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RETOX/DETOX

Retox/Detox


RETOX/DETOX - review by James Gage

Thema: Retox/Detox review Datum: 28.07.1998 19:04:15
From: j.gage@virgin.net (James Gage)

Today I bought a copy of the eagerly awaited Retox/Detox CD, and thought you might like a review. you may be a little shocked by my findings, but then remember that it is only my personal opinion...

I rushed in the door, desperate to play my new purchase. I think disappontment hits you harder when your expectations are high. I'm afraid that's the only word I can use to describe this double album.

OK, I'm not a fan of modern dance music, but nonetheless I keyed myself up to approach this album with an open mind- "The originals where good, so a variation will be like a breath of fresh air"... Without wanting to be dis-respectful to the boys, it's more like a wiff of bad breath...

The various DJ's seem to lose the context of the song- and the fact that the strength of Heaven 17 has always been strong grooves with powerful vocals and lyrics with a cool melody laid over the top. It says on the cover notes "1998 has seen them collaborate with a variety of artists, many of whom are fans of the band". You can tell who is and who isn't, because the ones who are keep in line with the original versions, and the ones who aren't don't seem to have a clue.

Take, for example the Freddie Fresh mix of "Geisha Boys". Now, forgive me if you don't agree, but the original is a classic, hard hitting electronic masterpiece, with Glenn Gregory's "spiky" vocals as the focal pont. This mix repeats the chant "We are the Geisha Boys" over and over and over-a-bloody-gain and is only interrupted when, it would appear, the DJ switched the input on his mixing desk to "TV", and recorded 2 minutes of a film he was watching... "There's someone in the house", the actress explains, "trying to murder me"...Too late, I'm afraid that Freddie Fresh has already left you for dead...

Most of the "Retox" side is like this, although the first track (Let Me Go, by Rob Playford) is not too bad, keeping in line with the original bassline.

Ok, OK, so I am complaining too much- but there is an upside to all of this. Ben Mitchell's 8'36" version of "Penthouse and Pavement" is an absolute classic- this guy MUST be a Heaven 17 fan, it's a natural pogression of the classy funk style that the original posesses, and the Cisserio version of "Height of the Fighting" is also a good cover version of the original.

The only other thing that surprised me was that one of my other favourite artists, Joe Jackson, whose sampled voice turns up on the album, at the beginning of one of the tracks.

If I had to score it out of 10, I'd give it a 2. However, if I had to score the "Penthouse" cover out of 10, It'd get full marks.

The only thing this album does for me is prove the old addage: If it ain't broken, don't fix it".

Sorry lads, you're still one of the best bands around, but this does you no justice whatsoever.

James Gage


Review by DOTMUSIC

HEAVEN 17: Retox/Detox (Eagle Records EDGCD035).

It's been many years since Heaven 17 were in the charts and this double-CD set of remixes will be a surprise to those who followed them in the early Eighties.

Radical reworkings of the band's classic singles jostle for attention on this collection, but unfortunately few of them make a mark, though a mix by DJ Suv of Reprazent stands out.

It may be hard to attract current dance music buyers to snap it up, but old fans of the band might check out this interesting project.

2 "points"


Review by Musikexpress - Horst Michel

HEAVEN 17: Retox/Detox (Eagle /EDEL)

Welchen (künstlerisch zu rechtfertigenden) Grund gibt es eigentlich, einen zweiteiligen Tonträger mit Up-To-Date-Clubtunes, die bis auf einzelne Vokalextrakte im eigenen Saft garen, als Heaven 17-Release unters Volk zu bringen ? Selbst die eigenwilligste Herangehensweise des Remixers setzt doch den Willen der Korrespondenz, zur Interaktion mit dem Fremdmaterial voraus. Gerade im Fall Heaven 17, die oft sehr souverän im Spannungsumfeld von Soul, Funk und statischem Synthiepop operierten, hätten wir uns hierbei eine dicke Belohnung erwarten dürfen. Statt dessen begnügen sich vor allem auf CD 2 zuviele der "hottest remixers around today" damit, der Musik von Heaven 17 ein paar neue, satte Bumm-Tschaks zu unterlegen. Klar: im Club unseres Vertrauens werden darüber natürlich eine Klagen kommen.

ohne Wertung


HEAVEN 17 : "Detox" album sampler [Eagle] - review by Academy St Records

This is a very popular band from the eighties of whom to my mind gave their best performance with a track called "Temptation". This track has been remixed by the Rhythm Masters, there are vox and dub mixes to choose from which have been mixed to perfection and another track called "Designing Heaven" which has been mixed by the ever popular producer who made it big in the eighties with Donna Summer & Giorgio Moroder, who has updated his sound for the nineties. Most upfront DJs will prefer the Ruff Driverz mix and is well worth checking out.

