Hello,
Today's Artists are an industrial hip-hop group that was most active during the 1980s and early 1990s, and briefly reformed in 2004 for a tour. Their music occupies the territory where funk, dub, industrial music and electronica intersect. The core members are Doug Wimbish (bass), Keith Leblanc (percussion) and Skip McDonald (guitar) and producer (sometimes credited as "mixologist") Adrian Sherwood. Despite being short-lived as band proper, the legacy and output of these groups of musicians has been prodigious.......N Joy
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Delivering a powerful mix of taut funk, hip-hop-style grooves, and dub-wise electro-industrial menace, Tackhead was an inspired collaboration between the rhythm section of Keith LeBlanc, Skip McDonald, and Doug Wimbish and maverick producer Adrian Sherwood. LeBlanc, McDonald, and Wimbish first gained a reputation as the studio musicians behind a handful of early rap classics. When Sherwood hired them to work on one of his On-U Sound production projects, it initiated a series of collaborations that culminated in the first proper Tackhead album, 1989's Friendly as a Hand Grenade. The trio's original run ended in 1991, but various permutations of the band continued to work together, and they reunited for the 2014 album For the Love of Money.
Guitarist Skip McDonald, bassist Doug Wimbish, and drummer Keith LeBlanc began working together in the late '70s, serving as the backing band for many of Sugar Hill Records' early rap releases, generating the grooves behind such classics as the Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" and Grandmaster Flash's "The Message" and "White Lines." In October 1983, LeBlanc scored a minor hit and international press attention with "No Sell Out," a single in which he layered samples from a speech by Malcolm X over a powerful hip-hop backing track. Adrian Sherwood, an innovative British producer and dub remixer who founded the On-U Sound label, crossed paths with LeBlanc during a visit to New York, and the producer invited LeBlanc to work with him. LeBlanc, McDonald, and Wimbish relocated to England, and soon became Sherwood's backing group of choice for his On-U projects, including albums by Mark Stewart & Maffia and Gary Clail. One of their earlier collaborations was as "Mark Stewart and the Maffia", which featured Stewart, former member of The Pop Group on vocals. Their first LP produced under that name As the Veneer of Democracy Starts to Fade was amongst the most industrial, noise-oriented and uncompromising of the group's output, described by John Leland as "a scary mess of random sounds, spoken words, and tiny snippets of music, processed and distorted to a grating electric edge In 1985, LeBlanc, McDonald, and Wimbish cut the first of a handful of singles under the rubric Fats Comet, and they began using the name Tackhead with the single "What's My Mission Now," with Sherwood adding found voices and electronics to the rhythm section's hard-edged performances. The trio and Sherwood worked together on LeBlanc's 1986 solo album Major Malfunction, and sessions backing Gary Clail emerged on the 1987 album Tackhead Tape Time, credited to Gary Clail's Tackhead Sound System.
Later to join forces with Tackhead, was Gary Clail, who as MC for the touring version of the On-U sound system would shout and rant over Tackhead's live playing, and both were then mixed live by Sherwood to produce a wall of sound effect that was highly novel for the mid-1980s. They released one LP Tackhead Tape Time in 1987 as "Gary Clail's Tackhead Sound System" and some of the most distinctive and well-known Tackhead tracks (some were released as 12-inch singles) date from this period particularly: "What's My Mission Now?", "Mind at the End of the Tether" and "Hard Left". These tracks combined funk basslines, hammerblow percussion and Sherwood's trademark sample-laden dub production and represent the defining Tackhead sound.
During this period Leblanc also produced two solo LPs: the highly inventive Major Malfunction (1986) (inspired by the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster) and Stranger Than Fiction (1989), which although credited to Leblanc, featured all the rest of members of Tackhead. Around this time the group began to gell as a band, and started adding vocalists to what had been up until then a largely instrumental affair. On the first Tackhead LP, proper, Friendly as a Hand Grenade, vocalist Bernard Fowler joined the line-up and many older instrumental tracks re-appeared with lyrics. In 1990 Tackhead mounted a world tour which probably marked the zenith of the band's commercial success.
