Really, the title says it all -- Decksanddrumsandrockandroll is about as close to rock & roll as big-beat techno is going to get. Taking their cue from the Chemical Brothers, the Bath-based duo Propellerheads offer a set of pummeling, ultra-loud beats that may dabble in funk, house, hip-hop, soul, and rap, but which all come out sounding as aggressive as rock. Not that there's anything wrong with that -- at its best, big beat is as invigorating as any other music -- but Propellerheads don't have the finesse, innovation, or style of the Chemical Brothers, the leading proponents of big beat. When they shake the beat up, whether on the wah-wah-drenched "Velvet Pants" or the pair of John Barry/James Bond tributes (a reworking of their cover of "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" and "History Repeating"), it sounds like a tactical move, since they know they can't spend the entire album on thundering dance cuts like "Bang On!" and "Take California." That said, Decksanddrumsandrockandroll remains a strong big beat album, even if it ultimately doesn't reveal anything new, because the duo knows how to craft a hard-hitting, infectious rhythm track. And while that doesn't make them the next Chemical Brothers, it does make them the best in this style since the Chemicals. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Shirley Bassey (Engineer), Shirley Bassey (Performer), Prince (Engineer), David Arnold (Arranger), De La Soul (Performer), Alex Gifford (Noise), Alex Gifford, Chris Lawson (Guitar), Mike Marsh (Mastering), Propellerheads (Producer), Propellerheads (Main Performer), Mike Thomas (Guitar), Lee Strickland (Photography), Will White (Drums), Will White (Noise), Will White, Dave Trump (Assistant Engineer)
The original release of Decksandrumsandrockandroll features 13 tracks. Most tracks are instrumental pieces of
big beat, breakbeat and trip-hop, sometimes with vocal samples. The exception is "History Repeating", which features vocals from
veteran jazz singer Shirley Bassey. "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" is a remake of the
James Bond film's theme, and is a collaboration with composer
David Arnold and his orchestra. All tracks were produced by Will White and Alex Gifford.
"Take California" was the first song to be used in an iPod advertising campaign, appearing in the
first commercial for the original model. "History Repeating" was used in a Pantene Pro-V shampoo
commercial. "Bang On" was featured in the Nintendo 64 game Wipeout 64. "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" also featured in full on Tony Hawk's prominent skateboarding
movie titled "The End".
The Japanese edition of the Wall of Sound album includes a bonus CD with the following tracks:
"You Want It Back" – 6:01
"360° (Oh Yeah)" – 4:29
"Go Faster" – 6:12
"Ron's Theory" – 6:38
"Dive" – 7:04
Dreamworks
The Dreamworks label released the album in North America and South America. This edition differs from the Wall of Sound album
by removing "Echo And Bounce" from the soundtrack, and adding "You Want It Back", a collaboration with the Jungle Brothers, added at the end of the CD. The version of "Oh Yeah" was retitled to "360° (Oh Yeah?)",
and features vocals from De La Soul, which are absent from the WoS release.
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