Infact, it's so good could this be the return of Heaven 17 all over again? This will be released as a double CD collection based upon the bands classic material. All I'm going to say is, you must be crazy if you let this slip through your fingers.

(Roy Stanier @ Music Beat Records, Birmingham)


Review by GQ-Magazine

Back in the bad old days of pop - sorry, the glory days of early Eighties music - Heaven 17 were kings of the electro frontier. Miraculously, over the passage of time the group’s pancake-flat singing voices, bizarre synthesiser noodlings and painfully dull drumbeats have somehow been elevated to classic, even seminal status. Okay, so ‘Temptation’ was a nice little number thanks to the soaring guest vocals of the mighty Carol Kenyon and the earlier ‘Brothers & Sisters (Fascist Groove Thang)’ provided momentary distraction from the horror of Human League, but does that excuse the rest of their musical outpourings? Well, the god of credibility works in mysterious ways and this double album is the proof. Everyone from Adrian Sherwood and Ashley Beedle to Giorgio Moroder and Rhythm Masters have thrown their tuppence into the Heaven 17 pot to produce a series of startling remixes. The plot: a host of cooler-than-thou backroom boys and DJs drag Glenn Gregory and the boys by the scruff of their necks through trance, dance, trip hop, garage, drum’n’bass, hardcore, happy house and everything with a beat in between. The strange thing is that this dose of musical Viagra seems to have done the trick and Heaven 17 emerge standing very proud indeed. Amazing what you can do tweaking knobs in a studio these days…


Some chatter from the usenet referring to RETOX/DETOX

From: Hollydude@webtv.net

Just a recommendation of this fine 2 cd set of collaborations and mixes by Heaven 17 (along with many dj's). I bought it yesterday and am thoroughly impressed by the craftmanship and creativity that obviously went into the making of this recording. Its even more amazing considering that this group has been around for nearly 20 years. If youhave a listening station at your local music store, check it out! By the way, I don't work for the band.........just an impressed music-lover who is happy to hear someone using their brains and hearts at the same time. : )


From: RmC <imgrace@earthlink.net>

Greetings to all,
I've obtained a copy of the upcoming release of Heaven 17 "Retox/Detox" and I have to sadly admit that is sucks!
"Bigger Than America" was a great return to the classic synthpop style that made H17 popular, but this latest effort is absolute shite.
It's just really bad wanna-be electronica with the vocal samples over the music. "Let Me Go" sounds horrible as the vocals don't feel right in the mix, just laid over the beat for the purpose of perserving the lyrics and they come way to late.
"(With This Ring) Let Me Go" is absolutely unlsitenable. It's the same eurotrash rapper styled vocals with horrible nursey ryhme lyrics laid over the electronica version of "Let Me Go" then has the actual chorus vocals from the original. The rest of the is just as bad. Most of these songs are not recognized at all. Except for the printed title and occassional vocal sample through out.
Besides that, these remixes already sound dated! And the electronica movement is still in it's early, developing stages. But it's developed passed these remixes already!
I know Martin Ware reads this newsgroup (even mentioned it in the Keyboard interview sometime ago when Bigger Than America was released) - I've also traded emails with him back when he posted on the this group. I have to tell Martin, the concept of a H17 remix lp sounds great, but the quality of these remixes are just not up to par. Sorry!
Lending your vocal smaples to a bumch of remixers for the sake of SELLING a few more records with the name of these songs on them is okay if the end result is listenable, these mixes just drag on, go nowhere and don't preserve any of the original material.
I highly urge anyone who's thinking of picking this album up to first listen to it....you might regret getting it!!!
I don't know if I'm crazy or not, but I'd like to see what you guys outhere think about this release....
- cheers, Rui


From: Dave <guerue@erols.com>

Hi,
I also picked up a copy of the double CD about two weeks ago. SOME of the mixes are OKAY. Not everything is bad. I think that "With This Ring" turned my stomach so much (it is possibly the worst remix/remake ever, even worse than the endless Police "updates") that I did not give the album much credit.
HOWEVER. Two cds is easily one CD too many. Many of the tracks here just sound boring, not at all what you'd expect from the NAME Heaven 17.
Having said that I realize that Ware and Co. were only vaguely (spelling?) involved with this project. Based on last years excellent "Bigger" I would say to them, stop wasting time on remixes and get back to making new music!
-Dave Richards
Lexicon Magazine
(Full review with more attention to detail due in Lexicon #9, October 98)


I am a HUGE H17 fan. Trust ME! And, um, well. Not EVERYTHING on the CD (2 CDs actually) is bad, but a lot of it is second class electronica. And most of the songs completely ruin the original songs in favour of dinky "new" beats. Again, I love the band, but this is not their best moment. Makes me long for Psycho Duke and Teddy Bear (almost)
-Dave Richards


