One record at a time: 50. The Chemical Brothers - No Geography

We've finally come to the tenth and last LP by The Chemical Brothers in my collection, "No Geography". Personally, I'm not a fan of the artwork for this album and I can't understand why they have reused a photo from the booklet of a Godley and Creme album. It's not as if this image has particular artistic merit or conveys something no other photo could. Anyway, the packaging is OK and even the vinyl sounds good to say it is pressed by GZ Media.

As I dropped the needle and "The Eve of Destruction" began to play my 5 year old daughter ventured out of her room to ask, "What is that robot saying Daddy?" We skimmed over the rapping in Japanese. As confusing as this track may be, the bass guitar is brilliant and Mark Ralph deserves special mention. Whilst "Bango" and the title track tick along quite nicely, they are a mere prelude to the amazing sound of "Got To Keep On". I could listen to this song all day and it is definitely in my top 3 tracks the band has ever created. The visuals that accompany this song live are very effective and I was mesmerised by them when I saw the band live in 2019. 

Elsewhere "Gravity Drops" sounds like a bad copy of B12 and "Free Yourself" fulfils the quota for a song with annoying sample. "MAH" is an acid workout featuring a great sample from an old El Coco record and comes highly recommended. This album conforms to the usual Chemical Brothers formula of closing with something downbeat by including "Catch Me Falling". I generally find these tracks rather disappointing but this time it sounds like a perfect denouement. Like its predecessor, this album has relatively few collaborations with vocalists and it sounds all the better for it. I look forward to their next offering. 3/5

One record at a time: 49. The Chemical Brothers - Born In The Echoes

This album came out at a time when I made the momentous decision to stop buying CDs and concentrate on vinyl and digital files. Therefore "Born In The Echoes" is the first album by The Chemical Brothers that I don't own on CD. I still feel nervous about this; its almost as if I don't really own it without a shiny silver silver disc to prove it. 

Whilst the vinyl here seems to have eleven tracks, the digital version on my PC has two additional songs and two extended mixes. I'm not sure if the download is the one that came with the album or if it was acquired from, ahem, 'another source'.

I've seen people on the internet describing this record as sounding "nothing like a Chemical Brothers album", whilst others go as far as branding it their worst work. Conversely you can also find praise for the typical nineties big beat sound of tracks such as "I'll See You There" and "A Taste of Honey" and the album in general.

The dichotomy of opinion on the album is illustrated quite well by the track "Wide Open". This collaboration with Beck is rightly lauded as the best song on the album, but it is also criticised for being 'pop' and not conforming to the typical Chemical Brothers sound. Seems you just can't win.

Personally I like a lot of what this album has to offer. The afore mentioned "Wide Open" is indeed the best track on here, but "EML Ritual", "Go" and "Sometimes I Feel So Deserted" are also great tracks. "Reflexion" revives The Chemicals love of an really annoying synth riff (à la "Swoon") but they just about get away with it.

This album has a more 'electronic' feel and I really like that. The more typical nineties sounding tracks on this album are probably the weakest as they are put into such stark contrast by the superlative "Wide Open". The Chemical Brothers probably took big beat to some kind of zenith in the late nineties and I really don't need another "Block Rockin' Beats". However, I do need another "Wide Open" and I for one hope that there will be another Beck collaboration one day. 4/5

One record at a time: 48. The Chemical Brothers - Further

I'm not terribly familiar with this album, so I'm guessing there must have been a lot of good music around when it was released in 2010. A quick look at my last.fm scrobbles tells me I was listening to a lot of Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (they'd just released "History of Modern" after a 14 year gap between albums), Goldfrapp's "Head First" also features and there is a smattering of Hot Chip. But no Chemical Brothers.

In fact, I could have sworn I didn't buy this album when it came out. Yet my Amazon account tells me I ordered the CD a week before it was released. I bought this re-press of the double vinyl in 2019 and again I was lucky enough to snag this for just £6. The cover image is much better served by the larger vinyl packaging but, disappointingly, the inners are plain black. This seems curious as all of the vinyl Chemical Brothers albums I have reviewed to this point had full colour inner sleeves. However, this may just be a reflection of the original pressing.

Interestingly, this record doesn't include any collaborations with other artists. Three or four tracks feature some great vocals by Stephanie Dosen, but she isn't given any writing credits. There are only 8 tracks but many have extended durations, so the play time is still a healthy fifty minutes or so. The longest track is "Escape Velocity" which is a progressive house / trance groove that employs a continuos cycle of build and release. Despite the twelve minute running time, the track flies by and never seems to get boring. Quite an achievement.

