Electric Circus

Electric Circus
Studio album by Common
Released	December 10, 2002
Recorded	2001–2002
Genre	Hip hop, neo soul, experimental rock, electronica
Length	73:26
Label	MCA 088 113 114-1
Producer	Questlove, Jay Dee, James Poyser, Pino Palladino, The Neptunes, Karriem Riggins, Jeff Lee Johnson
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Robert Christgau (B) link Entertainment Weekly (A) link HipHopDX link The Independent (favorable) link NME (8/10) link Pitchfork Media (6.5/10) link PopMatters (favorable) link RapReviews link Slant link Sputnikmusic link Village Voice (mixed) link
Common chronology
Like Water for Chocolate (2000) Electric Circus (2002) Be (2005) Singles from Electric Circus "Come Close" Released: November 5, 2002

Electric Circus is the fifth studio album by rapper Common, released December 10, 2002 on the now-defunct MCA Records. The album was highly anticipated and praised by many critics for its ambitious vision. However, it was not as commercially successful as his previous album, Like Water for Chocolate, selling under 300,000 copies. An eclectic album, Electric Circus featured fusions of several genres such as hip hop, pop, rock, electronic, and neo soul. This was Common's second and last album for MCA, released prior to the label's absorption under Geffen Records.

Music

Common worked with a large (and eclectic) number of musicians on Electric Circus. Among them were Mary J. Blige (who provided vocals for the album's lead single, "Come Close"), The Neptunes, Laetitia Sadier (of Stereolab), Cee-Lo, Bilal and Jill Scott. The music on Electric Circus challenges the boundaries of the hip hop genre in a similar fashion to The Roots' Phrenology (2002) and Outkast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003). This is especially the case on tracks like the grungy "Electric Wire Hustler Flower" (featuring P.O.D.'s Sonny Sandoval in the chorus), the abstract "Aquarius", and the electronic "New Wave". Erykah Badu joins Common for a duet on ("Jimi Was A Rock Star"), which is a dedication to Jimi Hendrix. The second Neptunes collaboration on the record, the cross-genre "I Got A Right Ta", is a musical departure from the styles of both artists, and features Pharrell singing the hook in a blues-inspired style. A triumphant sounding Common proclaims himself "the only cat in hip hop that can go into a thrift shop, bring that get up to the ghetto and get props". The song was placed on the B-Side of "Come Close".

"Between Me, You & Liberation", in which Common discusses sexual abuse and its effects on a young woman, confronting his homophobia after learning about the sexuality of a longtime friend, and the loss of a relative to cancer, contains themes wholly unusual for a rap song, and is, perhaps, the rapper's most vulnerable moment on record.^[2] About "Liberation..." Pop Matters wrote that it's "one of those rare occasions when a male hip-hop artist owns up to his investment in some of the genre's more unsavory sexual politics". Musically, the song is very downbeat and moody, and features a guest spot from rapper/singer/producer Cee-Lo (making this the pair's third collaboration after One Day It'll All Make Sense's "G.O.D.", and Like Water For Chocolate's "A Song For Assata").

Following LWFC's tributes to Fela Kuti, and Assata Shakur, Electric Circus pays homage to someone altogether more familiar (Jimi Hendrix) on "Jimi Was A Rock Star". The 8 minute-plus song is a duet between Common and his then-girlfriend Erykah Badu, which gradually builds up into its cryptic, chanting finale. This song is Common's first all-singing performance. The center-piece of the album, the epic "Heaven Somewhere", features 6 vocalists who all give insight into what their interpretation of Heaven is. Common's father Lonnie Lynn ends the affair with an introspective look at his ideal place.

Reception

Critical

The album's style tended to divide critics; most praised its ambitious vision while some criticized it for the same reason. Most of the criticism tended to revolve around the album's experimental nature. Some felt Common had strayed too far from his previous sound. Longtime Common fans also viewed his relationship with Erykah Badu as having an overly experimental influence on him, while some critics compared the album to Marvin Gaye's I Want You and Richard Ashcroft's Human Conditions,^[3] both of which were experimental works that initially received mixed criticism. In a 2003 review, Nick Southall of Stylus Magazine wrote of the album:

