Customer Reviews

Lebanese Blonde

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

 

 

Thievery Corporation, the duo of Eric Hilton and Rob Garza, released the LEBANESE BLONDE EP in 1998, shortly after the worldwide release of their first album SOUNDS FROM THE THIEVERY HI-IF. This EP shows a major shift from the Jamaican-influenced dub of their first release to a classier, lounge sound, which would be completed with their 2000 album THE MIRROR CONSPIRACY. So, this EP is very much a bridge between two styles of Thievery Corporation.

This French edition is substantially larger than the original UK edition. There are 8 tracks here, including three versions of the title track "Lebanese Blonde." Mixing the smooth vocals of jazz singer Pamela Bricker with sitar, horns, and a bouncy beat, "Lebanese Blonde" is one of TC's best tracks. Besides the original English version, there is a French version and an instrumental.

"Coming from the Top," which like the title track features brass instrumentation, is a little monotonous. "One" is a lovely chill-out experience with synths and a Lisa Gerrard-style sample. It sounds somewhat like "Le Monde" from THE MIRROR CONSPIRACY. Also prototypical of TMC, and again featuring Pam Bricker, is the fifth track, "Halfway around the world," which is evocative of the Brazilian sound which has so influenced Hilton and Garza. "Elise affair" and "Encounter in bahia" are closer to the dubscapes of SOUNDS FROM THE THIEVERY HI-FI.

LEBANESE BLONDE isn't a necessary record, but it may appeal to those who enjoyed the high-class lounge of THE MIRROR CONSPIRACY, and if you really liked "Lebanese Blonde" on TMC, you can get two other versions here. Just be sure you're getting this French import with its 8 tracks, as the more common edition only has 3 tracks.

This version has three songs: Lebanese Blonde (which needs no introduction to Thievery fans), Coming From the Top (a longer version than on DJ-Kicks, and is a good song with a great horn line that sounds ideal for waking up to), and Lebanese Blonde - Instrumental (basically just the album version with the vocals taken out, and a Spanish guitar line playing the vocal melody). This is good if you can find it, but is only about 15 minutes total. If you can, find the French 8-song version. It has these tracks, plus some other hard-to-get ones.

'Chill' or Chill Trip Hop seems like an easy endeavor. Lay downs some nice soft beats, add some aural twists, swirls, turns and find a nice soothing vocal to bring it all together. When it fails, it's boring, background music or just annoying - Thievery Corporation is NONE of those attributes from the first note to the last whisper of a note, it's just music that hooks you and never lets go. They make it seem as if you've never music before and maybe never want to listen to anything else ever ... this is that great. Yes, unfortuntely, it's short (it's really an extended Ep CD) with three mixes of 'Lebanese Blonde' - not that it's not great in other languages but frankly, it's so great you have to get this and the 'parent' effort - Mirror Conspiracy.

this is kinda hard-to-find, so make sure you're not being gouged for the 3-track version. this is quite good. if you like thievery corporation, then you already know lebanese blonde. the french version is the same song, only with french lyrics, and the instrumental is the same song, only with a guitar line playing the same notes as the vocals. coming from the top is great (i think i heard it in underwear ads a few years ago), and is longer than the dj-kicks version. one is the same song as on sounds from...., halfway around the world is a very nice laid-back song, but way too short (it's barely over 3 minutes). encounter in bahia here is longer than the sounds from version (over 6 minutes-same as on the 12 inch single it appears on)-lots of drums. lastly is elise affair, although it should be known as elis affair (part 2), since this is the same song that appears on the encounter in bahia 12 inch under that title (i call it that since it came out first). very nice, reminiscent of sounds from stuff,with a female vocal line singing what sounds like "love is suicide"--although i can't imagine they'd rip off smashing pumpkins of all people, but anyway, definitely worth the money since many of these tracks are hard to get otherwise, but the 3 track version isn't really worth the money (since it pops up on ebay for like 5 bucks every few weeks). this is definitely for thievery fans, and is very nice even if you aren't.