Customer Reviews

Bford 9

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This CD has two distinctions:

1. See the review title.

2. It is one of the most overlooked and unappreciated techno albums ever made.

I used to play this game whenever I was in a new city and shopping for music. If I came across a store that sold used CDs, I would look to see if they had a "prerequisite" copy of this CD. I found it about 8 times out of 10. I think people just weren't ready for this when it was released in 1992, and that's a shame.

First of all, this album doesn't insult you with the usual cheesy tricks. No sci-fi samples, no wailing divas, and no factory preset pseudo-techno sounds from a department store keyboard. If you really want to know what it is about techno that "the kids seem to like", you need to buy this CD. Peter "Baby" Ford blends peaktime hypnotic dancefloor grooves with laid-back mentholated chill out numbers. He even throws in a trip-hop number (and this is when trip-hop was still a baby), "20 Park Drive". This is a man who was there in the midst of the British soul boom of the 80s, but somehow found himself at a warehouse rave and decided that was more his speed. And even then, his style owes as much to the Detroit Three (Derrick May, Juan Atkins, and Kevin Saunderson) as it does to the freaked-out 92 UK underground.

Even Aphex Twin remixed him, and if you know RDJ, you know he doesn't just remix ANYBODY. (Not even for cash, ha ha ha.)

If you like techno, you owe it to yourself to find out more about Baby Ford.

So what's the difference between BFord 9 and any early 808 State album? Not much, aside from the fact that their albums are a lot better. Producer Peter Ford has been around just about as long as the acid house pioneers, and probably deserves partial credit for developing the genre, but this album definitely hasn't stood the test of time as well as 808 State has. While a few tracks on this front-loaded record maintain their appeal, the bulk of it shows its age rather badly.

The album does open very strongly with "RU486", all spastic keyboards and siren noises, followed by the downtempo but high-energy "Fetish", which mixes subtle distorted vocals and vocal samples, as well as a keyboard refrain that sounds like a sonar tracking signal. After that the album gets a lot less consistent, and one of BFord 9's biggest failings is its inclusion of multiple versions of its least interesting tracks. The dated house-snoozer "Move-On" and vaguely psyechedelic sleep-inducing "20, Park Drive" are both on the album twice, and the latter song in particular seriously hurts the momentum here. Failed experiments like the attempted swagger of "Sashay Around the Fuzzbox" and the non-descript "Noddy" (yet another song on here twice), both tanked by Ford's dull vocals, don't help either. And it's a shame, because there are some interesting songs included, but they're squeezed out by the endless repetition and the more boring tracks. "Change" falls victim to Peter Ford's unfortunate singing as well, but it's redeemed by a woozy synth and bass pattern that runs through it, as well as some nice house background vocals, and "In Your Blood" is stripped-down and compelling the way a lot of the rest of the songs should have been. There's enough good material here for an album about the length of 808 State's debut NEWBUILD, but at almost 80 minutes' running time, it turns into a major snore-fest.

Not to bring up the 808 State comparison one more time, but the Manchester crew were much more successful at reworking songs multiple times for inclusion on a single album, and listening to records like their UTD. STATE 90 really makes this sound flawed in contrast. While Baby Ford is certainly a pioneer in his genre, and can be commended for his foresight in including elements of trance (sort of) on this record long before it became a dancefloor staple (this was 1992, remember), BFord 9 was a definite stumble when it came to crafting a solid album. You're better off buying the record that came before this (OOOH, THE WORLD OF BABY FORD) or after (HEADPHONEASYRIDER) instead.

Still sounds great today. I remember listening and dancing to this amazing album. Diconoddy, Fetish and Move On (Alt) are excellent. If you haven't heard this album you must listen to it soon!

This is an early techno classic by electronic pioneer Baby (Peter)Ford, an underrated British artist. These tracks have not lost any of their power to make your body move over the 12 years since its release. All of Baby Ford's music should be in print, but unfortunatly it's difficult to find.

This album has many great memories for me. The amazing thing is this music still sounds superb! "20 Park Drive" must be heard!! Don't just take my word for it. It still sounds good on my scratched LP.

This CD is over 10 years old and I still say "man, this CD jams!!" every time I listen to it. This is a must for any Elecrto-Dance music collector.

Baby Ford! Where are you??!!