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Rating: Wow, what a headline! Young Jason is really worried! It's 1993 when Sony Music releases the first work by Jamiroquai, a group of decent musicians with hot blood and the desire to shout against the world that isn't turning as it should. The key is funky music blended with instruments distant from the classic European pop conception: the didgeridoo, for example, is used in several tracks on the first albums, and it's an instrument created and historically used by Australian aborigines. It's a deep and grating sound, continuous and waving, dark and obscure. Yet well-placed. Worth listening to.
The initial lineup of the group: Toby Smith on keyboards, Nick Van Gelder on drums, and Stuart Zender on bass. Completing the sound Kofi Kari and Maurizio Ravalio on percussion, finally Simon Bartholomew and Glenn Nightingale on guitars. A big band, in short, accompanying the thin and delicate voice of this curious character who gets his crazy hats designed by his mother, whose gloomy past is made up of begging, nights under bridges, and drugs that sped up his tired synapses.
But the essence is the music. His music, or that of the group if you prefer, so fresh and finely contaminated, understood with difficulty, because it was too particular and distant from what young people in the early nineties were enjoying, drawn to a pop-rock increasingly "popular." And thus emerges a music, a new sound, for those bored and rebellious minorities. First concerts half-empty and people lying down to let themselves get twilighted by drugs in the warm chaos, with the background of the J-band. And those dances, so elastic and inimitable, evoking high and instability, homage to alcohol and perdition. The world falls apart and I protest by "merging with the world." In short, friends, we talk about origins, freshness, music for the few, and those few reject a little of everything and are a bit rejected by everyone...
Acid Jazz, distant sounds, recovery of black sounds, soul, guitar riffs full of elevenths and thirteenths, open notes... what the heck is going on? It's the sound of Jamiroquai, friends, and it's a really tasty sound. The first listen won't gratify you, but gradually you will be absorbed by the quality of this music. DO NOT buy this CD if you like the music of JK from Syncronized onwards. Already in Travelling without moving, there's an influence of electronic sounds and (useless) reggae influences that skew a bit off the original (and original) line of the group. Not to mention the decline in the lyrics...
There’s no filler music in this first album. Emergency on planet earth really has something to say, both musically and lyrically. When you gonna learn is of an unsuspected freshness and seraphic softness, given the tangle of characters playing it. Maybe it's early, maybe not, but this is a British trip pop sound, and the sound of the violin is as unexpected as ever. Too young to die is, if you like, a small great success, Jason's little voice declaring the fragility and anti-war intent of the piece. In Hooked up it's about drugs, a need to escape? In I like to do it, he speaks out against laws and the feeling of suffocation. And then pause on Emergency on planet earth, or Evolution 1993 (even?) or again Blow your mind, where the overwhelming and appealing sound will certainly involve you. The sense of youthful anger and rebellion is felt in every lyric, every note. The emotion of expressing one's ideas with courage has a symbolic dignity and becomes a symbol for someone. It's not rap, it's not black, it's not pop, it's not jazz, it's Jamiroquai's sound. Strong music full of ideas. New music.
What remains of the early Jamiroquai today? Nothing. A young rebel and angry man has turned into a wealthy and jaded dancer, who cares about sound quality and no longer about the freshness of the music (which represented for him, in fact, the path to salvation), that freshness that comes, yes ladies and gentlemen, from the humid garage where he rehearsed in 1990, driven by the desire to express himself, to communicate his discomfort, the desire for change, through an artistic expression. His music has regressed, too many forced contaminations, too much electronics, too much haste in churning out soulless tracks, for the series “umm, now what can I write about? My enormous villa or the £1000 wine I quaff while I scratch? Oh no, about my 21st Ferrari, or perhaps the roar of its engine," while once it was about revolution, destiny, mind, earth, anarchy, and education and the space cowboy had to be the warrior. And now? Just a nice memory.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 When You Gonna Learn (Digeridoo) (03:49)
Didgeridoo version written by Jay Kay
Have you heard the news today?
People right across the world are pledging they will play the game
Victims of a modern world, circumstance has brought us here,
Armaggedon's come too near, too too near yeah
Now foresight is the key to save our children's destiny
The consequences are so grave the hipocrites we are their slaves
So my friend to stop the end on each other we depend,
Mountain high and river deep, stop it going on,
We gotta wake this world up from its sleep,
People, stop it going on
Have you heard the news today?
Money's on the menu in my favorite restaurant,
Now don't talk about quantity, cos there's no fish left in the sea.
Greedy men been killing all the life there ever was,
So you better play it nature's way or she will take it all away,
And don't try tell me you know more than her about right or wrong,
Now you've upset the balance man, done the only thing you can,
Now my life is in your hands
Mountain high and river deep, stop it going on,
We gotta wake this world up from its sleep,
Oh people, stop it going on
Ahahahaha, hehehehehe...
Mountain high and river deep, stop it going on,
We gotta wake this world up from its sleep,
People, stop it going on
Greedy men will fade away, oh they will fade away when we stop it going on,
I know it's got to be that way, oh people stop it going on!
I'm asking, when you gonna learn to stop it going on?
When you gonna learn to stop it going on?
02 Too Young to Die (06:05)
Everybody,
Don't want no war, no, no no no,
'Cuz we're too young to die,
Too young to die.
So many people,
All around the world yeah,
All around the world,
Seen their brothers fry,
You seen your brother fry?
What's the motive,
In your madness?
Oh, I wish I knew,
You made my people cry,
You made my people cry.
So politicians, this time,
I think you better keep your distance,
Say, sing it loud:
We're too young to doo-doo-do-do-do-dah-do-do-do-do-dooo,
Do-do-do-do-da-do-do-do-do-do (etc.)
What's the answer?
