Propellerheads
Decksanddrumsandrockandroll 


Label: Wall Of Sound
Released: 1998
Source: Original CD 
Size Torrent: 497 MB
Format: FLAC





Boy do these guys work clean. No hidden places containing stuff you might not hear until the twentieth listen, it's all up-front and out in the open. Uncluttered bare essentials percussion working in perfect unison with fluid basslines and no nonsense samples. B3's and Clavinets (CS-80's) are used extensively throughout the album and really compliment the machine/human driven rhythm tracks.

Before I know it I'm at History Repeating which features Miss Shirley Bassey, responsible for the utterly amazing vocal performance on the title track of the Bond movie Diamonds Are Forever. Then it all finally fell into place. These are the guys who recently worked with David Arnold on his Bond theme tribute album Shaken & Stirred. He is also responsible for writing the actual score and worked with the Propellerheads on a few soundtrack cues.

Their contribution to Shaken & Stirred is a reworking of the On Her Majesties Secret Service theme which in this reincarnation actually started life as a full orchestra playing along to a rough drum and click track put together by Arnold. With the addition of an absolutely groovellicious overdriven Novation BassStation bass line, Hammond and CS-80 grooves courtesy of Alex Gifford and Will White's live drums the track is well and truly pulled up and into the nineties.

The quiet theme that works it's way into the nine minute track midway through is in my opinion the sexiest theme ever written. It's so seductive and for the life of me I can't figure out why. It literally gives me chills.

All in all a great introduction to the Propellerheads for a newcomer to their music such as me, and I can't wait to hear more from them.
(Review from Electronic Music)


The original release of Decksandrumsandrockandroll features 13 tracks. Most tracks are instrumental pieces of big beat, breakbeat and trip-hop, sometimes with vocal samples. The exception is "History Repeating", which features vocals from veteran singer Shirley Bassey. "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" is a remake of the James Bond film's theme, and is a collaboration with composer David Arnold and his orchestra. All tracks were produced by Will White and Alex Gifford. "Take California" was the first song to be used in an iPod advertising campaign, appearing in the first commercial for the original model. "History Repeating" was used in a Pantene Pro-V shampoo commercial & on the 1998 Jaguar S-type commercial. "Bang On" was featured in the Nintendo 64 game Wipeout 64 and the first episode, "The Sofa", of sitcom 15 Storeys High. It also appeared on the soundtrack to the 1998 film Lost in Space. "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" also featured in full on Tony Hawk's prominent skateboarding movie titled "The End". "Spybreak!" was featured in The Matrix during the famous Lobby Scene.



Personnel

David Arnold – Arranger
Shirley Bassey – Engineer, Performer
De La Soul – Performer
Alex Gifford – Noise
Chris Lawson – Guitar
Mike Marsh – Mastering
Prince – Engineer
Propellerheads – Producer
Lee Strickland – Photography
Mike Thomas – Guitar
Dave Trump – Assistant Engineer
Will White – Drums, Noise



Track Listing

1."Take California" – 7:23
2."Echo And Bounce" – 5:29
3."Velvet Pants" – 5:49
4."Better?" – 2:05
5."Oh Yeah?" – 5:28
6."History Repeating" – 4:05
7."Winning Style" – 6:00
8."Bang On!" – 5:57
9."A Number Of Microphones" – 0:48
10."On Her Majesty's Secret Service" – 9:23
11."Bigger?" – 2:22
12."Cominagetcha" – 7:07
13."Spybreak!" – 7:00