Norman Cook really first arrived on the music scene by developing his dj'ing skills on Brightons club scene at the early age of 18 whilst he was studying at the University of Brighton. A little while on in 1985 a friend of Cook's named Paul Heaton had a new guitar group called the Housemartins, but unfortunately they had just lost their bass player, so Heaton then contacted Cook who agreed to be their new bass player.
The Housemartins had a few big hits such as Happy Hour and Caravan Love but by 1988 they had split up, this is where Cook then wen't off and his career started to get going.
The album "The Fatboy Slim/Norman Cook collection" gives an insight into how Cook's career has progressed along with his musical tastes, for example after the split of the Housemartins Cook soon formed the group Beats International which consisted of various studio musicians who worked together to form 2 albums, Let Them Eat Bingo and Excursion On The Version which both explored dub and reggae style rhythms.
In total 5 of Beats International's tracks feature on the album, the first being Wont Talk About It, which opens with a fun vocal sample followed by a nice guitar groove which is soon accompanied by a bouncy bassline, there are also some nice lyrics and in all a relaxed pace and chilled out tune, however you can also recognise Cooks influence as the composer on this track as with all the other Beats International tracks as he excersises some funky beats and breaks which as we now know are aparrent in most of his later works under the pseudonym Fatboy Slim.
The second beats international track featured on the album is Echo Chamber. Again the track opens with some vocals and another funky bassline is dropped, this track also has a nice smooth tempo and pace which may take some getting used to if you are a hardcore Fatboy Slim fan. Personally i feel that there is nothing too special about this track.
The next track by Beats International is the fantastic Dub Be Good To Me, which at the time of its release did cause some legal disputes due to allegations of copyright infringement. Never the less this is still a nice piece of music.
Throughout
there is a dub style bassline which is thought to be note to note to the bass line in the clash's The Guns Of Brixton, but who really cares when its used to such a great extent with the piano that rolls on and harmonica that creeps in and out. There are also some nice lyrics sang by Lindy Layton who has a strong voice which harmonise with the melody perfectly, this track really is composed and produced brilliantly with the help of Cook's skills.
The Sun Doesn't Shine is the next track by Beats International and is introduced with a drum roll that tumbles into a reggae style bassline and some nice piano riffs, though there is nothing too outstanding with the beats and percussion here, which is suprising as this track is produced by Norman Cook alone who is soon to become the god of Big Beat music! But i do love the trumpets used in the later part of this track and im sure you will to.
Finally Tribute To King Tubby by Beats International features as the last track on the album and is also composed solely by Norman Cook. There are pleanty of fun vocal samples in this track and a nice beat pattern paired with a solid bassline, again I feel that this work could be mirrored to the style of music later composed by Cook as Fatboy Slim due to the vocal samples and various breaks throughout the track.
However Beats International were very short lived and after the release of their second album Excursion on the Version they fizzled out, leaving Cook to form his next group which was called Freakpower and featured horn player Ashley Slater, who appears on Fatboy Slims album Halfway Between the Gutter And The Stars on the track Retox.
Freakpower released their debut album Drive Thru Booty in 1994 and had success with the track Turn on Tune In Cop Out which featured on the album, although for some reason there is no Freakpower work featured on The Norman Cook/Fatboy Slim Collection.
But fear not as The Norman Cook/Fatboy Slim Collection does feature 3 remixes by Norman Cook before he became Fatboy Slim. The first to appear is Start An Avalanch by Shinehead which has been produced by Cook with all instruments being played by Cook aswell!
There is some really nice uplifting bass throughout this track which is similar to some of the bass which Cook plays later on in his career on the album Palookaville. Aside from this there are some energetic piano riffs and the track has an almost identical sound to that of Beats International. Tyrone "Cut Master" Ffyfe also appears on this track preforming all the scratches which are top class.
The next remix by Norman Cook is I Left My Wallet In El Segundo (Vampire Mix) by A Tribe Called Quest. This track is a really fun track which tells the story of how a guy leaves his wallet in a place called El Segundo, its probably not musically the best track on the album but as i said it is fun and will make you laugh, this is also a good insight into Cooks music collection and shows how he enjoys music which is fun and entertaining and who knows this could even have had some influence on his later works with tracks like "going out of my head" from Fatboy Slims first album Better Living Through Chemistry and "Gangster Tripping" from his second album Youve Come A Long Way Baby, which are both fun, entertaining and uplifting to listen to just like this remix of I Left My Wallet In El Segundo.
