Customer Reviews

Crazy

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

 

 

By C.S.

Influenced by a mix of American soul and Led Zeppelinesque rock n roll, Seal hit the North American scene with his self- titled debut LP in 1991 and the single "Crazy"
He extends his collaborations beyond his in- studio partnership w/ Trevor Horn on the maxi- single to the song to inject new spins on the hit by putting together six diferent mixes, minus the bonus track "Sparkle" and the original album version.
As always, taking in so many versions of one song at one time, can either drive a listener crazy with repetitive takes on one creation or be entertained by the ability for an artist to find so many fantastic ways to re-create a track and maintain fragments of the original pieces in the song.
Seal offers a collection here that lies somewhere in the middle. He takes each inviting hook and builds on it, using it as the centerpiece of the re-arrangments.
It works well on the second acoustic / instrumental where there's additional rhythm guitar whose sound has been muted down in an under-stated fashion,coupled with the primary synth riff that is mixed with a vocal beginning with "but were never gonna survive unless..... The arrangement only suffers in the fact that it could have been a tad bit longer, but with the realization there are many other mixes, in all likelihood Seal decided to eliminate overkill by keeping song length to a minimum.
The William Orbit acoustic version unmasks the fact that "Crazy", in stripped down form, sounds solid without all of the layers, and placing it among all of the glossier mixes was a good tactic.
Seal takes a different approach to the "a capella" mix by taking out the drums,changing the octave a bit while keeping the original synth riff and stretching the notes that pre- dominate this track. In an un-ortodox way the strength, rhythm wise, on it's own merits allows the listener to use his / her imagination to insert the drums in themselves. Normally with less adept remixing methods and weaker tracks, listeners would be disappointed if the drums were omitted.
The bonus track "Sparkle" offers nothing worth ranting and raving about, for it is mere house beat filler with to give everyone a brief musical break from the onslaught of " Crazy" offerings prior to and the mixes that will continue after the track concludes.
"Krazy" begins with a haunting intro and is a souped up production of the original track with thicker bass line, heavier drums and cymbal / hi -hat work that give it a liver feel on all fronts. In addition, crunchy guitar work, a new chorus and an second synth, bright in tone that runs parallel to the original backing track, make this arguably the best mix on the disc.
The same could have been said about the "L.A.Mix" for the first two minutes with the primary vocal used being "in a world full of people"... The arrangement is almost identical to the original,but the magic is killed off with too much repitition of the same hook .
Fortunately there is a redemption to some degree on the final cut, the "Chick on My Tip" mix with it's Stevie Wonder style bass and haunted house keyboards - an eclectic pairing on paper, but a combination that works well musically combined with an extended guitar solo .
Remixing, like anything else, is an art form and in it's short history it has gotten many an artist in trouble. But when tracks are re-worked well, it can be a devastatingly entertaining weapon.
Though many of the re-workings of "Crazy" often fade out too soon, it does leave those who are enjoying the track, salivating to hear more. The results here are solid enough to earn a very respectable (3) three stars.

C.S.
6-14-03

After my first sampling of 'Crazy' on the radio, it has become one of my favorite tracks to mellow out to. My hunt for the tune on CD was daunting at first, since I didn't know the name of the artist or the full title of the song. Fortunately, after (badly) singing a few lines of the tune to a friend, he let me know the title and the artist, Seal.

I eventually tracked down the 'Crazy' CD maxi-single, with six different versions of the tune, including club mix and acoustic. Very different takes on the same tune. But the one I wanted the most, the radio version (the full album has an extended rendition), was there to start things off.

Some nights when I get home from work, I throw this one in the player, and let the stress ebb from me. Time to get calm, as well as 'crazy'.

'Late!

If you like the song Crazy or if your crazy about Seal then buy this CD-single. It includes many remixes of Crazy you've probably never heard before which aren't available on any other albums by Seal, including one acoustic version that's very different. Some of the many remixes included are REALLY NICE! Also, there is a bonus song called Sparkly included with the CD-single that's pretty good. All in all its well worth the price.

If you love this song (and you'd better if you're going to listen to it six times over) you'll like this single cd. It has several different versions of the song. Each is quite different so it doesn't make it sound too terribly repetetive. It's great if you want to make a tape and put some other songs in between each version of 'Crazy.'

Seal's post Adamski follow up did not disappoint. Luxuriously produced by Trevor Horn, this first single from Seal's debut album is an all time classic. All these remixes are essential and are quality listening. If you were actually around in 1991 you'll remember this single really had to be pushed hard on to radio and music TV but once it broke outside the UK (particularly Australia), it became a world wide No.1 smash. Seal really had to work hard with this single doing silly loads of Smash Hits magazine interviews and answering questions about his dreadlocked hair and face markings, but it was all worth it. Now years later this CD still stands the test of time and this digipack single with all the extra remixes makes sure you can find a new mix each few years to reinvigorate this awesome song.

This is a great single for those of us a little older or those who like really good music. I enjoy the different mixes and the the different interpretations are interesting.

You'd be crazy not to want these mixes! I really like the "Chick on my tip" remix.

This 1991 hit single from Seal is my favorite song by him to date. It is truly unique in a way that only seal could have done it. It is a very ominous dance classci with a mix of house dance beats but is meshed with a dark and cloudy day atmosphere to create one of the best dance singles of all time, at least to me anyway. The menacing rhythm and intense beats are the stuff of legend to me. 13 years after it's release it doesn't sound the slightest bit dated and is in fact far ahead of it's time and would sound more innovative than a lot of what we hear nowadays. It's that good! A highly recommended single.

Seal really has a good song here.this song still sounds good to this day.it seems just like yesterday this song came out.it still is going strong.the mixes here are real good.it's not cluttered but well placed.check this out&and early Seal material.