Big Audio Dynamite
This Is Big Audio Dynamite: Legacy Edition
Columbia/Legacy
Jun 16, 2010
Web Exclusive
It is such a raging disappointment when you hear an album that you thought defined an era for you years after the fact and you can’t find one thing on the album that you can hook yourself onto. This was the experience when trudging through Big Audio Dynamite’s This Is Big Audio Dynamite 25 years after its release via the new Legacy Edition reissue. Big Audio Dynamite is Mick Jones of The Clash’s “other band.” These days his “other band” is Carbon/Silicone. Let’s hope that endeavor holds up better than B.A.D. has.
The most redeeming quality about This Is Big Audio Dynamite is Jones’ distinct voice-but sadly this is probably due more to its association with The Clash’s sound than B.A.D.‘s. At the time of its inception in 1985, B.A.D. was considered revolutionary in its blend of post-punk with pre-hip-hop. Nowadays, their daring sound comes across as watered down and cautious. Where the songwriting holds up on This Is Big Audio Dynamite is on the sole survivor, “E=MC2,” where the careful crafting of synthesizers within a ska structure make for an interesting—if repetitive—collaboration.
The Legacy Edition offers a second disc of (some previously unreleased) remixes, alternate versions, and B-sides. The upside to this is only that the better of a dull bunch of songs are reworked. The downside is that you hear the same batch of tunes so many times, it puts you off them altogether. Some things are better left to memories rather than reality. (www.legacyrecordings.com)
Author rating: 2/10
Average reader rating: 1/10
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August 11th 2010
7:21am
Great review, but I totally disagree. I think this the natural progression from Sandinista! Pretty amazing album that is just a influential in some music circles as London Calling. Give it a few more listens as this album carries a lot of baggage seeing how it completely demonstrates what Mick brought to the Jones/strummer composition dynamic. Compare this to Cut the Crap. I think fans of Sandinista! Would love thus.