The Brand New Heavies - Elephantitis: The Funk and House Remixes

Pioneers of the London acid jazz scene, the Brand New Heavies translated their love for the funk grooves of the 1970s into a sophisticated sound that carried the torch for classic soul in an era dominated by Hip Hop. Formed in 1985 by drummer/keyboardist Jan Kincaid, guitarist Simon Bartholomew, and bassist/keyboardist Andrew Levy -- longtime school friends from the London suburb of Ealing -- the BNH were originally an instrumental unit inspired by the James Brown and Meters records its members heard while clubbing the rare groove scene in vogue at the moment. The trio soon began recording their own music. One thing lead to another, and now, twenty years later the BNH are world famous, they have put out six great albums, many singles and an endless stream of hits. This album, called "Elephantitis", compiles two and a half hours of incredible remixes, all taken straight off their commercial and promotional singles. Split right down the middle, the remixes, done by legends including Masters at Work (Kenny Dope and Louie Vega), Jay Dee, Davis Morales, Todd Terry, The Angel and Joey Negro, are divided into two catagories: Funk remixes and House remixes, all done between the years of 1991 through 1997. If you are, or ever were, a fan of the Brand New Heavies, this brilliant 26 song, double CD collection is a "dream come true." 1 Never Stop (Extended Remix) 2 Stay This Way (Slam Mix) 3 Dream Come True 92 (Disco 2000 Mix) 4 Dream On Dreamer (Angel Extended Mix) 5 Back To Love (Opaz Radio Version) 6 Spend Some Time (Sweeny Club Mix) 7 Midnight At the Oasis (Opaz 7" Version) 8 Mind Trips (Durham Remix) 9 Close To You ("Pret-A-Porter" Version) 10 Sometimes (Ummah Remix feat. Q-Tip) 11 Shelter (Dobie's The Way It Should Be Mix) 12 You Are the Universe (Opaz Remix) 13 You Can Do It (Roc-A-Bloc Remix feat. Ski) 14 You ve Got a Friend (Ballistic Brothers Remix) DISC TWO (House Remixes) 1 Stay This Way (The Club Mix) 2 Dream Come True 92 (Conversion Mix) 3 Dream On Dreamer (Heav Product Description

Not too bad, but not great at all.

There's no discussion that The Brand New Heavies' music is simply fantastic. Now, when it comes to remixing it, that would be a completely different sort of thing... perhaps this album is not fair with the Heavies' discography, or it just could have been better on the mixes.

Good on the song selection, but poor on the remixing arena. However, there are a few gems that still save the whole release from being a complete disappointment.

I would recommend to grab and listen first to the BNH albums as the original sound is, by far, much better than all these. September 5, 2008

Worth Every Penny

Great CD! Worth every penny. It is a must have, if you are a Brand New Heavies fan. October 15, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...