Big Audio Dynamite II

The Globe (1991)

eatdogs

Big Audio Dynamite, Big Audio Dynamite II, Big Audio, BAD

etc…

For the sake of this review, we will go ahead and refer to

them as BAD, but technically, at this time they were going by the name Big

Audio Dynamite II.

This the sixth album by the band and the second album made

by their second incarnation with Mick Jones being the sole remaining member. This

was around the early nineties (1990-1993 to be exact) and you can immediately

hear the influence coming through from what was popular back then, specifically

the use of sampling, electronics, and dance music.

The Globe is a

unique album to say the least in a cliché way but it holds strong and isn’t too

dated because the music is very catchy and can make you tap your feet and move

to the beat. Mick Jones, while never being a great singer, does his best here

and he performs on the tracks very well. The rest of the band is good too, but

the use of the studio is more prominent so they almost feel written off because

there is a lot of tinkering around with the instrumentals, a common trait with productions such as this.

You see this album was coming fresh off the heels of the Madchester* movement. Bands like The Happy

Mondays, Inspiral Carpets, The Stone Roses, James, and 808 State had paved the

way for a more groove oriented focus and the addition of dance music being

mixed in with a more psychedelic approach. This was an evolution of the Manchester

Punk movement and it was a huge hit.

When BAD made this album, they caught tale end of the Madchester

“Baggy” sound that was going out with Brit-Pop, Shoegaze, and Grunge coming in

quickly. BAD rode the waves for a short while and ended up scoring their

biggest hit with the song “Rush” which went to #1 in the US.

“Rush” is an interesting track. It is the first on the album

and sets the style down immediately because it is not like anything they had

done before. The song has a similar feel to the other Jones classic, “Train in

Vain”, but it carves its own path and became identifiable over time, still

getting club plays and Sirius XM First

Wave shout outs. The use of samples is interesting as well with the piano

chords from The Who’s "Baba O ‘Riley” being a strong carrying piece. It is

very reminiscent to the Detroit Techno/Chicago House scene with the use of pianos accompanying

synths. Here though it’s put to good use. Other samples include the phrase “A Time to Laugh / A time to cry” from the

hit song “Rappers Delight” by The Sugarhill Gang as well as some audio

recordings of Peter Sellers talking about "rhythm and melody" which

is quirky. The song’s mid-point breaks are sorta jarring but they add some

interesting dynamics to the track making it special.

The Globe overall

has a very nice feel to it. Second track “Can’t Wait” is a live recording with

this version being put on the album. You get a chance to hear what they could do in a

live setting and it sounds glorious. There are moments in live settings where a

studio band can come alive and sound even more amazing than on recordings. I can

say do that BAD does this well. It's no wonder U2 picked them to open shows on

their infamous “Zoo TV Tour” tour back in 1992. Both bands changes in styles

made for a good fit.

“The Globe” was the second single released and it samples Jones’s

other notable song “Should I Stay or Should I Go” which I think is kind of lame

in the same way as wearing a shirt of your own band at a gig. Lyrically the

song is very dumb and sometimes makes no sense, but many pop songs are. Some

such examples of Jones’s lyrical genius are:

“Come on and dim the

lights / switch on the strobe”

“Waking up the global

warning way / Nepal cornflakes for my

special kay”

Then there is this gem:

“It's 1am let's go out

to a rave / It's hotter than a microwave wave”

It’s almost like horrible rapping but I can ignore it

because it’s harmless. Just like everything else here, it is all relatively

harmless with a check your brain at the door environment. Moving along we have third

single "Innocent Child", a more moody affair. This could have been

good as a Jones solo single but in contrast to the rest of the album, it does

not quite make the cut. Then there is "Green Grass", a driving,

jangly guitar focused song that has a flowing dynamic and it is quite catchy. Personally,

I find the track to be one of the best on the record and something I can drive

around to or put on in the background. There is also some interesting vocal

samples thrown in with an ambient tone towards the end that makes me recall Selected Ambient Works 85-92 by Aphex

Twin as a quick comparison.

"Kool-Aid" is an interesting track and a slight reworked

release from their previous album that went by the same name. The bleeps and

bloops are fun, almost Acid House stylings and in the end, the track is perfect

for a dance club. "I Don't Know" is similar in style but so is “In My

Dreams”, another song with a more laid back and chilled vibe to it. There are

slight tropical tones with some nice atmospheric electronics once again

creating a tone that is carefree and admissible with everything else here.

Dance music was really hitting hard then, so just keep that in mind.

“When the Time Comes” sounds like a Funkadelic throwaway

track, but in regards to this album it just adds another layer. The vocals are a

distorted mess and mixed in a weird robotic vocoder style that would make Peter

Frampton laugh. Moreover, at the end we have closing track “The Tea Party”, the

worst song on the album. I will not go into much detail, but I just do not

like the choice of the female vocals. It’s like they got a sudden Pink Floyd

inspiration in the studio and they thought, “Hey let’s get a lady to sing this part and we can up the orchestrations

and end it with melodic dinosaur thumping and a trombone filler! Let’s get crazy with it! We’re artists!"

In conclusion, I really like this album. There is no

perfection here but it is a unique experience and in regards to Mick Jones’s

history of being in the Punk scene and one of the greatest bands of all time, I

will give him credit where it’s due and a free pass. This was a decision made

by him to change things up and the result is a charming bunch of songs with

minor duds sprinkled in. Dig it…

(*See the movie 24

Hour Party People for a very in-depth look at Madchester as well as Tony Wilson

and Factory Records.*)