In 1989, the same year LeBlanc dropped his second solo set, Stranger Than Fiction, Tackhead finally released their first proper album, Friendly as a Hand Grenade, issued by TVT Records. The LP debuted a fifth member, Bernard Fowler, who contributed vocals, rather than relying on the vocal samples Sherwood often added to the tracks. In 1990, Tackhead moved to the EMI-distributed SBK label and delivered Strange Things, a more rock-oriented effort that included guest appearances from rapper Melle Mel and Mick Jagger on harmonica. The album didn't live up to commercial expectations, and while LeBlanc, McDonald, and Wimbish continued to play on various On-U Sound System projects, it represented the last new Tackhead material for many years. Between 1994 and 1997, Tackhead brought out three volumes of rarities, outtakes, and live material under the title Power, Inc. In 2004, they reunited for a tour of the United States and Europe, and in 2006, Sherwood assembled a collection of highlights from the group's recording career, Tackhead Sound Crash: Slash & Mix Adrian Sherwood. Tackhead staged another reunion in 2013, recording a collection of covers titled For the Love of Money for the German label Dude Records. 2016 brought The Message, a limited-edition collection of Tackhead and Fats Comet material remixed by Robo Bass Hifi (aka German producer Markus Kammann). Another collection of rare Tackhead material, The Lost Tapes 1 & Remixes, appeared on the Echo Beach label in 2018.
Despite not recording any new material as Tackhead since, group members continued to record as the backing band or along with various Sherwood-led On-U Sound productions artists such as Gary Clail's solo efforts, African Head Charge, Dub Syndicate, New Age Steppers and others. Subsets of the group have also appeared in various guises such as the Strange Parcels, Barmy Army and the blues-oriented Little Axe.
In addition to continuing to collaborate with Sherwood and the On-U Sound record label, each of the other members continues to lead active solo careers. McDonald leads the Little Axe project, and Leblanc runs a record label and plays with two jazz outfits, Noah Ground and Nikki Yeoh's Infinitum. As well as remaining much in demand as a session bass player, Wimbish later became the bass player for Living Colour and has recorded solo material as well as forming the short-lived Jungle Funk (later Head>>Fake), a live drum and bass outfit also featuring Living Colour drummer Will Calhoun.
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
More Tackhead from the vaults and the remixing board. This time out the sound is less in the didactic funk-rock mode of Power Inc., Vol. 1 and more akin to the output of On-U Sound experimentalists like African Head Charge and the Dub Syndicate. Adrian Sherwood's industrialized take on the Sugar Hill Gang sound does reap rewards on "Move It" and "The Bubbly," but often enough gets mired in the dogmatic funk groove laid down by guitarist Skip McDonald, drummer Keith LeBlanc, and bassist Doug Wimbish. Additionally, the disc features Tackhead and alias Fats Comet sans Vol. 1 guests Melle Mel, Bernard Fowler, Gary Clail, and Bim Sherman. And while some jazz fusion, doo wop, and soul touches help spruce up a few cuts here, Wimbish's stab at the Hendrix staple "Crosstown Traffic" comes off as missed opportunity to marry rough electronica with acid-industrial sounds. A better collection than Vol. 1, this mix qualifies as a first-disc choice for the Tackhead curious
Tackhead - Power Inc 2 . (flac 302mb)
01 Mechanical Movements (Rmx Adrian Sherwood) 4:54
02 Dreamworld (Dub) 4:59
03 Einstein 6:54
04 Move It 6:36
05 Fats Comet - Free Free 2:11
06 Get This 1 (Rmx Adrian Sherwood) 6:16
07 Fats Comet - Give A Little / This Is The Night 8:34
08 The Bubbly 4:16
09 Technology Works 4:27
10 Crosstown Traffic 3:27
11 Original Change 5:20
12 Body To Burn 3:10
13 King Of The Beat 7:46
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
The third installment of the Power Inc. collections gathers live performances by Tackhead from throughout their career, not only at New York's Ritz, but also in London, Scotland, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. Guest vocalists include Mark Stewart, Bernard Fowler, Gary Clail, and rap legend Melle Mel (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five). These performances feature some of the earliest uses of sampling in a live concert setting; several are separated by spoken-word interludes taken from backstage recordings and the band's answering machine.