The final remix by Norman Cook featured is James Brown - Payback (The Final Mixdown) which also has some help from Streetsahead. This track is brilliant and i love everything about it especially when considering how old it is,(1988), it is also probably one of the best tracks on the album.
A crazy beat is used for the duration of the track and has a real funky groove which is fantastic alone, but of course there is much more to come, such as the funky - disco orientated basslines and insane vocal samples from James Brown and not to mention the scratches which are out of this world! Aswell as this there are also a couple of nice breaks with some old skool style hip hop tunes, this really is a great track.
So far i would recommend this album to Cook's die hard fans who want to find out more about his musical past and how he has got himself to where he is today, but having said that i can even recommend this album to people who may only like his music as Fatboy Slim. This is because the album also includes another 5 tracks which are all Fatboy Slim remixes and mixes, some of which you may not of even heard before, yet they still all incorporate the much loved Fatboy sound.
Psyche Rock (Fatboy Slim Malpaso Mix) by Pierre Henry appears first, this track has a great opening with a wind noise and some whistles and bells, almost creating the feel from an old western film, then a nice wavering noise builds up and climax's to introduce a beat and a distort guitar sound which is stereo-panned to the right, the beat then picks up and some more bells jingle in rhythm. The track is now under way and has an almost 70's disco style to it which will really get you going especially with the melodic tunes and typical breaks and build ups which Fatboy Slim is famous for.
The second Fatboy Slim remix is The World Is Made Up Of This And That by Deeds + Thoughts, and what a great track this is. It starts with some vocals saying "you may be doing this, you may be doing that " going from right to left which has a neat effect, some percussion is then added and before you no it your in full swing with some Big Beats and powerful trumpets and of course some more of those ever addictive Fatboy Slim breaks and build ups.
E.V.A by Jean-Jaques Perrey is the next Fatboy Slim Remix , this version is actually a radio edit but is still very good. The letters E.V.A are repeated for most of the track and are syncronised with some heavy electric guitars and beats, and again there is a 70's disco sound to this track which is always nice.
The well known Renegade Master by Wildchild is another of the Fatboy Slim remixes, but this time its an Old Skool Mix. This track basically "does exactly what it says on the tin", its an old skool orientated mix meaning pleanty of old hip hop style trumpets and rhythms and in your face vocal samples, this track is enough to get any party jumping, and did i mention that the build up towards the end of the track is incredible and is up there with the best Fatboy Slim build ups ever!
And last but by no means least Roll The Dice by Lunatic Calm is the last Fatboy Slim remix featured on the album. This track is actually a vocal mix and is very clever, including lots of playing around with vocals which you don't often hear, but its not just the vocals which make this track, its the bass which is ridiculously good and the acid style tunes which are enough to make anyone feel as if they are on a head trip.
Tracklisting in the correct order:
1. Won't Talk About it - Beats International
2. Psyche Rock - Pierre Henry (Fatboy Slim Malpaso Mix)
3. The World Is Made Up Of This And That - Deeds + Thoughts (Fatboy Slim Mix)
4. Echo Chamber - Beats International
5. Dub Be Good To Me - Beats International
6. E.V.A - Jean Jaques Perrey (Fatboy Slim Remix - Radio Edit)
7. I Left My Wallet In El Segundo - A Tribe Called Quest (Vampire Mix)
8. The Sun Doesn't Shine - Beats International
9. Start An Avalanche - Shinehead
10. Renegade Master - Wildchild (Fatboy Slim Old Skool Mix)
11. Roll The Dice - Lunatic Calm (Fatboy Slim Vocal Mix)
12. Payback - James Brown (The Final Mixdown)
13. Tribute To King Tubby - Beats International
Overall i would say that this is a solid album though it may not appeal to everyone as there are many variations in the style of music from track to track, but im sure that most people would get used to this factor after a few listens. Its also a very intresting album to buy as you will experience music from Norman Cook which you may never have expected to hear or even realised he had been involved with.
Final things to point out, the album cover and art is also very good and the image of the album is nice, inside the album sleeve you will also find a large piece of text about Cooks career which is a very intresting read and details of each of tracks such as what releases they are taken from and who appears in them. If you can get this album for around £5 then youv'e got yourself a great deal but even anything close to £10 is well worth a buy.
by (6%):
31.12.2006 14:48
Great review there really well written xx
25.11.2006 13:09
Good review, I'm not very clued up on FBS, but like the one or two videos I have seen! Karen
25.10.2006 12:11
I have gotta admit.. Im only half way down the review.. But I have to pop out in a few minutes so I cant read the rest.. Will have to read it when Im next on. I thought Id give you the rate now incase I forget. So far its fantastic. As always :). Mat