lambchops's Full Review: Supersexy Swingin' Sounds [PA] by White Zombie
White Zombie rests neatly toward the top of my favorite rock bands of the 1990’s. Their position is cemented right next to nine inch nails and Stone Temple Pilots.
Despite being around since the mid-1980’s, White Zombie didn’t hit it big until they released their 1992 masterpiece La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1 which spawned my favorite songs from the band ”Thunder Kiss ‘65”. The four members Rob Zombie (vocals), Sean Yseult (bass), Jay Noel Yuenger (guitar), and John Tempesta (drums) really made their mark with their next effort.
Astro-Creep 2000 turned out to be the band’s biggest success. It sold to multi-platinum status and was planted on top of the Billboard charts for over two months during 1995. There were a number of great tracks from the album, but the most heard is probably ”More Human than Human”. The song earned the band a Grammy nomination.
One of the most important things to mention is that White Zombie tends to pay homage to old horror and sci-fi movies. The songs on their albums are almost exclusively written to pay tribute to these films. Hell, they are even named after an old Bela Lugosi flick. At first glimpse, White Zombie appears to be a shock-rock band. At first listen, the same can be said. Their sound is hard and heavy, but their lyrics are refreshingly mainstream…if you can hear ‘em. I don’t have any issues with a band being mainstream if they sound this great.
Anyway, 1996 marked more Grammy success for the band and the release of an album of remixes titled Supersexy Swingin’ Sounds. The album took the material from Astro-Creep 2000 and offered a different perspective. Each song was remixed by various artists ranging from Dust Brothers to (strangely enough) P.M. Dawn. The resulting effort isn’t overall as strong as earlier albums, but some of the songs do prove more than just a bit entertaining. It should be paired with Astro-Creep 2000 to be fully appreciated.
Charlie Clouser (famous for his work with bands like Deftones and Marilyn Manson) lent his hand to remixing three tracks. ”Electric Head Pt. 2 (Sexational After Dark Mix)”, ”More Human Than Human (Meet Bambi In The King's Harem Mix)”, ”El Phantasmo and the Chicken-Run Blast-O-Rama (Wine, Women, and Song Mix)”, and ”Real Solution #9 (Mambo Mania Mix)” are all close to equally meritorious. The ”Electric Head” remix is driving and fast and ultimately a great listen. It’s more mechanical and smoother than the original. Clouser’s addition of techno beats is creative and complimentary to the band’s heavy guitars and bass.
The remix of ”More Human than Human” is almost as heavy handed as the original. Clouser’s handiwork seems to have made this a dance floor ready track. I love the beats and the noise. The only drawback is that you can barely hear Zombie’s voice at times during the track…it’s obscured by the electronic additions. Next, we have ”El Phantasmo and the Chicken-Run Blast-O-Rama”. I never was a huge fan of the original. This remix doesn’t really improve my enjoyment of the track, but hey…it doesn’t seem to do any damage either. Zombie’s vocals are obscured by pumped up guitars and additional electronic beats. This one could be of interest to some people…just not me.
The final Clouser remix is for ”Real Solution #9”. The song’s new sound is smoother than I’m used to from White Zombie. Rather than relying on growling vocals, this remix revolves around heavy drums, guitars, and Yseult’s bass. The song actually exposes the reality that White Zombie writes some great rock music.
Two songs from this album were remixed by the Dust Brothers duo. The first came from Astro-Creep 2000. ”Grease Paint And Monkey Brains (Sin Centers of Suburbia Mix)” begins with the same freaky, disturbing carousel that the original did. It then turns into a deconstructed and twisted incarnation of the original. I like the low and monotone parts to this version, but when it picks up I feel the version becomes less interesting. Unless you really enjoy the Dust Brothers, you may want to skip this track.
The second Dust Brothers track is a rerecording of ”I’m Your Boogie Man” originally recorded by disco kings K.C. and the Sunshine Band. Since I have no love of disco, I feel this song to be a great offering. It keeps the disco groove intact while adding a whole lot of attitude and bass. Zombie’s voice is dark and obscured like in most of the band’s other tracks. The fact that White Zombie chose to record this song proves (beyond a shadow of a doubt) that they have a great sense of humor.
John Fryer offered up his help on two tracks. ”I, Zombie (Europe In The Raw Mix)” and ”Super-Charger Heaven (Adults Only Mix)” reflect a dark, dank vision. The beat to ”I, Zombie” is significantly sped up. The biggest redeeming quality here really is the sporadic and exceptionally loud bass/guitar combinations. Besides that, I will say that the original is better by far. The original version of ”Super-Charger Heaven” is a great track. This, on the other hand lacks the same emotion and energy of the original. I prefer this track to be less electronic. The manufactured beats are annoying at best. Seriously, listen to the original and skip this one.
”Blur The Technicolor (Poker From Strip To Stud Mix)” was remixed by John “Hitman” Wilson. He honestly did a crappy job. The beat is way too repetitive, with the only reflection of the original being the sound bites. Besides that the techno feel lacks the direction of the original. Zombie’s vocals have been reproduced and laid back down at unnaturally unintelligible fast speeds. Skip it.
P.M. Dawn really screws up ”Blood, Milk and Sky (Miss September Mix)”. This remix removes every iota of what made it a good track. It’s slow and boring and distorted with strange background dance beats. The beats and Zombie’s gravelly voice don’t fit well together. Skip this one, too.
Finally, we have a Lords of Acid remix of ”Blood, Milk and Sky (Miss September Mix)”. It’s got a new techno beat that almost totally obscures the original musical and vocals efforts. That said, this is one of the better tracks on this album. The beat is very fast, but at times Zombie’s vocals seem to weigh down the song. He sounds particularly boring and monotonous in this version. Again, I will refer listeners to check out the original before this one.
As a whole Supersexy Swingin’ Sounds is an essential album for any White Zombie fan. There are one or two good songs, while most are at best average. If you are a novice fan, pick up any one of the band’s earlier releases to gain a better feel for their music. This is just an indulgent follow up to a truly superior album Astro-Creep 2000.
I give this album a modest 3/5 stars. Don’t expect a masterpiece here. I will recommend it to fans of White Zombie. If you aren’t a big listener of the band, you surely won’t like Supersexy Swingin’ Sounds.
Track Listing:
1. Electric Head Pt.2 (Sensational After Dark Mix)
2. More Human Than Human (Meet Bambi In The King's Harem Mix)
3. I, Zombie (Europe In The Raw Mix)
4. Grease Paint And Monkey Brains (Sin Centers Of Suburbia Mix)
5. Blur The Technicolor (Poker From Stud To Strip Mix)
6. Super-Charger Heaven (Adults Only Mix)
7. El Phantasmo and The Chicken-Run Blast-O-Rama (Wine, Women And Song Mix)
8. Blood, Milk And Sky (Miss September Mix)
9. Real Solution #9 (Mambo Mania Mix)
10. Electric Head Pt.1 (Satan In High Heels Mix)
11. I'm Your Boogie Man (Sex On The Rocks Mix)
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