I haven't heard the whole album, but the single for "Let Me Go" was very bad. It was a bad rap song on top of a classic bassline from the original song. I can't believe that Heaven 17 wanted their name on that...
-Todd


Just picked up Detox and Retox by Heaven 17 and Apollo 440's theme to Lost in Space. Both mega magnificent.
-Gary Russell


A music fan from San Francisco , February 23, 1999

This is rubbish

If you're a Heaven 17 fan, you're gonna be disappointed; if you like good techno, you're gonna be disappointed. It's just plain rubbish. There are one or two tracks that *might* warrant a second listening, but overall, the CD is annoying and a waste of money. Most of tracks have very little unity between H17 and the dance track, sounding like two songs mistakenly played together.


Review by SLICE

Pioneers of the 80's electronic scene Heaven 17 are set to release an album of their classic hits remixed by a dazzling collection of stars from the world of dance music. For many of the re-mixers contributing on the album Heaven 17 provided the foundations and inspirations for the music they produce today.

From their early days as the original line up of the Human League to their legendary album as Heaven 17 'Penthouse and Pavement', the band have always had their fingers firmly pushing on the buttons of Electronica for the last decade.

The album entitled 'Retox/ Detox' is presented in a double CD package. Disc One (Retox) features old favourites 'Come Live with Me', 'Crushed By The Wheels Of Industry' and 'Height Of Fighting' stripped down to their bare essentials for some serious beats and breaks by DJ Suv (Reprazent), Steve Hillier (Dubstar) Freddie Fresh, and On U Sound System. Disc Two (Detox) features a digitally mixed compilation of deep house and disco floor fillers, including Rhythm Masters remix of 'Temptation', Ruff Driverz remix of 'Penthouse and Pavement' and their current European smash hit with Molella - 'Let Me Go'. The video for which contains original footage from the first time around and whilst a little older and wiser the boys are still looking good!!

Heaven 17 will be launching the album with a special live performance, supported by guests who have remixed 'Retox/ Detox' tracks including Rob Playford and Ashley Beadle.


...and going back in history...         some "old news"

09Apr98
HEAVEN 17 SEEK REMIXERS FOR ALBUM THANG

Anyone around in the Eighties will have fond memories of Heaven 17 - not least Mousse T who has seen fit to sample the Sheffield legends' 'Fascist Groove Thang' for his forthcoming garage smash 'Horny'.

However, Heaven 17 are far from just a memory, having last year reformed to play the first live gigs in their 17-year history. The response was so good that the group are now working on a new LP, which will be preceded by a remix LP of hits such as 'Fascist Groove Thang' and 'Temptation'. The remix LP will be called 'Heaven - Version 17.1'.

"We wanted to do a profile-raising exercise and it seemed like a good idea. Then we started getting remixers and producers ringing us up asking to do it," says the band's manager Stephen Budd. Producers confirmed for mixes include Arthur Baker, Rob Playford, Ashley Beedle, Kirk Degiorgio and Freddy Fresh. However the band are still interested in hearing from other remixers. "We're open to people with profile who were genuinely into the band and who aren't doing it for money as the band are paying for the album themselves," says Budd.

Heaven 17 can be contacted via Stephen Budd Management, tel: 0171-916 3303, fax: 0171-916 3302.

(This text can be found at http://www.dotmusic.com, source of news about UK pop music)


NEWS FROM HEAVEN

Pioneers of the 80's electronic scene Heaven 17 are set to release an album of their classic hits remixed by a dazzling collection of stars from the world of dance music. For many of the re-mixers contributing on the album Heaven 17 provided the foundations and inspirations for the music they produce today.

From their early days as the original line up of the Human League to their legendary album as Heaven 17 'Penthouse and Pavement', the band have always had their fingers firmly pushing on the buttons of Electronica for the last decade.

The album entitled 'Retox/ Detox' is presented in a double CD package. Disc One (Retox) features old favourites 'Come Live with Me', 'Crushed By The Wheels Of Industry' and 'Height Of Fighting' stripped down to their bare essentials for some serious beats and breaks by DJ Suv (Reprazent), Steve Hillier (Dubstar) Freddie Fresh, and On U Sound System. Disc Two (Detox) features a digitally mixed compilation of deep house and disco floor fillers, including Rhythm Masters remix of 'Temptation', Ruff Driverz remix of 'Penthouse and Pavement' and their current European smash hit with Molella - 'Let Me Go'. The video for which contains original footage from the first time around and whilst a little older and wiser the boys are still looking good!!

Heaven 17 will be launching the album with a special live performance, supported by guests who have remixed 'Retox/ Detox' tracks including Rob Playford and Ashley Beadle. Gig details will be announced shortly.