Single "Another World" continues the house orientated vibe and is one of my personal favourites. We get to hear Tom sing (I think) on the entertaining "Dissolve" before things go full "stadium house" with the magnificent "Horse Power". I like "Swoon" but the repeated synth riff begins to grate on me after a while. I can take or leave the last two tracks. Once the Chemicals give in to their slightly noisier rock sound, I lose interest. So another good album that has some epic tracks alongside some less interesting material. 3/5

One record at a time: 47. The Chemical Brothers - Brotherhood

This is the second singles compilation released by The Chemical Brothers, but it is the only one I own on vinyl. The CD of this album comes in a nice clamshell box with a second disc containing the Electronic Battle Weapon series (up to the time of release). This is a re-pressing of the double vinyl which simply carries the 15 tracks of the main album. Within the running order are two new tracks.

"Keep My Composure" features rapper Spank Rock and is rather good. All of the elements of a successful Chemicals track are here: sampled drums, bleeping synths and a deep driving bassline. The rap just adds some additional colour to Ed and Tom's astounding aural landscape.

When I looked at the Wikipedia article for this album I began to get a little confused. According to the oracle of modern thinking, this album is subtitled "The Definitive Singles Collection". Yet, "Keep My Composure" wasn't released as a single. Similarly, "Saturate" is included but it was never officially released as a single either.

Things become even more opaque when you consider this album omits a number of singles that were released. "Get Yourself High", "Life is Sweet", "Music:Response" and "The Boxer" come to mind immediately. Some of the singles that are included seem to be presented in different versions too. "Believe" is the 'extended' mix and I think "Star Guitar" is an edit of the album as opposed to the original single edit.

"Midnight Madness" (aka Electronic Battle Weapon 10) was released as a single but probably shouldn't have been. The version on this album has had almost 5 minutes trimmed from the original Battle Weapon version, but it still bores me.

I looked at the artwork of the album to find no mention of "The Definitive Singles Collection". Having discounted the irrational thought that Wikipedia may not be correct, I did notice my original CD has a promo sticker with the claim and Discogs shows the original pressing of the vinyl also had a similar sticker. I wonder if the album was edited as a "Best Of" and some bright spark in the marketing department at Virgin had the idea of applying stickers with the strange subtitle. Anyway...

If you don't own any records by The Chemical Brothers, you could do worse than starting with this one - but there's not a lot to justify the outlay for the initiated. 4/5

One record at a time: 46. The Chemical Brothers - We Are The Night

"We Are The Night" came out in 2007. I type this fact without checking and with absolute certainty as this album formed part of the soundtrack to one of the most tumultuous years of my life. Like many of us, music is one of the crutches I rely on in times of uncertainty and listening to this album helped keep me afloat psychologically. 

This double vinyl copy was purchased much later in 2018 and features a different cover to the original release. This is another record that I have never played and the cellophane remained intact until this play through. Like all of the Chemical Brothers records I have written about recently, this pressing has good sound quality and is well presented.

Reading the Wikipedia article for this album reveals that there were some less than favourable reviews at the time of release. I think there may have been a bit of a changing of the guard when it came to 'trendy' electronic music in 2007. Artists such as Simian Mobile Disco, Justice and Digitalism had emerged and became the darlings of certain commentators and journalists. The accusation seemed to be The Chemicals were ploughing the same furrow they had ten years before and there were new kings in town. 

Yet, in 2021, having released a run of disappointing albums, Simian Mobile Disco have gone on hiatus, Justice seem to be concentrating on DJing and Digitalism have only released three albums in fifteen years.

Seeing The Chemical Brothers live is quite an experience

The Chemical Brothers on the other hand continue to tour, remix and release new material at a consistent pace. Having seen the band live supporting the "No Geography" album in 2019, I can attest to their longevity and their unparalleled ability to create amazing new music. Personally, I never thought The Chemicals were recycling; it always sounded like they were innovating to me. Yes, they clearly had a unique sound, but it was constantly evolving and moving between genres. The difference between "Exit Planet Dust" and "We Are The Night" is obvious and, in places, quite stark. 