Tackhead - Power Inc 3 (live) (flac 388mb)
01 The Bubbly 4:24
02 (Pick Up The Phone) 0:08
03 The Law Of Repetition 3:11
04 (Pick Up #2) 0:11
05 Doug Storm 8:10
06 (Your Dogging Me) 0:21
07 The King 4:36
08 (Pick Up The Fucking Phone ...) 0:08
09 The Game 6:59
10 (Pick Up #3) 0:06
11 Mind At The End Of The Tether 4:14
12 (Fats Comet?) 0:04
13 Airborn Ranger 3:19
14 (Kadoosh) 0:25
15 Shake The House 2:57
16 (Easy Mike) 0:27
17 Ticking Time Bomb 3:28
18 (Fletcher) 0:11
19 Object Subject 1:36
20 (KKK) 0:07
21 Heaven On Earth 2:42
22 (Anybody?) 0:09
23 Hard Left 4:11
24 New York Breakdown, Tack>>Head Meets Melle Mel 5:48
25 (Gorge Picks Up!) 0:34
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Tackhead Sound Crash is a twisted mash-up of U-Sound tracks (Lee Perry and most of the artists listed above) processed through heavy distortion, dubbed, and layered upon one another with the addition of screeching vocals (some courtesy of Ari Up of The Slits). All this is thanks to the work of Tackhead, Sherwood’s prolific production quartet. "It's so good, you're gonna cry." That's what Adrian Sherwood said when he finished mixing 'Tackhead Sound Crash', a compilation mix like the 'On-U Sound Crash' Adrian did for Beat Records in Japan. Adrian Sherwood considers 'Tackhead Sound Crash' to be a totally new record. "It's the best Tackhead thing ever", says Adrian. "It's wicked." .
Tackhead - Tackhead Sound Crash (flac 353mb)
01 Intro "Free" 0:48
02 Mind At The End Of Its Tether 1:30
03 What's My Mission Now? 2:06
04 Ghost 1:47
05 Mind At The End Of Its Tether Pt. 2 1:07
06 1/2 Cut For Confidence0:55
07 Ticking Time Bomb 2:02
08 Heaven On Earth 0:44
09 Ticking Time Bomb Pt. 2 0:12
10 Heaven On Earth Pt. 2 0:47
11 Mechanical Movements Pt. 2 2:21
12 I Stopped The Clock 0:53
13 Bop Bop 0:52
14 King Of The Beat 3:01
15 Move It 0:09
16 Body To Burn 0:16
17 D.J. Programme 3:42
18 Disconnection2:51
19 Rochester 1:55
20 Audio Visual Attack1:07
21 Man In A Suitcase 2:22
22 Dreamworld 0:57
23 Get This Beloved 0:36
24 Gamesmanship 1:52
25 Get Move Of This 1:38
26 Einstein Pt. 2 2:18
27 Hard Left 1:59
28 No Hands On The Wheel 0:47
29 Listen Good Drummers 0:57
30 Free Again 0:46
31 This Is The Night 1:38
32 Bastard Son Of Fats 1:19
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
This is the first Tackhead album since 1990, and I was prepared to be disappointed, but it is solid funk from master musicians! No longer cutting edge, theirs is by now a classic sound, at least for those of us who followed them back in the day in the late Eighties.The whole band is assembled -- the original trio of Skip McDonald on guitar, Doug Wimbish on bass and keyboards, and Keith LeBlanc on drums, with Adrian Sherwood as "mixologist," and Bernard Fowler on vocals, who joined the other four toward the end of their original run. LeBlanc is the main producer.
There are no new songs here, rather it is a superb collection of covers given the Tackhead treatment. They lead with the O'Jays' great "For the Love of Money," with their trademark sampled vocals addressing the manipulation of money by the big banks, Wall Street, and the Federal Reserve. Another high point is a version of James Brown's "Funky President" featuring clips of Obama on health care. Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground," the Ohio Players' "Fire," the Meters' "Just Kissed My Baby," and Funkadelic's "Loose Booty" root the sound in classic funk and soul. One Tackhead original is revisited -- "Stealing" ("...in the name of the Lord") with Fowler surpassing his earlier performance of the great takedown of unethical preachers. The second half of the album moves toward reggae and dub with two Bob Marley songs, "War" and "Exodus." Skip McDonald, who has been singing and playing mutant, updated blues guitar for years as Little Axe -- sings "King Bee," while the Davie Bowie song "I'm Afraid of Americans" adds a timely message relevant to foreign policy and religious extremism. Curtis Mayfield's "Homeless" brings it back home to the streets of America.
