Customer Reviews

Hypocrisy Is the Greatest Luxury

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Astoundingly successful hip-hop performer Michael Franti is probably better known these days for his work with Spearhead on albums like "Everyone Deserves Music". Listeners who enjoy his sense of melody and the catchy music provided by his backing musicians are strongly advised to avoid this album. Listeners who can look beyond the catchy lyrics and appreciate the message behind them will more than likely find something to enjoy here.

The Disposable Heroes were an industrial-hip-hop-performance poetry duo from the early 90s who pulled absolutely no punches when it came to their subject matter. Being an explicitly political group, much of this album refers to events and personalities current in the immediate aftermath of the Cold War and the United States of George Bush Snr. That said, there is a surprising universality in some of the tracks which enables them to communicate their message more than 10 years after they were recorded.

The most well-known performance on this album is the minor hit "Television, The Drug Of A Nation". Franti's condemnation of television culture "where pop stars metamorphosise into soda pop stars/you saw the movie/you heard the soundtrack/now buy the drink/for the only cola that I support/would be a Union COLA - Cost of Living Allowance" is as current now as it was then. Indeed, the plethora of reality TV shows in today's world demonstrates the validity of Franti's comments.

Also worth a listen is "Satanic Reverses" (itself a reference to Salman Rushdie's "Satanic Verses"), a condemnation of almost everything a government could possibly do - with the strident chorus "bail out the banks/loan art to the churches/satanic reverses". "Socio-Genetic Experiment", a semi-autobiographical tale of Franti's youth, is also an interesting performance.

Slightly more dated tracks are "The Winter of the Long Hot Summer", a first-person retelling of the first Gulf War, and "California Uber Alles" - a Dead Kennedys cover lambasting then-California Governor Pete Smith. While many of the specific references may be lost in both songs, the messages are as clear now as they ever have been. It's tempting to replace Gov. Smith with any politically divisive leader in the modern world and notice just how true the song remains.

Capping the disc off is the subdued "Water Pistol Man". This track would later be re-worked by Spearhead, and it's quite easy to see why. Franti's casual delivery of the line "Why don't you stop and smell the flowers in your own backyard?" sets the blueprint for what would become known as the Spearhead sound.

Aside from Franti's unique vocal delivery (the Heroes only ever released this one album and by the time Spearhead convened, Franti would have developed a much more folksy idiom), credit must be given to Rono Tse's music. On a politically-driven album, the music must walk a narrow line between keeping the song going but also not detracting from the lyrics. While it might sound strange to say that Tse's atonal soundscapes, embracing everything from power tools to frantic DJ scratching, manage to do both these things, they do. Somehow or another, the two sides of the band complement each other perfectly.

So again, Franti-fans who enjoy Spearhead's melody and music sense should avoid this album. For the listener who can appreciate Franti's political vision and pull-no-punches turns of phrase, this will be a much-valued CD.

If you're even thinking about getting this album you should just buy it because you won't be disappointed. I decided to get this album because of how much I liked the Spearhead albums and I may even like this better. Phat grooves and SMART words that make you think! Wish I could say that's something you find all the time in music today, but it just isn't. Even though the album's a couple/few years old, it remains sharp and relevant and the sound will pull you in and pump you up all at the same time. Why are you still reading this? Go get it! :)

While the 'Inspirators & Conspirators' listed in the lyrics booklet include KRS-ONE and Public Enemy, they also include folks who are decidedly NOT rap artists: Jello Biafra, Adrian Sherwood, Meat Beat Manifesto, and Billy Bragg. While everyone seems to classify DHOH as rap, its Industrial element is plainly there for anyone to hear (chains, grinders, tire rims) along with the Very obvious influence of Gil Scott-Heron. IF YOU CAN'T COPE WITH BREAKING OUT OF A MUSICAL GENRE, THEN DON'T BUY THIS CD. As a young punk rocker, I listened to this almost every night for a couple of months upon its release (more than a decade ago); it's such a classic that I can still enjoy it today (and the song 'The Winter of the Long Hot Summer' speaks just as well to Bush II / Gulf War II as it did to Bush I / Gulf War I).
The lyrics are deeply thought-provoking, proving this duo to be pretty much the antithesis of NWA (not that NWA doesn't make you think at all -- I'll bet someone out there somewhere has done their dissertation on NWA). Unlike many other albums out there, the first two tracks here are not the 'hits' (actually, I feel that they are the weakest of the bunch). Instead you'll probably find your favorites dispersed throughout the CD, including a strong closing track.
Buy this CD if you want to hear something refreshing (even over a decade after it was fresh).

