Customer Reviews

Power Inc. Volume 3

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This CD provides a sampling of live recordings made during the existence of Tackhead during the late '80s - early '90s. The band was a meeting of the minds of two entities: the drummer, bassist and guitarist of the Sugarhill Records house band (The Message) ; and Adrian Sherwood, a British producer with his own On-U Sound label and stable of recording artists. The band had put out Major Malfunction under the drummer's name, Keith LeBlanc, on their own. The music combined funk basics completely transformed into a gothic-feeling proto-techno, a hybrid, perhaps of Skinny Puppy, George Clinton, and The Cure of Seventeen Seconds and Faith, as conceived by Throbbing Gristle. Approximately. Very significantly, they used samples entirely in place of vocals.

Adrian Sherwood started out emphasizing a reggae hybrid of the electronic side of early UB40-style British reggae (Tyler, Burden of Shame) with Jamaican roots (Prince Far I). He emphasized production as a major component in the sound creation, a la proto-Electronica. When he hooked up with/created Tackhead, it was a marriage made in heaven, because his production was the best aspect of the On-U Sound recordings, and the band's musicianship was de-emphasized in favor or the industrial conception on Major Malfunction. A third component was added to the mix, a vocalist to replace the samples on some tracks. The result: 12'' singles like "Hard Left", a funky, techno-ized underground dance hit featuring vocals by Gary Clail and samples of Margaret Thatcher speeches.

I'm not getting the history exactly right; the same individuals worked together under the name Fats Comet (more soul/funk oriented) and the Barmy Army (most vocals provided by recordings of soccer fans singing in stadiums), and later as the Strange Parcels. They also went by the name Maffia in backing up Mark Stewart's nihilistic rants. So which came first, I can't entirely say.

The point is, though, that some of these recordings were the best pop music of their time, and the only way to get a general sense of the band and its music on CD is to get this live edition of Power Inc., which as a series attempts to survey the group's history.

You should consider however: in addition to the party flavor of The Bubbly, Hard Left, The Game and Melle Mel's version of the Message, there are some hard-edged industrial sounds as well, such as the track Object/Subject from the Major Malfunction album.

On the other hand, there are two instrumental tracks that absolutely stand out and typify the heights the band could reach: Doug Storm and The King. The sampled vocal, Tackhead Sound System style appears on Mind at the End of the Tether, Ticking Time Bomb, and Air Born Ranger. In between the songs are snippets of a tape of band members trying to get the attention of a guy in their apartment to open the door for them. These work well in giving the proceedings a sense of place and time.

So some of it's rocking/funky, some of its weird/spooky, and most of it is as inspired/inspiring as pop gets. It's not perfect, but it deserves high marks because it's the best of its type available for this band. The first two volumes are all over the place, and just don't have the same sense of excitement. If you prefer the funky side of this music over and above the industrial side, check out "The English Disease" by the Barmy Army. It's very funky; having an interest in things British helps in digesting the soccer fan song samples. Perhaps best of all, listen to Pay It All Back Volume 3. It shows off the On-U Sound style (of the early `90's, the Tackhead period) in its most accessible form., and Doug Wimbish, Skip McDonald, Keith LeBlanc, and Adrian Sherwood are all over it, and it contains tracks by the Dub Syndicate and African Head Charge, other bands with multiple (instrumental) releases on On-U from the period. The sound on Pay It All Back Volume 3 is more Brit funk and pure reggae than industrial.

Having experienced the sheer power of live Tackhead (my god... over ten years ago!), I was impressed by the fact that they've lost none of their assaultive beat-force. McDonald, Wimbish (back from his stint with Living Colour) and LeBlanc are still the most amazing power trio on the face of this planet, and the recording is excellent. Highly recommended for testing speakers!

this live compilation serves to show what a splendid band Tackhead were live. Really they were completely unique. Wimbish, Leblanc, sherwood and co produce what we thought wuld be the music of the future back then. A unique mix of reggae funk and hard rock with vocal samples. Well we are now in the future and unfortunately the music is still not as good.