Customer Reviews

I Think We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat

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

 

 

Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim) is back with his latest project The Brighton Port Authority, or The BPA. The liner notes give a funny, fictional account about the music on this disc and how it came to pass. Norman Cook stretches out on The BPA by utilizing different vocalists on each of the 12 tracks.

What's the result? Well, a mix between Fatboy Slim and each vocalist, really. I only knew a few of the vocalists such as Iggy Pop on a brilliant cover of The Monochrome Set's 1983 song "He's Frank (Slight Return)". David Byrne on "Toe Jam", Pete York on "Dirty Sheets" and Martha Wainwright on "Spade". New to me are Connan Mockasin from New Zealan on "Jumps The Fence", Ashley Beedle a DJ from England on "Should I Stay Or Should I Blow", Justin Robertson a DJ from England on "Island", English singer/songwriter Jamie T on "Local Town", English singer/songwriter Emmy The Great on "Seattle", English engineer/producer Simon Thornton (who also produces this cd with Norman Cook) on "Superman", remixer Cagedbaby on "Superlover" and someone named Olly Hite on the excellent cover of Nick Lowe's 1978 classic "So It Goes" from the "Jesus of Cool" album.

The BPA really starts 2009 with a bang, with most songs being very catchy and above average in terms of melodies and quirky, funny, memorable lyrics. A great idea, in other words! I hope Norman Cook and Simon Thornton do a second BPA album with 12 more singers.

My choice selections are "He's Frank (Slight Return)", "Should I Stay Or Should I Blow", "Island", "Local Town", "Seattle", "Spade", "Toe Jam" and "So It Goes".

I am glad I got my copy early thanks to its exclusiveness. The wide release date is February 3rd, 2009. If you are a Fatboy Slim fan, you should check this out, you will not be disappointed.

I have always enjoyed an occasional Fatboy Slim song in the past but was never a huge fan of the dance beats. I saw a review in Blender that said Fatboy Slim had a side project and thought why not give it a try.

I was very happy with my purchase. There are so many bands out right now that you could listen to a song and attribute it to three or four bands that sound actually a like. That is not going to happen here on ITWGNABB! The album itself seems to try to creata a 70s / 80s vibe to it and each song is compeletly different to the last thanks to all the guest singers. My favorite songs are the ones with David Bryne and Martha Wainwright.

Anyways if you are looking for a new sound and some original music give this cd a try.

Brighton Port Authority is "Fatboy Slim" Norman Cook's latest moniker and his new CD "I think we're gonna need a bigger boat" (title nicked from the Steven Spielberg movie "Jaws") is already one of my favourite discs of 2009. It comprises catchy, retro-sounding dance grooves with guest vocalists featured on every song, what's not to like?

The sound is varied with not one song sounding like the next ensuring there's at least something for everyone, from Iggy Pop's dry spoken/sung delivery on "He's Frank (Slight return)", the creepy/fuzzy sounding "Dirty sheets" (featuring Pete York), "Jumps the fence" (with a spoken delivery from Connan Mockasin), the Ska-tinged "Should I stay or should I blow" (with Ashley Beede), or the atmospheric U2-ish "Island" (with Justin Robertson).

"Seattle" is a choppy Pop song with Emmy the great, while the retro soundig Reggae of "Spade" features an Amy Winehouse-channeling Martha Wainwright. The pulsing groovy "Superman" features Simon Thornton giving a hushed delivery, the sombre almost Trip Hop "Superlover" features Cagedbaby, the very British-sounding "Local town" with Jamie T, and the bouncy horn-peppered "Toe Jam" features a Caribbean rhythm and the unlikely pairing of David Byrne and Dizzee Rascal.

The songs are brief and to the point, never overstaying their welcome. Richly textured. and a great party record!

An eclectic music producer and DJ calls together his music-business mates and makes a great party disc. 12 cuts, no two are truly alike. Features artists like David Byrne to Emmy The Great, who are known on both sides of the Pond; everything from Club Mix to Trip-Hop to Trance. Totally addictive for working out.

If you like adult alternative music this one certainly is. Fat Boy Slim who I had never heard of till I heard him on WFUV along with many well known and some not so known collaborate of some terrific songs. Want something new and different, nere it is

Different sounds and energy levels going on with each of the songs here, but all are fun and unique.

What, prey tell was Norman on when he conceived this shipwreck? Was he having some acid-flashback and nostalgic hankerings to his days in the Housemartins? or was he simply fulfilling his contractual? Whatever it is or was, and whatever the reason they wasted the earth's precious natural resources on producing and manufacturing this utterly meritless compilation is largely immaterial, the fact is they did and now it exists. It exists like a landmine in a bargain basement bin, or worse, still on the shelf at full price. Ready to blow a hole in some poor unsuspecting soul's wallet and then single-handedly destroy the notion that they once had a coherent and well-selected CD collection, which of course, if they added this dud into, they could no longer claim to have.

Where and how does Norm draw the artistic and musical connection between a good number of these tracks which he sliced together brilliantly on the superb 'Dance Bitch' and this Christmas album? I am simply at a loss to correlate the two. Norman Cook aka Beats International aka Fatboy Slim aka this absolute and unmitigated garbage What happened? different genre... different BPM... different! VERY different. I mean the BPA connection, it's not even relevant. All this is, is a collection of never-was and almost-rans. A collection of minor '80s or '90s-sounding b-sides.

BPA? Brazen Pig's A**e?

Wow what is there to say about this album. Not much really. There are some good songs. Some okay songs. Some really annoying songs (and not in that old-fashioned Fatboy Slim annoying-in-a-good-way just annoying). Overall it seems like he should have spent some more time in the studio. Maybe released some of these tracks as later filler for full fledged efforts. Overall I wish I would have saved my money.