It almost seems too good to be true: a hip-hop album that's at once scathingly political, smart enough to address the ambiguities of its subject matter rather than resorting to "us vs. them", AND incredibly well-produced and a hell of a great listen from a purely musical standpoint. Every song on here is in some measure brilliant, a biting, intelligent diatribe delivered over infectious beats and clever samples via Michael Franti's smooth, deadpan flow. There are some clear standout tracks (the cover of the Dead Kennedys' "California Uber Alles" is my personal favorite), but "Hypocrisy..." is an incredibly solid, utterly amazing reminder of the largely unfulfilled promise of the genre.

The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy are anything but disposable. With social commentary that cuts to the core of modern ills, they expose our disposable culture for what it is, pointing out hypocrisy at every turn. The band instantly evokes memories of other great Hip-Hop bands that have combined socio-political poetry with Jazz-influenced riffs: bands like Arrested Development and Digable Planets.

Listenable, yet demanding, the Heroes deliver melody and musically complex arrangements. Samples are used liberally, with synths providing a techno background for their funk. When the band reincarnated as Spearhead, the synth player/co-writer was missing from the lineup. That was a loss as this album proves. Nevertheless, Spearhead is also worth a listen, especially if you like the Heroes.

Sadly, the Disposable Heroes never got the recognition they deserved, putting out just this one album to my knowledge. It's one of my Top 5 Hip-Hop favorites of all time. Check it out.

In 1992 Disposable Heroes came out with one of the most underrated albums of our generation. Hypocrisy Is the Greatest Luxury is what rap and hip-hop should have become; A universal voice for all people who struggle with the issues that dominate the poor and oppressed of every color. And that is what brought them to another level: Universality. While Dr. Dre, G-Funk, Ice-T and others were creating awesome angry gangsta-style sounds that would eventually become the "pop-hop" and mainstream rap of today, groups like DHOH and Public Enemy were going a different direction that really made you feel something with lyrics that were truly dangerous to the Government and the People in power (which on a small level is what Eminem is doing today with songs like "Mosh"). DHOH are politically, emotionally, racially charged and intelligent. The album concerns itself with the image of our society as a whole as opposed to individual image which most commercial pop-hop and rap immerses itself with today. Thus the album is unselfish, which is a breath of fresh air in today's music industry.
Michael Franti, the lyricist of DHOH is incredible. While Chuck D. of Public Enemy has harder hitting, faster and technically more complicated raps, Franti has a deep hypnotizing voice that gets the point across in his simpler but heavy lyrics. Add to that a mix of tracks that range from jazz/funk to a remake of the Dead Kennedys' anthem "California Uber Alles" and you have a highly original and well thought out album that holds up well against the test of time. This album should have been the start of a revolution that never happened. Much love to the Heroes.
When rating albums I consider originality first and lyrics and music second (but equally important). This gives me an overall feel of the album. In the end this album gets five stars because of how unique and original it is more than anything else. While I like the sounds and the vibe you will be hard-pressed to find another album anything like this one. This may be the reason why it constantly finds its way to the front of the list of the thousands of albums I own. It's a real classic.

I like the CD. We need more music with a political message. Buy this just to read the lyrics. The lyrics have amazing relevance to what is happening in the world now. This just proves it is still the corporations versus the people, not democrats vs repubs. And always has been. We need politicians who represent the people like Greens and Independants. Corporate money must come out of politics. This will inspire you to write a rap of your own.

Ok, I do admit, that this is not the first political Rip-Hop sudo Hip-Hop artist to be left winging it. From the originators of Consolidated can you be surprised at the material. But never the less I believe for its time it was a grate album, with some strong messages that allowed you to decide on the political topic on your own. Unlike Consolidated witch I believe just threw one sided topics in your face, more of a SHOCK value than trying to make you think. But If your like some of these other drones saying that this guy stinks and can't rap just because his lyrics don't rhyme, then don't buy the album " GO BUY BRITTNY SPEARS " It's cool if your not into the hole political RIP-RAP, But don't bash this artist just because he doesn't conform. Personally I think the beat is still good for 2003 and he's messages are still as strong. "Just my thought"

Thinking persons' rap, I am haunted to this day by the lyrics on this album. The beat moves you and the harsh critique of our society is severely thought provoking.

Although this CD has been in my collection for about ten years, it is one of the most timeless pieces I own. If you're one of those who "claim" you don't listen to rap or hip hop (we all know you have a dirty little secret) This CD is a must own! Take your time and listen to the message as you jam to "Hypocrisy....." The ..Hereos quickly replaced PE as my favorite rap group. Too bad "The Hereos" are not together any more. Raise the double standard.