McDonald and Wimbish sound amazing throughout, with all manner of guitar effects and fat slabs of bass. LeBlanc's production, with Sherwood featured on some tracks, is incredible. The only thing that I miss is LeBlanc's massive drum and percussion onslaught. His drumming is effective but understated, and never moves front and center. This is a song and vocal-oriented album rather than the experimental industrial funk of LeBlanc's Major
Tackhead - For the Love of Money (flac 328mb)
01 For the Love of Money 4:47
02 Loose Booty 4:51
03 Higher Ground 3:58
04 King Bee 3:15
05 Just Kissed My Baby 4:44
06 Fire 4:25
07 Stealing 8:59
08 Funky President 4:16
09 I'm Afraid of Americans 5:15
10 War 3:48
11 Black Cinderella 3:40
Tackhead - For the Love of Money more (flac 347mb)
12 Exodus (Dub) 6:35
13 Black Cinderella (Dub) 3:43
14 For The Love Of Money (Instrumental Version) 4:14
15 Don't Let Me Down 4:20
16 You Ain't Hip 3:15
17 Funky President (Adrian Sherwood Mix) 4:57
18 Just Begun (Adrian Sherwood Mix) 3:42
19 Loose Booty (Adrian Sherwood Mix) 5:22
20 War (Steakhouse Mix) 3:45
21 War (Umberto Echo Dub Remix) 3:49
22 Exodus (Dubvisionist Extended Mix) 6:35
23 Walk On The Wildside (KLB Mix) 5:07
"spirit man can't be broken, can't be trapped, can't be enslaved"
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Today's Artists are an industrial hip-hop group that was most active during the 1980s and early 1990s, and briefly reformed in 2004 for a tour. Their music occupies the territory where funk, dub, industrial music and electronica intersect. The core members are Doug Wimbish (bass), Keith Leblanc (percussion) and Skip McDonald (guitar) and producer (sometimes credited as "mixologist") Adrian Sherwood. Despite being short-lived as band proper, the legacy and output of these groups of musicians has been prodigious.......N Joy
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Delivering a powerful mix of taut funk, hip-hop-style grooves, and dub-wise electro-industrial menace, Tackhead was an inspired collaboration between the rhythm section of Keith LeBlanc, Skip McDonald, and Doug Wimbish and maverick producer Adrian Sherwood. LeBlanc, McDonald, and Wimbish first gained a reputation as the studio musicians behind a handful of early rap classics. When Sherwood hired them to work on one of his On-U Sound production projects, it initiated a series of collaborations that culminated in the first proper Tackhead album, 1989's Friendly as a Hand Grenade. The trio's original run ended in 1991, but various permutations of the band continued to work together, and they reunited for the 2014 album For the Love of Money.
Guitarist Skip McDonald, bassist Doug Wimbish, and drummer Keith LeBlanc began working together in the late '70s, serving as the backing band for many of Sugar Hill Records' early rap releases, generating the grooves behind such classics as the Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" and Grandmaster Flash's "The Message" and "White Lines." In October 1983, LeBlanc scored a minor hit and international press attention with "No Sell Out," a single in which he layered samples from a speech by Malcolm X over a powerful hip-hop backing track. Adrian Sherwood, an innovative British producer and dub remixer who founded the On-U Sound label, crossed paths with LeBlanc during a visit to New York, and the producer invited LeBlanc to work with him. LeBlanc, McDonald, and Wimbish relocated to England, and soon became Sherwood's backing group of choice for his On-U projects, including albums by Mark Stewart & Maffia and Gary Clail. One of their earlier collaborations was as "Mark Stewart and the Maffia", which featured Stewart, former member of The Pop Group on vocals. Their first LP produced under that name As the Veneer of Democracy Starts to Fade was amongst the most industrial, noise-oriented and uncompromising of the group's output, described by John Leland as "a scary mess of random sounds, spoken words, and tiny snippets of music, processed and distorted to a grating electric edge In 1985, LeBlanc, McDonald, and Wimbish cut the first of a handful of singles under the rubric Fats Comet, and they began using the name Tackhead with the single "What's My Mission Now," with Sherwood adding found voices and electronics to the rhythm section's hard-edged performances. The trio and Sherwood worked together on LeBlanc's 1986 solo album Major Malfunction, and sessions backing Gary Clail emerged on the 1987 album Tackhead Tape Time, credited to Gary Clail's Tackhead Sound System.