“

So, is this genius or is this madness? As enjoyable as it is on occasion, I’m inclined to side with the latter. Marvin Gaye tried it. Richard Ashcroft tried it. One of them did a fantastic job, the other did not. Common sits somewhere between the two. Odd. Very, very odd.[4]

”

Official reviews were mostly positive. "Pushing past the accepted boundaries of contemporary black pop" is how PopMatters described the album.^[5] Likewise, Play Louder agreed calling it "a brilliant, visionary album",^[6] as did Rolling Stone who saw it as "breaking hip-hop rules with a freewheeling fearlessness".^[7] Ink Blot Magazine's Matt Cibula called it his "favorite record of 2002".^[8]

Commercial

Despite the critical approval, the record debuted at #45 on the Billboard 200 chart, 31 spots lower than Like Water for Chocolate's highest chart position. With "Come Close" as the only single, the album quickly fell off the charts altogether, and MCA Records halted any further promotion. Part of the reason for its lack of promotion was MCA's absorption under Geffen Records in spring 2003, a mere four months after the album's release. Since both labels were under the Universal Music Group, Common's record contract would be carried over to Geffen, but the handling of Electric Circus (an already under-performing album) was neglected. The lack of promotion may have also caused 293,000 copies to be sold based on 2005 Nielsen SoundScan statistics.^[9]

In a 2006 interview concurrent with the release of The Roots' album Game Theory, Questlove, the album's executive producer, maintained that Common's relationship with Erykah Badu had little influence on the album and stated that the greater influence was the recording atmosphere at the famous Electric Lady Studios (built by Jimi Hendrix) and the group of artists that Common was collaborating with at the time:

“

To understand that record is to understand the history of what Electric Lady Studios was to this whole Soulquarian unit. We started off in the spring of '96 and that's where we created Things Fall Apart for The Roots, D'Angelo's Voodoo, Erykah's Mama's Gun, Common's Like Water for Chocolate, the Black Star record, Mos Def's record, Bilal's record, Musiq's album... Pretty much the left of center of hip-hop was using that place as much more than a studio. That place was like a clubhouse: you'd [go] even if you didn't have a session, just hopin' somethin' would come up.[2]

”

Perhaps as a response to criticism from certain fans, Common aimed for a non-experimental sound on his 2005 follow-up, Be.

Album cover

The album's cover appears to be a nod to The Beatles' 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, another work known for its experimental nature. The images (a mixture of known personalities, personal friends, and family of the artist) represent those directly or indirectly involved in, or influential to the making of the album. The people depicted in the photos are:

Common (in the center), (from top-left to bottom-right) Prince, Leroy Matthais, Simon Johns, Chad Hugo, Larenz Tate, Stic.man, Pharrell, Mattie Turner, Kenyetta Snyder, Big Daddy Kane, Vinia Mojica, Erykah Badu, Rahsaan Abraham, James Poyser, Tim Gane, DJ Dumi, Questlove, Black Thought, Grandma Gipson, Marie Daulne, Richard Pryor, Marlon Everett, Jay Dee (J Dilla), Mary Campbell, Steef Van De Gevel, M-1, Don "Babatunde" Eaton, Tye Tribbett, Pino Palladino, Abiodun Oyewole, Andrew Dosunmu, Umar Bin Hassan, The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, Joseph Sharrieff, Steve Mandel, Jimi The Cat, Dartanian Donaldson, Mary Hansen, Steve Hess, Morgane Lhote, Kimberly Jones, Aunt Stella, Q-Tip, Marc Baptiste, Grandma Mable Lynn, Derek Dudley, Uncle Charles, Uncle Steve, John Hancock, Bob Power, Koryan Wright, Ashaka Givens, Dwayne Lyle, Eevin Wright, Russ Elevado, Marcus Murray, Barbara Sims, Rachelle, Cee-Lo, Jill Scott, Bayatae Abraham, Charlie Malone, Jeff Lee Johnson, Assata Shakur, Leslie Sims, Angela Murray, Kolleen "Queenie" Wright, Laetitia Sadier, Cousin Bianca, Omoye Lynn, Mary J. Blige, Grandma Elva Brown, Millie Malone, Chris Webber, Bilal, Lonnie "Pops" Lynn, Jimi Hendrix, George Daniels, Fred Hampton Jr., Fred Hampton, Omar, Seven, Karriem Riggins, Ma, Ralph.