I wish I knew,
To our problems.
I think we've gone too high,
I think we've gone too high.
Little children, never said a word now,
You know they never said a word,
Still they have to die,
Well I'm asking why.
It won't be long, no no no,
Dancing like we do yeah,
Oh, like we do now,
To put this sad world right.
I gotta put it right.
So don't you worry,
People we won't have to suffer no more,
'Cuz we're too young to...
All gone when they drop the bomb
Can the politicians reassure?
'Cuz here I am assuming that
Nobody wants a war.
There's so many people praying
Just to find out if they're staying,
But lately stately governments
And disillusioned leaders,
So full of empty promises,
But rarely do they feed us,
Put our backs against the wall,
Or don't we count at all?
Can you decide? Are you mesmerised?
Do you know which side you're standing?
'Cuz when it falls gonna take us all,
Gotta know what we're demanding.
I'll never lie can't you hear me cry
Coming from on high,
We're too young to die (doo-doo-do etc. to fade)
03 Hooked Up (04:35)
Im so glad I got you hooked up on my drugs,
Everybody sings to the music,
Ha,
Are you feeling well now you've caught this bug,
Everyboydy dance to the music,
I think last time i took an overdose,
Come on dance to the music,
Hey, well It made me realise that I came too close.
Now im gonna dance to the music, music, music, yeah come on.
It can seem to have no relevance,
Bet you wish you'd danced to the music,
What you'll want to do is kill yourself,
So you dont dance to the music,
I can look at you and hear you scream,
Come on dance to the music,
And you'll tell me that your needle's clean,
Ahh..
Come on dance, dance
Come on now, dance to the music,
You know I need it, need it, need it,
Come on now, dance to the music,
Ow, I need it, need it, need it,
Yeah
Come on now, dance to the music.
07 Whatever It Is, I Just Can't Stop (04:07)
Written by Jay Kay and Toby Smith
If I pick it up I can put it down,
Whatever it is I just can't stop,
For only 20 seconds at a time it's all mine.
I got, too much, pressure,
Got me under it's thumb
And it's no fun, you can lose
Now I got a choice but I can't choose
Insistent as you are, is no guarantee that you'll go far
Rock steady if you can
But I've never been a steady man,
People, wanna shoot you down,
If you can't swim then you will drown
In sorrow, can't get any medical attention till tomorow,
Sadlands, are where I live,
But that's none of your business,
You keep asking, and soon enough
The kids gonna have to get rough,
Maybe I'm a speed king
Push with the foot and I'm smiling,
I can glide on the love inside,
And there was you thinking that my hands were tied
All along I saw you hoping
I would slip and I'm not joking
The evidence in these events
Is still your lack of commonsense
Did you really think that I would sink
Because I like another drink
Have to get up to get down
The remedy is the sound
Absurdity of your suggestion, leaves me asking just one question,
If you're my friend today?
Why do you wanna hear me say?
If I pick it up, can I put it down?
Whatever it is, I just can't stop. (repeat)
08 Blow Your Mind (08:32)
Oooh yeah don't you know that you blow my mind!
Honey you're sweeter than anything,I need you
Want to get closer to you,to you,to you
I want to get closer to you now.
Love ya,I need ya,I think i wanna squeeze ya
Nightly,so tightly,girl you know you really blow my mind
Say it again, Just one more time I've got to know
How you came to blow my mind- Closer
Pleasure, passion- Tonite's the night I'm
looking for your action- I want to hold you
Don't you know that now you blow my mind
Say it again just one more time i've got to know
How you came to blow my mind- Closer
Fever, hot now, help me wipe the sweat
away from my brow- Sexy- oh Lady,
Don't you know this time you blow my mind
Oh don't you know yeah, Don't you know by now
that now you blow my mind (Yeah)
Oh yes you do, yes you do, yes you blow my mind
.....
trumpet
.....
Instrumental part
09 Revolution 1993 (10:16)
Yes you've got to stand up, stay strong, start moving in the right direction,
Don't wait too long, for people promising divine intervention
Nineteen nine three, now I'm taking matters into my own hands
So fast, I can't see
A revolution is the only way we can change, change, change
I wanna fight the power!
Well it's hard times, white lines,kids of nine getting down with gun crime
War zones, no homes, ain't it the time we gave the dog a bone
Say brothers, sisters, get up and put yourself in the picture
This time you know a revolution is the only way we can change, change, change
I want to fight the power!
Question, answer, shake your hand and smile for the camera
But it's no good you should spend time in your neighbourhood
Where black kids, white kids
Now you're working overtime to be a crack kid
No job, no cash,
A revolution is the only way we can change, change, change
I wanna fight the power!
Still we don't seem to understand we need a Revolution,
Everubody wants a Revolution
Now who is this man, I'm having trouble knowing where I'm coming from
Pre-conceptions, it's eternal human infection
One chance, learn how you're gonna change the habit of a lifetime my soul, concerned,
That Revolution is the only way that we can change, change, change
I wanna fight the power!
Higher, higher, now we're gonna learn how to fight the power
Sunshine, new day, I only know how to go to the right way
Faster, stronger I help my brother and my soul lives longer
Blinded I can't see
A Revolution is the only way that we can change, change, change
I wanna fight the power!
No doubt in time, everything is sweet sunshine but in the
Meantime, mankind is having trouble where to draw the line
We still don't, respect, and yet I thought we had intellect
Sometimes I think the music is the only hope we have for Revolution
Still we don't seem to understand we need a Revolution
Everybody needs a Revolution!
10 Didgin' Out (02:38)
Composed by jay kay and wallis buchanan
This song looks like to the instrumental songs of twm. and personnaly I don't like it a lot, I find as boring as didjeradama and didjital vibes.
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