Later to join forces with Tackhead, was Gary Clail, who as MC for the touring version of the On-U sound system would shout and rant over Tackhead's live playing, and both were then mixed live by Sherwood to produce a wall of sound effect that was highly novel for the mid-1980s. They released one LP Tackhead Tape Time in 1987 as "Gary Clail's Tackhead Sound System" and some of the most distinctive and well-known Tackhead tracks (some were released as 12-inch singles) date from this period particularly: "What's My Mission Now?", "Mind at the End of the Tether" and "Hard Left". These tracks combined funk basslines, hammerblow percussion and Sherwood's trademark sample-laden dub production and represent the defining Tackhead sound.
During this period Leblanc also produced two solo LPs: the highly inventive Major Malfunction (1986) (inspired by the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster) and Stranger Than Fiction (1989), which although credited to Leblanc, featured all the rest of members of Tackhead. Around this time the group began to gell as a band, and started adding vocalists to what had been up until then a largely instrumental affair. On the first Tackhead LP, proper, Friendly as a Hand Grenade, vocalist Bernard Fowler joined the line-up and many older instrumental tracks re-appeared with lyrics. In 1990 Tackhead mounted a world tour which probably marked the zenith of the band's commercial success.
In 1989, the same year LeBlanc dropped his second solo set, Stranger Than Fiction, Tackhead finally released their first proper album, Friendly as a Hand Grenade, issued by TVT Records. The LP debuted a fifth member, Bernard Fowler, who contributed vocals, rather than relying on the vocal samples Sherwood often added to the tracks. In 1990, Tackhead moved to the EMI-distributed SBK label and delivered Strange Things, a more rock-oriented effort that included guest appearances from rapper Melle Mel and Mick Jagger on harmonica. The album didn't live up to commercial expectations, and while LeBlanc, McDonald, and Wimbish continued to play on various On-U Sound System projects, it represented the last new Tackhead material for many years. Between 1994 and 1997, Tackhead brought out three volumes of rarities, outtakes, and live material under the title Power, Inc. In 2004, they reunited for a tour of the United States and Europe, and in 2006, Sherwood assembled a collection of highlights from the group's recording career, Tackhead Sound Crash: Slash & Mix Adrian Sherwood. Tackhead staged another reunion in 2013, recording a collection of covers titled For the Love of Money for the German label Dude Records. 2016 brought The Message, a limited-edition collection of Tackhead and Fats Comet material remixed by Robo Bass Hifi (aka German producer Markus Kammann). Another collection of rare Tackhead material, The Lost Tapes 1 & Remixes, appeared on the Echo Beach label in 2018.
Despite not recording any new material as Tackhead since, group members continued to record as the backing band or along with various Sherwood-led On-U Sound productions artists such as Gary Clail's solo efforts, African Head Charge, Dub Syndicate, New Age Steppers and others. Subsets of the group have also appeared in various guises such as the Strange Parcels, Barmy Army and the blues-oriented Little Axe.
In addition to continuing to collaborate with Sherwood and the On-U Sound record label, each of the other members continues to lead active solo careers. McDonald leads the Little Axe project, and Leblanc runs a record label and plays with two jazz outfits, Noah Ground and Nikki Yeoh's Infinitum. As well as remaining much in demand as a session bass player, Wimbish later became the bass player for Living Colour and has recorded solo material as well as forming the short-lived Jungle Funk (later Head>>Fake), a live drum and bass outfit also featuring Living Colour drummer Will Calhoun.