My favourites here are "Saturate", "Burst Generator" and the single "Do It Again". As usual is usual with a Chemicals album, the weaker tracks are the collaborations. "Battle Scars" and "The Pills Won't Help You Now" meander along without making much impression, but they aren't offensive to the ear at least. The jury is still out for "The Salmon Dance". I can't decide if it is absolute garbage or incredibly clever. 3/5

One record at a time: 45. The Chemical Brothers - Push The Button

This entry takes us to about halfway through my collection of vinyl by The Chemical Brothers. Like "Come With Us" I bought this album on CD when it was released and I somehow managed to acquire the double vinyl edition in 2019 for only £6. This pressing sounds pretty good with no surface noise or distortion. Even if it did have flaws, at £6, I wouldn't argue.

I don't listen to this album much. This is surprising given that the ratings in my digital media player for these tracks show a high number of four and five out of five scores. The singles "Galvanise" and "Believe" are obvious stand outs but "The Big Jump", "Marvo Ging" and "Surface To Air" actually outscore them. There isn't a bad track on this album really. The only slight flat spot is "Close Your Eyes", but even this is better than some of the collaborations on other albums.

This record stands apart from some of its predecessors as, not only is it consistent, but it is somehow joyful and uplifting. For once all the vocal collaborations seemed to work and any stylistic boundaries are negotiated with ease. Whilst there is a strong hip-hop influence present, all the elements of big beat and house regular listeners will be accustomed to are on display. I really must listen to this album more often. 4/5

One record at a time: 44. The Chemical Brothers - Come With Us

As with many of the records I have reviewed, I bought this album on CD at the time of release and only acquired the vinyl more recently. 

I bought this particular record in 2018 from the Universal Records website for the bargain price of £6. A brand new, double vinyl album, delivered to my door for a little under £10 still seems like an impossibly low price. But then the balance was partially redressed a year later when I bought the 20th anniversary CD edition of "Surrender" for £40 only to see it sold off for £15 a short time later. It's swings and roundabouts.

In 2002, lead single "Star Guitar" seemed to signal a move towards a deeper house sound and I assumed the forthcoming album would reflect this. However, I think there is actually a much stronger disco feel on this album and "Star Guitar" is a bit of an anomaly.

The title track starts proceedings in grand style and sounds fabulous coming from vinyl. "It Began In Africa" becomes slightly annoying as it over uses the titular sample, but it is worth a listen for the percussion madness created by Shovell. "Galaxy Bounce" and "My Elastic Eye" are more typical Chemical Brothers tracks which exude a pleasing familiarity.

"Hoops" utilises TR-808 hip hop grooves, acoustic guitar samples and some horrible vocals. Even if I put aside my aversion to acoustic guitar, this track still does little to justify its six minute run time. Essentially it just goes round and round in circles. "The State We're In" is another disappointment that doesn't work until it segues into the camp disco beats of "Denmark". There are more disco stylings on "Pioneer Skies" but the influence is distinctly Gallic this time. Final track "The Test" is just too rock for me and leaves me cold. I guess it was released as a single because Richard Ashcroft sells a lot of records (or at least did at the time), but there is nothing musically to justify that choice. Aside from a few unpleasant vocal tracks, there is much of merit on this album. However, make no mistake, "Star Guitar" remains the main attraction. 3/5

One record at a time: 43. The Chemical Borthers - Surrender

We start the second shelf of vinyl with another album by The Chemical Brothers. As I mentioned before, I bought the CD of "Surrender" on the back of hearing the single "Hey Boy Hey Girl". I'm not sure why this particular single drove me to buy its parent album when others hadn't, but I'm glad it did. 

Here I will be playing the double vinyl which I acquired in 2019. Whilst this edition was released in 2013 as part of Virgin Records' 40th Anniversary celebration, there is no indication of this on the record itself. From what I can gather, you can still buy this vinyl relatively cheaply from a number of retailers, so I'm guessing that it is still being pressed occasionally or that there is a massive warehouse of them somewhere. Either way, it isn't hard to come by. 

I presume that all The Chemical Brothers albums were primarily mastered and sequenced for CD which means the move to vinyl creates some compromises. The inevitable breaks created when flipping or changing a disc makes for a less than seamless experience, but what vinyl does give us is a depth of bass that isn't quite there on other sources. You pays your money, and you takes your choice.

As far as the music goes, this is a good album. Aside from the obvious "Hey Boy Hey Girl", my personal favourites are "Orange Wedge", "The Sunshine Underground" and "Under The Influence".

