Dub Pistols-Speakers And Tweeters-(Advance)-2007-uF

ARTiST: Dub Pistols
TiTLE: Speakers And Tweeters
LABEL: Sunday Best Records
GENRE: Electronic
TiME: 48:57 min
SiZE: 62,3 MB
BiTRATE: VBRkbps
RiP DATE: Mar-08-2007
RELEASE DATE: Apr-09-2007
WEBSiTE: n/a
Track List:
01. Speed Of Light (Feat. Blade) 04:06
02. Peaches (Feat. Rodney P & Terry Hall) 03:12
03. Speakers And Tweeters 03:48
04. Running From The Thoughts 04:10
(Feat. Terry Hall)
05. Rapture (Feat. Terry Hall) 03:53
06. Cruise Control 03:27
07. Open 04:09
08. You'll Never Find (Feat. Rodney P) 04:21
09. Gangsters (Feat. Terry Hall) 02:59
10. Something To Trust (Feat. Rodney P) 03:31
11. Mach 10 03:45
12. Stronger 03:52
13. Gave You Time 03:44
Release Notes:
Barry Ashworth and Jason O'Bryan AKA the Dub Pistols
have spent the best part of a decade at the
forefront of Beats culture. From their early
singles for Concrete Records to their genre defying
'Six Million Ways To Live' long player, the Dub
Pistols have always added a much needed Rock n Roll
swagger to the UK's dance scene. Chewing up
hip-hop, dub, techno, ska and punk and spitting them
out in a renegade futuristic skank they have
consistently defied categorisation and exceeded the
highest of expectations.
Their genre-mashing abilities have led to remix work
for the likes of Moby, Crystal Method, Limp Bizkit,
Bono, Korn & Ian Brown, and has seen them work with
hip-hop legend Busta Rhymes on 'One', a track for
the Blade 2 soundtrack and 'Molotov' on the Y Tu
Mama Tambien soundtrack. In recent years the band
has mutated from a studio based duo into a fully
fledged live act, including the talents of UK Hip
Hop don Rodney P, the maverick and mercurial former
Specials front man Terry Hall, US rap wünderkind
T.K., Sugardaddy horn-blower Tim Hutton and scratch
maestro DJ Stix.
Their third album 'Speakers And Tweeters', released
on 9th April 2007, through Rob da Bank's Sunday Best
label, is a consummate statement of intent. Their
most accessible to date, the album's 13 tracks draw
on a rich tapestry of influences, weaving tight
beats and even tighter rhymes into a refined and
assured set. The stirring chords and laid-back beats
of 'Speed of Light', featuring Blade's skilful flow,
opens the album in style. An inspired cover of Punk
legends The Stranglers' classic 'Peaches',
immediately grabs the attention, with the vocal
dexterities of Rodney P and Terry Hall taking centre
stage, before the pumping, angular funk of the
album's title track 'Speakers And Tweeters' takes
hold. A deeply ingrained skank runs throughout the
album, as ably demonstrated on the horn-driven
'Running From The Thoughts'.
The album's lead single, released on 12th March,
sees the Dub Pistols taking Blondie's 'Rapture' and
booting it firmly into the future, with Terry Hall's
laconic delivery adding an insouciant edge.
Following hard on its heels is the bumping krunk of
'Cruise Control', harking back to the classic era of
street beats and Electro. The Disco strut of 'Open'
and the Black Ark stylings of 'You'll Never Find'
keep things on the boil before the Dub Pistols drop
a bold cover. A superlative version of The Specials'
seminal 'Gangsters' sees Terry Hall, a quarter of a
century wiser, reprising his vocal role, giving the
2-Tone classic a knowing air, underpinned by the
band's groove juggernaut.
Channelling the spirit of Dr Dre on the anthemic
'Something To Trust', the Dub Pistols approach the
last few tracks in full on intergalactic hip-hop
mode. 'Mach 10's rolling beats are given an
authentic treatment with T.K.'s super slick delivery
taking things to the next level. 'Stronger's Roots
Reggae lilt and the reflective 'Gave You Time'
provide a polished denouement to what is undoubtedly
the Dub Pistols' finest hour.
Humour and music often make uncomfortable bedfellows
(remember The Sultans of Ping?) and the sound of
someone who sounds like Brian Blessed really
overacting bellowing over the course of 10 songs can
get a little wearing. That's bad enough, but the
exorable Stupid Rap that closes the album is almost
enough to persuade even the most level headed person
that purchasing a sniper rifle and hunting the band
down before they reform might not be such a bad
idea.
Perhaps the most telling thing about this album is
the interview from XFM that has been included at the
end of the collection. It constantly references the
band's live performance and highlights the fact that
they were a great live band. Looking back across the
songs included here, it would not be unfair to
suggest that whilst we may not have lost a great
singles band, we have lost a band that were
undoubtedly capable of putting on hugely enjoyable
live shows.