Customer Reviews

Papau New Guinea

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This song --i cannot say enough about it. It is pure emotion. It is the most organic, earthy song i've ever heard in my life. If nature were to compress all the sounds that it produces, i think this would be the product of that, or close to it.

Apart from being breathtakingly original in its melody and form, it is composed in such a natural, smooth, poignant moderate tempo that the brillance of such timing is almost startling. The vocals are wonderfully selected and appropriated in the song--they capture the essence of that ancient, ethnic, uplifting chanting style of singing. They are a very emotional part of the song for me. The ones at 2:38 minutes into the song emote the most.

The instrumentation of it reminds me of listening to sounds that are carried in the wind...that smooth melody is the wind, and all these natural sounds, and worldly vocals that are vocalizing in sync with nature. I feel like im being taken on a boat, drifting around the world, almost too relaxed, yet totally aware of the harmony being presented and the nature of nature happening around me.

The only other song i've heard that has similar instrumentation, and sort of connotes the same type of harmony, is the amazingly empathetic "Porcelain" by Moby.

I just can't get over how machine-made music can sound this earthy and celestial. It's pretty whimsical....

I've known this song in 1993 when I saw multiple videos on MTV. I was astonished with the greatness of the track. In 1996 I bought this album and it really rocks. From the 7", 12" originals to the outstanding and even darker beginning of the Dumb Child of Q mix, the epic Graham Massey remix. If you like pureness and innocence combined with a freedom of mind, leaving your body to embark on a journey through the mystery roads then you MUST have a copy of this. Even the sleeve is outstanding.

What people visiting this page need to understand is that Papua New Guinea in any form is but a gateway drug. No argument: it is a wonderful song that rises above much of the Dance/Trance/House/Floor pap of today, and debatably has more staying power than any other song from those heady days when Electronic began its glorious assault upon the ears of the world, fulfilling its manifest destiny.

What you must realize is that FSOL is more than Papua New Guinea; to truly understand their genius you must receive the ISDN transmission, examine Lifeforms, walk along Lifeforms:Paths 1-7, and travel unaccompanied through Dead Cities. With these albums FSOL exhibit through the newest musical medium musical genius that would make the great classical masters bow their heads. In those songs are aural landscapes of such beauty and sonic visions of such complete sublimity that other musics will be measured against them from then on, and either found lacking or at best: in complete harmony.

Start your journey in Papua New Guinea, but do not stop there.

If you like beautiful sounds, then this is for you.
If you like to move around a little, then this for you.
If you are an armchair quarterback, then go back to sleep.
Andy Weatherall mix is the best, but it is all very, very
good. If you have anything that resembles dance, trance, or
ambient music in your collection....then you should have this.

NOTE: Amazon's track listing is wrong. Correct track listing is: 1. Papua New Guinea [7" Original - 3:47]; 2. Papua New Guinea [Andrew Weatherall Mix - 9:43]; 3. Papua New Guinea [Graham Massey Mix - 3:45]; 4. Papua New Guinea [Hamish Mcdonald Mix - 5:04].

This is the version of Papua New Guinea with the reflective cover, and compiles most of the remixes from the original single. The 7" and 12" are the classic version and still sound great. The Dumb Child of Q is very mellow, and in fact the first few minutes were essentially grafted on to the 12" to make the version that appears on the album. Journey to Pyramid is nice, but very forgettable. The Dub mix is excellent, but is only a minute and a half. The remaining mixes have been done by a who's who of producers at the time. The Hamish Mcdonald mix adds an African jungle-type vibe, but the reggaeish beat that starts the song would have been a better way to go. Graham Massey's version is easily the most dated, adding a fake saxophone line over the song that was popular then but sounds awful now. Andy Weatherall's version stands up best (and not surprisingly, was the only one revivied for the 2001 rerelease) adding various little things to the song (including some very nice chanting). If you love songs from this time period, this is highly recommended. If you've moved on from the 90's, you're probably better off getting one of the newer rereleases.

This has got to be FSOL best single ever... both relaxing and dancable this is a must buy for all you tranceheads out there great bassline JUST LOVE IT!!!

This Tune is official back in club land due to the Satoshi Tomie remix of the song, but as a DJ, this single collection is an essential for all music lovers...
If you have not baught this cd in the past, buy it today, becasue this song is still sending chills down my spine when I hare it it is tuley a classic song.....

Ingenius. Superb. The Andrew Weatherall and Journey to Pyramid are the best remixs on the CD, and the 12" original is just as great. Even if you only vaugly like FSOL, this is a MUST! Even the stinkin' jewel case is beautiful.

If you know FSOL and their epic singles and EPs full of complete transformations of already wildly unusual tracks into totally new forms of music, then this one will seem, well, rather bland.
Don't get me wrong. "Papua New Guinea" is one of the great dance tracks of our time, a true pop hit without a trace of compromise, and a reminder to club-goers and casual listeners alike that dance music can be more than Eiffel 65. But a great song deserves a great single, like "Lifeforms," "Cascade," and "We Have Explosive" got.
This isn't it. Of the eight tracks on here, only three really depart from the original. One of these, the Hamish McDonald mix, is very quiet and not very good sound quality. The other two, by Graham Massey and Andrew Weatherall, are both solid.
But as far as FSOL goes, two remixes does not a single make. Just a cursory dip into the more recent "Papua New Guineau Translations" can remind us of what the Future Sound of London is capable of.