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
More Tackhead from the vaults and the remixing board. This time out the sound is less in the didactic funk-rock mode of Power Inc., Vol. 1 and more akin to the output of On-U Sound experimentalists like African Head Charge and the Dub Syndicate. Adrian Sherwood's industrialized take on the Sugar Hill Gang sound does reap rewards on "Move It" and "The Bubbly," but often enough gets mired in the dogmatic funk groove laid down by guitarist Skip McDonald, drummer Keith LeBlanc, and bassist Doug Wimbish. Additionally, the disc features Tackhead and alias Fats Comet sans Vol. 1 guests Melle Mel, Bernard Fowler, Gary Clail, and Bim Sherman. And while some jazz fusion, doo wop, and soul touches help spruce up a few cuts here, Wimbish's stab at the Hendrix staple "Crosstown Traffic" comes off as missed opportunity to marry rough electronica with acid-industrial sounds. A better collection than Vol. 1, this mix qualifies as a first-disc choice for the Tackhead curious
Tackhead - Power Inc 2 . (flac 302mb)
01 Mechanical Movements (Rmx Adrian Sherwood) 4:54
02 Dreamworld (Dub) 4:59
03 Einstein 6:54
04 Move It 6:36
05 Fats Comet - Free Free 2:11
06 Get This 1 (Rmx Adrian Sherwood) 6:16
07 Fats Comet - Give A Little / This Is The Night 8:34
08 The Bubbly 4:16
09 Technology Works 4:27
10 Crosstown Traffic 3:27
11 Original Change 5:20
12 Body To Burn 3:10
13 King Of The Beat 7:46
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
The third installment of the Power Inc. collections gathers live performances by Tackhead from throughout their career, not only at New York's Ritz, but also in London, Scotland, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. Guest vocalists include Mark Stewart, Bernard Fowler, Gary Clail, and rap legend Melle Mel (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five). These performances feature some of the earliest uses of sampling in a live concert setting; several are separated by spoken-word interludes taken from backstage recordings and the band's answering machine.
Tackhead - Power Inc 3 (live) (flac 388mb)
01 The Bubbly 4:24
02 (Pick Up The Phone) 0:08
03 The Law Of Repetition 3:11
04 (Pick Up #2) 0:11
05 Doug Storm 8:10
06 (Your Dogging Me) 0:21
07 The King 4:36
08 (Pick Up The Fucking Phone ...) 0:08
09 The Game 6:59
10 (Pick Up #3) 0:06
11 Mind At The End Of The Tether 4:14
12 (Fats Comet?) 0:04
13 Airborn Ranger 3:19
14 (Kadoosh) 0:25
15 Shake The House 2:57
16 (Easy Mike) 0:27
17 Ticking Time Bomb 3:28
18 (Fletcher) 0:11
19 Object Subject 1:36
20 (KKK) 0:07
21 Heaven On Earth 2:42
22 (Anybody?) 0:09
23 Hard Left 4:11
24 New York Breakdown, Tack>>Head Meets Melle Mel 5:48
25 (Gorge Picks Up!) 0:34
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Tackhead Sound Crash is a twisted mash-up of U-Sound tracks (Lee Perry and most of the artists listed above) processed through heavy distortion, dubbed, and layered upon one another with the addition of screeching vocals (some courtesy of Ari Up of The Slits). All this is thanks to the work of Tackhead, Sherwood’s prolific production quartet. "It's so good, you're gonna cry." That's what Adrian Sherwood said when he finished mixing 'Tackhead Sound Crash', a compilation mix like the 'On-U Sound Crash' Adrian did for Beat Records in Japan. Adrian Sherwood considers 'Tackhead Sound Crash' to be a totally new record. "It's the best Tackhead thing ever", says Adrian. "It's wicked." .
