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Description
The tracks chosen by Keenan and his longtime collaborator Billy Howerdel bridge three decades of protest songs, spanning an array of genres hardcore punk and heavy metal, new wave and Delta blues, folk rock and rhythm & blues. Among the insurgent classics reinterpreted on eMOTIVe are John Lennons Imagine, Marvin Gayes Whats Going On, Memphis Minnies blues stomper, When The Levee Breaks (made famous by Led Zeppelin), Depeche Modes People Are People, Devos Freedom Of Choice, Black Flags Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie, Fears Lets Have A War, Joni Mitchells Fiddle And The Drum, and the Nick Lowe (by way of Elvis Costello) anti-anthem, (Whats So Funny Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding. The album kicks off with an explosive take on Annihilation, originally recorded by Berkeley aggro-punk legends, Crucifix.
A remarkable feat of artistry and activism, eMOTIVe displays A Perfect Circles extraordinary talent for subversion by reimagining this radical material for a new generation. The results are as challenging, complex and confrontational as anything in the bands acclaimed canon, rich with Keenans always-resonant vocalizing, Howerdels impassioned atmospherics, and drummer Josh Freeses pulse-pounding rhythms.
eMOTIVe also marks Howerdels debut behind the mic. The guitarist who has been hailed as a master of virtuoso, volatile riffs offers lead vocals on a number of tracks, including (Whats So Funny Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding and Freedom of Choice, as well as co-lead vocals (with Keenan) on Whats Going On.
The creation of eMOTIVe was spurred by A Perfect Circles outrage at current political climate from the governments assault on civil liberties to the uncalled-for war in Iraq to the increasing menace of corporate-controlled mass media.
Product info
- Categories
- Rock
- Artists
- Barcode
- 0724386668721
- Category
- Performer
- Rock & Pop
- Alternative
- Copy Control
- No
- Country
South Africa- Country of Origin
- USA
- Distributor
- EMI Music Distribution
- Engineer
- Billy Howerdel; Danny Lohner; Critter; Joshua Eustis; Billy Howerdel
- Format
- Audio CD
- Label
- Virgin
- Mono / Stereo
- Stereo
- Notes
A Perfect Circle: Danny Lohner, Jeordie White (bass guitar); Josh Freese (drums); James Iha, Maynard James Keenan, Paz Lenchantin, Billy Howerdel.
Personnel: Billy Howerdel (vocals, guitar, piano, harmonium, keyboards, programming); Danny Lohner (vocals, guitar, keyboards, programming); Maynard James Keenan (vocals, piano); James Iha (guitar, keyboards, programming); Paz Lenchantin (strings, piano); Jason Freese (tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Joshua Eustis (Fender Rhodes piano, drums); Charles Clouser (programming).
Audio Mixers: Billy Howerdel; Danny Lohner; Andy Wallace; Joshua Eustis.
Photographers: Steven R. Gilmore; John Giustina.
Arrangers: Maynard James Keenan; Danny Lohner.
For EMOTIVE, their third full-length album, A Perfect Circle offers up a covers-heavy collection that includes a number of protest songs. What's most striking about this set is the way in which the group reworks pop classics. In the hands of frontman Maynard James Keenan and company, John Lennon's "Imagine" becomes a foreboding lament, and Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" is transformed into an oddly soothing, nearly ambient song. Other standout tracks include a lullaby-like, electronics-laced take on Depeche Mode's "People Are People" and a gently melodic version of "When the Levee Breaks" (almost totally unrecognizable from Led Zeppelin's revered rendition). EMOTIVE also presents two APC originals--the frustration-venting "Passive" and the scathing "Counting Bodies like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums." Although a few tracks feature amped-up arrangements, it's remarkable how many of these tunes are subdued and understated, further backing up A Perfect Circle's status as a dynamic, unpredictable band.- Number of Discs
- 1
- Performer
- A Perfect Circle
- Previews
Rolling Stone (p.107) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[They] revisit classic protest hits, jacking up the terror by throwing out iconic arrangements and performing heretical surgery on the melodies."
Spin (p.117) - "[T]he band seems dedicated to big challenges....A Perfect Circle prove that they've got not only good taste, but real bite, too." - Grade: B+
Entertainment Weekly (p.80) - "Sweetly morbid dreams of a better world abound on this politically motivated release..." - Grade: B+
Uncut (p.138) - 4 stars out of 5 -"Unexpectedly impressive, like a 2004 equivalent of Randy California's similarly motivated masterpiece, SPIRIT OF '76."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.102) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[A]pplying minimalist melodies and hypnotic rhythms to a repertoire that seems collectively absurd, but is woven together by the band's singular sonic worldview."- Producer
- Billy Howerdel; Danny Lohner; Billy Howerdel
- Songs / Tracks
- [ Disc 01 Track 01 ] Annihilation
- [ Disc 01 Track 02 ] Imagine
- [ Disc 01 Track 03 ] (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?
- [ Disc 01 Track 04 ] What's Going On
- [ Disc 01 Track 05 ] Passive
- [ Disc 01 Track 06 ] Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie
- [ Disc 01 Track 07 ] People Are People
- [ Disc 01 Track 08 ] Freedom of Choice
- [ Disc 01 Track 09 ] Let's Have a War
- [ Disc 01 Track 10 ] Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums
- [ Disc 01 Track 11 ] When the Levee Breaks
- [ Disc 01 Track 12 ] Fiddle and the Drum
- Studio
- EMI
- Studio / Live
- Studio
- Title
- eMOTIVe [PA]
- Tracks
Annihilation
Imagine
Peace Love and Understanding
What's Going On
Passive
Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie
People are People
Freedom of Choice
Let's Have A War
Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drum
When the Levee Breaks
Fiddle and the Drum- Year
- 2004
