Customer Reviews

Sacrilege - Remixes

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

 

 

So nice to finally catch this 2-CD title priced under the retail price of $18.95. Total of sixteen classic Can compositions that've been been given a complete make-over (in some cases) to give true casual Can fans and die-hards something else to listen to on a spare evening. Remix jobs that I, personally got the most out of were "Spoon" redone by Sonic Youth, "Vitamin C" by U.N.K.L.E., a good version of "Oh Yeah" by Sunroof, "Future Days" given the works from Blade Runner and "Dizzy Spoon" by Steve Hillage and System 7. 'Sacriledge' is obviously more in a industrial direction. Some might say this 2-CD is strictly for completists. Maybe so, but it's still good.

There seems to be two different opinons on this CD:

The prog rock fans say that the music is too much like "boring modern electronic dance music", and the people into modern electronic music find the remixes "dated" and I admit that most of the remixes aren't exactly cutting edge.

Personally I find some of the remixes interesting, but a lot of it is rather boring and nothing on this double CD can be called essential. My favourites are "Yoo doo right" (because it must be one of the hardest tracks in the Can discography to remix, but they really succeed and do a version that is as far away from the original that's possible), "Oh yeah (the Sunroof mix) and "Tango Whiskeyman". The last track mentioned has absolutely nothing to do with the Can song, by the way, although it has some bits and pieces from the track "Gomorrha" (found on "Unlimited Edition") in it.

The fact that a lot of reviewers claim the Brian Eno remix of "Pnoom" as one of their favourites says quite a lot of the contents of this album. Actually, it's not a remix at all but just pieces of the track cut up and re-assembled in a different order. But I could listen to those funky drums in "Pnoom" all day long so I don't really mind...

I enjoy hearing the classic basslines of Holger Czukay and the metronomic drums of Jaki Leibezeit in any context, so this album provides quite a lot of pleasant listening although it never reaches the heights of the original albums, such as "Tago Mago" or "Future Days".

. . . this is merely an extention of Can. If you take this album in the spirit of exploration that the band embodied so well, you will reap wonderful rewards. Most of this album is techno-oriented. Sometimes they use their own beats then inject samples from Can songs and manipulate them, other times they use the Can beats as the foundation, or use both. Some songs are pulled off better than others, but all are intrigueing. If you're a techno wiz, you might not consider this music cutting edge, but it's definatly deeper than your average deep house. The raw material itself greatly elevates this album. Much of it is pretty transcendental, especially if you're familiar with the original Can songs because your mind bends as they get manipulated. Particularly in the shroomed-out slow down of "Spoon" mixed by Sonic Youth and the Gareth Jones/Daniel Miller mix of "Oh Yeah" is pretty trippy too. The Bruce Gilbert mix of "TV Spot" isn't techno at all, but what sounds like a really bizarre call of the wild - you have to hear it to know what I mean.

As a bonus, the liner notes with quotes from the remixers every member of Can are pretty cool. And Can themselves like this album (except for Damo Suzuki - not his "tea") so that should certainly tell you something.

I have to say that most of the efforts on this project actually work, and can be very enjoying if listened to with an open mind.
Can was all about exploration and the fact that they have a re-mix comp. will never take away from their original work but rather a interesting homage to a great band by focusing in on the ideas that Can express (now Faust has a re-mix that just came out). One shouldn't compair and constrast the songs and their new alterations. Many of the producers of the redone tracks are from groundbreaking groups (not some lame techno or downtempo hacks)like B.C. Gilbert (Wire) Sonic Youth, Daniel Miller (Mute Rec. founder), Pete Shelly (Buzzcocks) Brian Eno, etc.

If you can afford to try something new then check it out. If it will kill you to hear the tracks "destoryed" then stay away.

This album is a good example for boring pseudo-avantgarde music. In the '70s, Can were a highly experimental band and always two steps ahead of contemporary rock music. This remix collection, unfortunately, is three steps behind the work of contemporary techno artists like Aphex Twin, Autechre, and Photek. Despite of the participation of well-known techno-heads like The Orb, System 7, and Westbam, it's unbelievable how formulaic and uninspired the release mostly is. Best efforts here are Brian Eno's funny version of "Pnoom", "Oh yeah" with its uptempo acid house rhythm, Carl Craig's atmospheric mix of "Future days", and 3P's more pop-oriented "Yoo doo right" with some soulful vocals. You can forget the rest, which is made of standardized techno beats, lame ambient soundscapes, and lots of senseless noise loops. Absolutely dull electronic music, masquerading as something important and futuristic. If you're looking for a compilation featuring the original versions, check out "Anthology" and "Cannibalism I-III".

This is NOT an interesting project. Fans of Can, particularly people who really like their more daring/obscure stuff, are not going to be pleased by this turgid 2-slab waste. There are a few good moments -- yeah, Eno's take on "Pnoom" is cute, and sooo much longer than the original (heh) -- but in general this is one to pass on. Coulda been great -- I think they were hoping to market Can to people who actually, like, go dancing. Unbelievable what some people will do for money.