Norman Cook exploded into the mainstream and became the sound of the turn of the century . Cook channeled painstaking pastiche work in his computer-based home studio into a string of danceable Big Beat , soul , and techno-pop grooves with debts to underground hip-hop . The album hit # 1 in the UK and made the US top 40 , selling millions . In the climate that made global hits of DJ-centric tracks like Prodigy ’ s “ Firestarter ” and “ Where It ’ s At ” by Beck , lead single “ The Rockafeller Skank ” was undeniable and wicked fun . The track repeated a cut-up sample of hip-hop artist Lord Finesse introducing his “ Vinyl Dog Vibe ” and repeating the line “ Right about now , the funk soul brother , check it out now , the funk soul brother .” If you ’ ve heard the track , just reading those words likely launched an earworm , complete with its clattering hi-hat rhythm and twanging surf-guitar riff courtesy of Duane Eddy . “ Gangster Tripping ” was a combination of aggressive hip-hop , swinging soul horns , and breezy island rhythm that aligned well with pervasive favorites released from Beastie Boys ’ Hello Nasty earlier the same year . The uplifting “ Praise
CHRIS BALLEW Volume One LP
( Bandbox )
The Presidents of the United States of America collectively relinquished office in 2015 . Caspar Babypants apparently got his driver ’ s license and headed for parts unknown . Since then , frontman Chris Ballew has continued his musically prolific life under his own name . Volume One draws three songs apiece from four digital-only solo LPs ( I Am Not Me , Soul Unfolded , Primitive God , and Bone by Bone ) released since 2021 . As ever , Ballew spins
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