There are a few collaborations with vocalists and they meet with varying degrees of success. "Out Of Control", which was recorded with Bernard Sumner of New Order is awesome. Noel Gallagher features on the thinly veiled "Tomorrow Never Knows" pastiche "The Sunshine Underground". Whilst this track isn't one of my favourites it is an improvement on their previous collaboration "Setting Sun". 

"Asleep From Day" with Hope Sandoval is a languid diversion that I suspect is included merely to add variety to the running order. Closing track "Dream On" is a collaboration with Mercury Rev's Paul Donahue and it isn't entirely successful. I have to confess, I don't always hang around for this one. So, aside from the occasional vocalist induced misfire, this album comes highly recommended and proves the depth of the talent possessed by Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands. 3/5

One record at a time: 42. The Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole

So we come to the last record on the first shelf: The Chemical Brothers "Dig Your Own Hole". Despite this album being released in 1997, I have to admit, I didn't buy it until 2007. The version I am listening to here moves us another decade on as it is the 20th anniversary silver vinyl edition. This is a double album in a gatefold sleeve and includes a download card. The sound quality is OK but nothing to write home about.

Even though "Block Rockin' Beats" was everywhere back in the day, I saw it as a flash in the pan. I was content with the CD singles and, as far as I could see, there was nothing to justify buying the parent album. I also think the release of  "Setting Sun" increased my reluctance to buy "Dig Your Own Hole" as it was all a bit noisy and more particularly, the vocals really weren't to my taste. 

So when I did finally buy this album I was fully prepared for it to be an underwhelming experience. Whilst this will never be my favourite album by the Chemicals, it deserves praise. "It Doesn't Matter" and "Don't Stop The Rock" are my favourites here, but nothing quite tops "Block Rockin' Beats". Much like the vinyl version of "Exit Planet Dust" I reviewed previously, the necessity of splitting tracks across sides means that some of the flow of the album is lost when compared to the CD. As we aren't gaining much in terms of audio fidelity or dynamics with this pressing, you may be better sticking with the CD. 3/5

One record at a time: 41: The Chemical Brothers - Exit Panet Dust

Back in 1995 I was acutely aware of the release of "Exit Planet Dust" as it seemed to be blaring from my brothers bedroom almost constantly. At the time I wasn't all that taken with The Chemical Brothers as I preferred straight up four-on-the-floor club music. This 'big beat' stuff was only one shade away from Britpop as far as I was concerned. My prejudice was cemented when Noel Gallagher and Tim Burgess started singing on their records. 

It was only when "Hey Boy Hey Girl" hit the charts and I bought "Surrender" that I began to see the light. Yet, for some reason, I still didn't investigate their previous albums "Exit Planet Dust" or "Dig Your Own Hole". It was as if "Surrender" was year zero and my interest in The Chemical Brothers could extend no further back. 

I eventually bought this album on CD sometime in the early twenty first century and this vinyl edition was a leaving present from my colleagues when I changed employers back in 2019. As you might expect, this is a double vinyl package, but thankfully it isn't in a gatefold sleeve. Discogs tells me it was pressed at Record Industry in the Netherlands and that means the quality of the packaging and discs is very good. The audio crystal clear but the depth of the bass is a little disappointing in places. There's no download card but as I already own the CD that isn't a concern. Unbeknownst to me there was a download card hidden in the package that I found when playing the album for this post. The download worked first time and is for WAV files of the album.

It goes without saying that the quality of music here is superb. "Leave Home" and "In Dust We Trust" should sound familiar to anyone who had anything more than a passing interest in music in the nineties. "Three Little Birdies Down Beats" is one of my all time favourite dance tracks and satisfies any four-on-the-floor cravings that may still remain from my clubbing days. 

The experience of listening to this album on vinyl is quite different for anyone accustomed to hearing it on CD. Not necessarily because of the dynamics but due to the breaks in the programme that occur when you need to turn the disc. The end of "In Dust We Trust" cuts off a little abruptly rather than the seamless segue into "Song to the Siren" CD listeners might be accustomed to. Elsewhere the breaks are more natural and cause less interruption, but it still feels like the flow of the album afforded by digital files or CD is lacking.

The quality of the remaining tracks is consistently high and only "Chico's Groove", "Alive Alone" and "Playground of a Wedgeless Firm" felt a little disappointing. Having said that, I'd much rather listen to this album than the majority of those I've reviewed to up to this point. Almost every track here could have been a single and it deserves to be regarded as a classic of the nineties. 4/5