Tackhead - Tackhead Sound Crash (flac 353mb)
01 Intro "Free" 0:48
02 Mind At The End Of Its Tether 1:30
03 What's My Mission Now? 2:06
04 Ghost 1:47
05 Mind At The End Of Its Tether Pt. 2 1:07
06 1/2 Cut For Confidence0:55
07 Ticking Time Bomb 2:02
08 Heaven On Earth 0:44
09 Ticking Time Bomb Pt. 2 0:12
10 Heaven On Earth Pt. 2 0:47
11 Mechanical Movements Pt. 2 2:21
12 I Stopped The Clock 0:53
13 Bop Bop 0:52
14 King Of The Beat 3:01
15 Move It 0:09
16 Body To Burn 0:16
17 D.J. Programme 3:42
18 Disconnection2:51
19 Rochester 1:55
20 Audio Visual Attack1:07
21 Man In A Suitcase 2:22
22 Dreamworld 0:57
23 Get This Beloved 0:36
24 Gamesmanship 1:52
25 Get Move Of This 1:38
26 Einstein Pt. 2 2:18
27 Hard Left 1:59
28 No Hands On The Wheel 0:47
29 Listen Good Drummers 0:57
30 Free Again 0:46
31 This Is The Night 1:38
32 Bastard Son Of Fats 1:19
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
This is the first Tackhead album since 1990, and I was prepared to be disappointed, but it is solid funk from master musicians! No longer cutting edge, theirs is by now a classic sound, at least for those of us who followed them back in the day in the late Eighties.The whole band is assembled -- the original trio of Skip McDonald on guitar, Doug Wimbish on bass and keyboards, and Keith LeBlanc on drums, with Adrian Sherwood as "mixologist," and Bernard Fowler on vocals, who joined the other four toward the end of their original run. LeBlanc is the main producer.
There are no new songs here, rather it is a superb collection of covers given the Tackhead treatment. They lead with the O'Jays' great "For the Love of Money," with their trademark sampled vocals addressing the manipulation of money by the big banks, Wall Street, and the Federal Reserve. Another high point is a version of James Brown's "Funky President" featuring clips of Obama on health care. Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground," the Ohio Players' "Fire," the Meters' "Just Kissed My Baby," and Funkadelic's "Loose Booty" root the sound in classic funk and soul. One Tackhead original is revisited -- "Stealing" ("...in the name of the Lord") with Fowler surpassing his earlier performance of the great takedown of unethical preachers. The second half of the album moves toward reggae and dub with two Bob Marley songs, "War" and "Exodus." Skip McDonald, who has been singing and playing mutant, updated blues guitar for years as Little Axe -- sings "King Bee," while the Davie Bowie song "I'm Afraid of Americans" adds a timely message relevant to foreign policy and religious extremism. Curtis Mayfield's "Homeless" brings it back home to the streets of America.
McDonald and Wimbish sound amazing throughout, with all manner of guitar effects and fat slabs of bass. LeBlanc's production, with Sherwood featured on some tracks, is incredible. The only thing that I miss is LeBlanc's massive drum and percussion onslaught. His drumming is effective but understated, and never moves front and center. This is a song and vocal-oriented album rather than the experimental industrial funk of LeBlanc's Major
Tackhead - For the Love of Money (flac 328mb)
01 For the Love of Money 4:47
02 Loose Booty 4:51
03 Higher Ground 3:58
04 King Bee 3:15
05 Just Kissed My Baby 4:44
06 Fire 4:25
07 Stealing 8:59
08 Funky President 4:16
09 I'm Afraid of Americans 5:15
10 War 3:48
11 Black Cinderella 3:40
Tackhead - For the Love of Money more (flac 347mb)
12 Exodus (Dub) 6:35
13 Black Cinderella (Dub) 3:43
14 For The Love Of Money (Instrumental Version) 4:14
15 Don't Let Me Down 4:20
16 You Ain't Hip 3:15
17 Funky President (Adrian Sherwood Mix) 4:57
18 Just Begun (Adrian Sherwood Mix) 3:42
19 Loose Booty (Adrian Sherwood Mix) 5:22
20 War (Steakhouse Mix) 3:45
21 War (Umberto Echo Dub Remix) 3:49
22 Exodus (Dubvisionist Extended Mix) 6:35
23 Walk On The Wildside (KLB Mix) 5:07
"spirit man can't be broken, can't be trapped, can't be enslaved"
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
1 comment:
Thanks a lot for the very interesting Tackhead collection. There is, however, a problem with the Power Inc 2 links. Can you correct it please? Thanks again!
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