Track listing

1. "Ferris Wheel" – 2:48
   • Featuring Vinia Mojica and Marie Daulne (of Zap Mama)
   • Produced by Questlove and James Poyser
   • Keyboards by James Poyser
   • Drums by Questlove
   • Guitar by Jeff Lee Johnson
2. "Soul Power" – 4:38
   • Produced by J Dilla
   • Co-produced by Questlove and James Poyser
   • Bass by Pino Palladino
   • Background vocals by Soulgo of The Randy Watson Experience
   • Keyboards by James Poyser
   • Programming by J Dilla
   • Handclaps by James Poyser and Questlove
3. "Aquarius" – 4:54
   • Featuring Bilal, and Erykah Badu
   • Produced by Questlove, James Poyser, J Dilla and Pino Palladino
   • Background vocals by Ebi Breezy and Bilal
   • Keyboards by James Poyser
   • Drums by ?ustlove
   • Guitar by Jeff Lee Johnson
   • Programming by J Dilla
   • Percussion by Franklin Walker
4. "Electric Wire Hustler Flower" – 5:54
   • Featuring Sonny Sandoval (of P.O.D.)
   • Produced by Questlove and J Dilla
   • Background vocals by Tye Tribbett and G.A.
   • Keyboards and guitar by James Poyser
   • Drums, bass and electric guitar by J Dilla
   • Scratches by DJ Badu
5. "The Hustle" – 4:20
   • Featuring Omar and Dart Chillz
   • Produced by Karriem Riggins
   • Scratches by Joe Sinista
6. "Come Close" – 4:35
   • Featuring Mary J. Blige
   • Produced by The Neptunes
   • Background vocals by Mary J. Blige and Pharrell
7. "New Wave" – 5:08
   • Featuring Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab
   • Produced by Questlove, James Poyser and J Dilla
   • Keyboards by James Poyser
   • Drums by J Dilla
8. "Star 69 (PS With Love)" – 5:30
   • Featuring Bilal & Prince
   • Produced by Questlove, James Poyser and J Dilla
   • Keyboards by James Poyser
   • Keyboards and guitar by Prince
   • Drums by J Dilla
9. "I Got A Right Ta" – 4:54
   • Featuring Pharrell Williams
   • Produced by The Neptunes
10. "Between Me, You & Liberation" – 6:23
    • Featuring Cee-Lo Green
    • Produced by Questlove, James Poyser, J Dilla and Pino Palladino
    • Keyboards by James Poyser
    • Drums by ?ustlove
    • Bass by Pino Palladino
    • Flute by Bobbi Humphrey and Damon Bennett
    • Guitar by Jeff Lee Johnson
    • String arrangement by Larry Gold
11. "I Am Music" – 5:21
    • Featuring Jill Scott
    • Produced by Questlove, James Poyser, J Dilla, Jeff Lee Johnson and Pino Palladino
    • Background vocals by Soulgo
    • Piano by James Poyser
    • Drums by Questlove
    • Guitar by Jeff Lee Johnson
    • Trumpet by Nicholas Payton
    • Coronet by Greg Tardy
    • Trombone by Vincent Gardner
12. "Jimi Was A Rock Star" – 8:32
    • Featuring Erykah Badu
    • Produced by Questlove, James Poyser, Jeff Lee Johnson and Pino Palladino
    • Keyboards by James Poyser
    • Drums by Questlove
    • Guitar by Jeff Lee Johnson
    • Moog by J Dilla
    • Bass by Pino Palladino
13. "Heaven Somewhere" – 10:24
    • Featuring Omar, Cee-Lo Green, Bilal, Jill Scott, Mary J. Blige, Erykah Badu, and Lonnie "Pops" Lynn
    • Produced by Questlove, James Poyser and Pino Palladino
    • Background vocals by Tye Tribett & G.A.
    • Keyboards by James Poyser
    • Drums by Questlove
    • Bass by Pino Palladino
    • Guitar by Jeff Lee Johnson
    • String arrangement by Larry Gold

In 2003, the album was rereleased with a bonus DVD featuring the following:

1. "Come Close" - music video, featuring Mary J. Blige
2. The Making of "Come Close" - a short documentary explaining the making of the video
3. "Electric Circus" - studio session footage

Chart history

Album

Singles

References

External links

• Electric Circus at Metacritic