A Sense of Deja-Vu (Sampled)

Member Name: jennystevenson

Product:	Sampled
Date:	22/04/01 (183 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The chance to hear some outstanding music.

Disadvantages: It's a shame the original songs have faded into the background.

I first bought this album out of curiosity value, wanting to listen to full versions of songs I'd only caught a few seconds of as samples in modern music. You know the ones, a current dance or rap act release a single, sample a few seconds of an old tune and loop it? This bugs me, as a lot of the time the song isn't that memorable, just the sample I've been teased with and seldom do I discover who performed the original track.

This gem of a 2CD set is packed with 40 original tunes, some well known but most are obscure or forgotten about. To relieve my frustration, next to each track is the artist and song title that has sampled the tune. To my surprise, some well known hits from the last few years appear on this CD and I didn't even know they were copies! Taking Robbie Williams for example, his hit "Rock DJ" actually samples the bassline and harmony from a 1977 Barry White track...there's enough obscure knowledge here to master a pub quiz.

A suprising amount of samples originate from 70's funk, jazz and disco music. Either this is a strange coincidence or pinching a few bars from Diana Ross is a proven method for a top ten hit. I've no idea. But what I do know is many of these original tracks are far superior to the sampled versions.

Yes, there's 40 of them so I won't go into detail about all of them, just the well known and standout tracks.

Camille Yarbrough-Take Yo' Praise AKA Fatboy Slim-Praise You~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Camille who? I've never heard of her either, but thanks to this CD I've discovered an amazingly soulful artist from the 70's...with a Stevie Wonder inspired style keyboard sound. A track for laid back sunny afternoons has been reincarnated into a sweaty nightclub bigbeat tune...shame.

Labri Siffre-I Got The... AKA Eminem-My Name Is~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey! I didn't know Eminem sam
pled Labri Siffre! Well, behind a few seconds of a funky keyboard is an amazing tune that is destined for a Quentin Tarantino soundtrack. Pure funk, pure 70's, pure classic...unlike Eminem.

Max Romeo and the Upsetters-Chase the Devil AKA Prodigy-Out of Space~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Who would of thought a 90's rave anthem heavily borrowed a religious reggae tune? This is actually a really good tune with amusing lyrics such as "I'm gonna put on an iron shirt and chase Satan out of earth"

Rose Royce-Is It Love You're After? AKA S Express-Theme From Express~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Modern disco steals from classic disco, ultimately having the same success with a well known tune. No wonder this sampling business is so popular.

Rick James-Superfreak AKA MC Hammer-Cant' Touch This~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, I'm sure we've all been inflicted with Mc Hammers tune over the years, but the original is just as bad. Probably the weakest link on the album, more there for curiosity value and there's not much difference between the two apart from rapping and baggy trousers.

Carol Williams-Love Is You AKA Spiller Groove Jet~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What DIDN'T Spiller take from this disco tune with trademark string section? Carols voice is the only thing remaining untouched and she sounds much better than the vocals on the recent dance anthem. It reminds me slighty of a motown track due to the lead and backing vocals, but is essentially disco.

Chic-Soup For One AKA Modjo-Lady~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everyone's heard of Chic and this is one of their best works. Modjo basically took the entire tune, only adding new vocals and rhythm, giving you a rough idea of the sound. Soup for one sounds funky but with melancholic overtones of loneliness in the lyrics.

Vera Hall-Troubled So Hard AKA Moby-Natural Blues~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Credit where credit is due, Moby has done this tune justice. The rare original is Vera Halls hauntingly soulful voice with no music. Moby has simply enhanced this tune with powerful rhythms and emphasised Veras troubles and woes.

Just Brothers-Sliced Tomatoes AKA Fatboy Slim-Rockafeller Skank~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The master of samples reappears, this time using a Beach Boys surf style instrumental, if that makes any sense. In other words, two tone drums, reggae bass and sliding guitars. Not a bad tune in its own right.

Isaac Hayes-Ike's Rap II AKA Portishead-Glory Box~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Even trip-hop/dub artists can take their inspiration (and blatant copying) from funk and soul, this time from the creator of the Shaft theme tune. Haunting, slow paced, thought provoking tune that I was completely unaware of until this CD made its way into my stereo. My personal favourite on the album, yet I can't stand to listen to the sampled version by dreary Portishead.

It's amazing how listening to this album changing your perspective on music. It changed my perspective on music I thought I couldn't stand and suddendly I hear the original version and fall in love with it. Then there are the songs that you didn't know used a sample.

Compilation albums don't usually interest me, but this one is unique and a novel idea which I'm sure hasn't been done before. All of the tracks and artists are worth listening to. One thing does seem a shame and that's how many of these talented singers, songwriters and musicians have had someone else steal their glory. I know they get royalties from songs that contain samples of them, but who will be ultimately remembered for a catchy riff or lyric? The artist who sampled them, that's who.

So my advice is to take a trip back to the seventies and listen to the original artists in all their t
alented glory. You'll be surprised how many good musicians there are to discover.

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