The ChemBase

Forum => Music: Response => Topic started by: rynostar on May 15, 2023, 23:24

Title: Other Artists Influence / References in Chemical Brothers Work
Post by: rynostar on May 15, 2023, 23:24
I'm slowly listening through the 45's from my late father and finally had a eureka moment. Found one by The Beau Brummels by the name "One Too Many Mornings". Quickly realized it's a Bob Dylan written track and remembered Tom and Ed waxing lyrical about Dylan in the old Breezeblock show from around the Surrender release.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox42QVcfTtI

It may be a stretch to link both "One Too Many Mornings", but it's nice to make some small connection. 

Makes me wonder what other artist influences are in Tom and Ed's work that may be obvious, but not mentioned that aren't samples.
Title: Re: Other Artists Influence / References in Chemical Brothers Work
Post by: actionjackson780 on May 16, 2023, 00:45
(The Best Part of) Breakin' Up is my favourite Ronettes song, and in my top 5 Chemical b-sides

Title: Re: Other Artists Influence / References in Chemical Brothers Work
Post by: Bosco on May 17, 2023, 01:34
This has been brought up quite a few times over the years:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tdb49zkgVk0

It is a musical scale, so I'm not sure if there is influence, per se. But I do remember back when I was a wee Chems fan, and hearing the extended version of "Fly Like an Eagle" by Steve Miller Band (which includes "Space Intro") on the radio for the first time, and my mind was blown! I thought I was listening to unreleased version of 'Scale' by Chems, and then the song segues into "Fly Like an Eagle" and I'm brought down to earth again (still a great track).

Comparing the two, it's hard to separate, because again, they utilized a musical scale. I wan't to believe they (Chems) heard this ("Space Intro") and decided to expound on it in the same style.
Title: Re: Other Artists Influence / References in Chemical Brothers Work
Post by: Wolkenkrabber on May 17, 2023, 10:14
Quote from: rynostar on May 15, 2023, 23:24
... "One Too Many Mornings". Quickly realized it's a Bob Dylan written track and remembered Tom and Ed waxing lyrical about Dylan in the old Breezeblock show from around the Surrender release

I gave Dylan's One Too Many Mornings a mention about 5 lines into my post #71 on the Samples thread here (https://forum.thechembase.com/index.php/topic,729.msg30354.html#msg30354).

A discussion where we also address STTS not having a sample of This Mortal Coil's STTS in it but it does have a sample of one of their 4AD label-mates (Dead Can Dance). We also touch on TPPR which is named after a mythical Beatles tape reel but which officially doesn't have a Beatles sample in it (although many of us believe unofficially that it does have a Beatles sample!). And in a post above mine, Ed Grip posits the possibility that This Mortal Coil's STTS actually gets sampled in the intro to... the Reel.



Elsewhere, a funny thing happened around the time of No Geography's release.
I was watching a Woody Allen film called Zelig (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086637/).

At 2:17 in the scene below, Woody's character says "Catch Me I'm Falling". It occurred to me that the Chems track of the same name doesn't contain those words in its lyrics. Where did they get the title from?
In fact that song is mostly a rework of a track called Bears On My Trail by Snowbird. Snowbird are a duo consisting of Stephanie Dosen and Simon Raymonde. Mr Raymonde of course, used to be in the Cocteau Twins on 4AD records (and is the boss of Bella Union records who released Hearts by I Break Horses) , and the Cocteau Twins' vocalist Liz Frazer sang on STTS by This Mortal Coil.
[Admittedly this stuff about Snowbird/4AD/Cocteau Twins etc has nothing to do with Zelig]

This clip works much better within the context of the film - it's one of Woody's good ones, as long as you're not allergic to Woody Allen (is he 'cancelled'?). So ideally, watch the film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPTq9ki_oAs
Title: Re: Other Artists Influence / References in Chemical Brothers Work
Post by: rynostar on May 17, 2023, 20:48
@Wolkenkrabber, thanks for pulling up some stuff already deep in the samples and trainspotting threads. Admittedly we can merge the two threads, but we can equally keep this thread as a standalone influence thread.

Appreciate the Bears On My Trail by Snowbird knowledge having not known that before.

@Bosco and @actionjackson780 also appreciate the pickups.

Edit: On re-listen of the Steve Miller Band track, I hear LCD Soundsytems 45:33 start...which makes sense when I think that Fly Like An Eagle is a Despacio staple 
Title: Re: Other Artists Influence / References in Chemical Brothers Work
Post by: Wolkenkrabber on May 19, 2023, 10:29
Re: literary works, one we've mentioned here before is Tom Wolfe's The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test featuring: The "Further" Bus, 'Can You Pass The Acid Test?' and Mary Microgram of Ace Of Cups (Hold Tight London).

(https://www.wes-wilson.com/uploads/1/7/0/4/17048818/s446301314523352943_p39_i3_w2058.jpeg)


https://www.instagram.com/p/CeglfHjOyPA/
Roll up, roll up for the mystery tour!

The Observer article (https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/aug/06/lsd-ken-kesey-pranksters-film) on The Further Bus.
Brief review (https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/music/reviews/album-the-chemical-brothers-further-freestyle-dustparlophone/28541008.html) of The Chem's Further mentioning the bus.
Title: Re: Other Artists Influence / References in Chemical Brothers Work
Post by: Bosco on May 27, 2023, 08:04
so nothing to do with music, but Ed's Instagram avatar(?) [with the clouds] is artwork from Georgia O'Keeffe. This is the same artist mentioned in the show 'Breaking Bad'.

A lot of her original work is displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago. In one of the main hall stair cases, they feature a large version (which is very similar to Ed's avatar) of 'Sky Above Clouds' [IV]
Title: Re: Other Artists Influence / References in Chemical Brothers Work
Post by: 𝒥𝑅𝒮𝒵 on Jun 13, 2023, 12:00
Looking thru the DYOH listening party tweets and can't find it, but I remember Chems stating that there's a little nod to Joey Beltram and his Energy Flash in title track which is pretty clear from around 1:47 onwards
Title: Re: Other Artists Influence / References in Chemical Brothers Work
Post by: Bosco on Aug 13, 2023, 06:12
https://youtu.be/2T3PfmYia88?t=150

checkout the whole track for an awesome acid rock trip, but key in on the outro at 2:30