[.ca] Break From The Norm

From Amazon.com:
Have you ever wanted to hear the original versions of the songs that inspired Norman Cook's (a.k.a. Fatboy Slim) dance-pop smashes "Gangsta Trippin'," "Santa Cruz," and "Demons"? A Break from the Norm is an eclectic slice of trivia disguised as a funky mix tape. The downside of this tour through Cook's sonic muses is that you have to be fully aware of his catalog to dig just what slight-of-sequencer magic he performed on the originals. This helps explain why the sultry blues/soul of Camille Yarborough's "Praise You," which formed the basis of Fatboy Slim's 1998 chart topper of the same name, has greater impact than the more obtuse samples (i.e., the surf-guitar twang of the John Barry Seven's "Beat Girl"--a component of "Rockefella Skank"). Yet even if you ignore the name-that-tune aspect of it, there's much to enjoy as Cook takes you on a crate-digging exercise from hip-hop to classic rock. --Amy Linden

Good CD for "Oh, that's where he got that bit from" syndrome:
Mr. Cook said it was worthwhile on its own, but i beg to differ. certain tracks such as "Ashes the Rain and I" and "I Can't Write Left Handed" are quality tracks, but most of the rest is just long-forgotten novelty. Get the cd, its worth it.

Gives Sampling a Good Name:
The original versions of these songs are great. The album is made up of fun and catchy soul, old school rap, and folk tunes. But more importantly, this collection shows that Norman Cook is a true pro at sampling. He doesnt take a song's complete rhythm and melody and throw some cheesy hip-hop beats on top of it (a la P. Diddy). Instead, Cook takes an actual "sample" of a tune and creates something completely different from the original. In some cases, if the liners didn't list the song that each sample was included in, I never would have recognized it. This CD should teach other DJs that, when using samples, sometimes less is more and you can still be original, even when using someone else's creation.

• Take Yo' Praise - Camille Yarbrough
• Love Loves To Love Love - Lulu
• Higher Ground - Ellen McIlwaine
• I Can't Write Left Handed - Bill Withers
• I Can't Explain - Yvonne Elliman
• Let The Rhythm Pump - Doug Lazy
• Beatbox Wash (Rinse It remix) - Dust Junkys
• Sliced Tomatoes - Just Brothers
• Young Scene - Keith Mansfield
• Humpin', Bumpin' & Thumpin' - Andre Williams
• I'll Do A Little Bit More - The Olympics
• The Acid Test - Leo Muller
• Beat Girl - The John Barry Seven
• The Kettle - Colosseum
• Ashes The Rain & I - The James Gang