Steinski & Mass Media/Sonic Youth/Sly & Robbie: NME's Hat-Trick

There's a comment on the Rate Your Music page for this release: "Gets 5/5 for the Steinski track alone: the fact that the other tracks are pretty good is just a bonus." Quite so.

Around the time the NME put this on their cover (1987), I'm sure there was a story — almost certainly apocryphal — that The Motorcade Sped On had been banned from release (or radio play?) in the USA because its use of sound recordings from JFK's assassination was still too close to the national bone. Even to someone born after he took that magic bullet, it's very affecting. The collage of Walter Cronkite, gunshots, JFK's "Ich bin ein Berliner", The Last Post (which first appears in a distinctly strangled recording) and even the slightly irreverent use of a Queen sample bring a lump to the old throat. And the way the beat underlines the drama, "A flash [Queen: Flash!] — apparently official — a flash [Flash!] — apparently official — President Kennedy died at 1pm — Central…Standard…Time…Time…Time…" Just a masterclass in sampling and beats.

Last time I mentioned Steinski his compilation album was still forthcoming. Now you can hear it in full on Spotify or Last.fm, so I lent an ear while working yesterday. Lots of stuff I'd never heard before, and most of it sounding pretty good. Some of the samples (Clint's "are you feeling lucky, punk?" and Lauren Bacall's "you know how to whistle, don't you, Steve?") have now passed into cliché but generally the choice of sources is classy. The really clever bit, though, is how they're edited together, making the best tracks into brilliant little aural essays on sex and fear.

Steinski's stuff just seems to have so much more bite than other collagists like Coldcut and even John Oswald. Note to self: make time to listen again.

Discogs entry for this EP Wikipedia entry for this album Rate Your Music entry for this album Listen to this track in full at Last.fm Listen to this track in full at Spotify