Now, let’s be honest, The Grey Album
has something of a publicity stunt. Danger Mouse could
only anticipate what the reaction of EMI would be if
he used Beatles samples without clearing them first.
Playing on the touchiness of the music industry toward
copyright issues and the ever more controlling way the
five major companies increasingly bully their customers
and artists, Danger Mouse not only ensured that the
album would be much talked about, but also that it would
revive the debate about copyright in general and the
way majors deal with music as a product as opposed to
an expression of artistic sensibilities, in particular.
And this is perhaps the greatest success of this record.
Although DM announced than this album was only intended
as a promotional tool, well-trained puppy dog EMI jumped
perfectly on cue, issuing the artist with a cease-and-deceit
regarding the project, forcing retailers to destroy
the copies they had received and threatening numerous
websites if they continued to offer the album for download.
Yet, EMI didn’t predict the mobilisation that
followed. On Tuesday 24 February, hundreds of sites
around the world offered the album to download for free,
and thousands, including this website, turned grey for
the day, therefore driving more attention to the album.
Grey Tuesday was already announced as a huge success
well before the day had ended.
Not being very familiar with Jay-Z’s original
work, this reviewer can only appreciate the Grey
Album for what it is, yet, as it stands, it is
a rather interesting record. Following the release of
the Black Album, the Rocafella boss issued
an accapella version to encourage others to revisit
his work. And that’s exactly what Danger Mouse
did. Basing the entire soundtrack on the Beatles' White
Album, the producer creates an interesting piece
of work here. Even an in-depth knowledge of the Beatles’
album cannot prepare for the culture shock that is the
Grey Album. At times remaining firmly within
the boundaries of traditional hip-hop, Danger Mouse
also ventures into more abstract territories on the
way, glancing toward Prefuse
73 in the chopped up Dirt Off Your Shoulders
or crafting superb atmospheric backdrops on Moment
Of Clarity. While the songs used for Public
Service Announcement and What More Can I Say
remain obvious (Long Long Long and While
My Guitar Gently Weeps respectively), tracing each
element can prove harder elsewhere. Yet, Danger Mouse
retains the textures of the Beatles songs, yet creates
an interesting range of groove in most moments, each
track falling perfectly on the vocal tempo.
If Danger Mouse appear to occasionally get lost in his
concept (Allure is a tad too linear and predictable
and My First Song seems to bite its own tail),
the Grey Album remains a truly exiting piece
of recording, and is likely, due to the controversy,
to propel Danger Mouse from underground artist to all-star
producer. And it all sounds well deserved.
4.3/5 |
