Tackhead - 1990 - Strange Things

Tackhead

1990

Strange Things

01. Nobody To Somebody 4:26

02. Wolf In Sheeps Clothing 6:12

03. Class Rock 4:36

04. Dangerous Sex 4:52

05. Strange Things 3:33

06. Take A Stroll 2:32

07. Hyper Space 0:58

08. Super Stupid 2:28

09. See The Fire Burning 4:41

10. Re-Entry 0:42

11. For This I Sing 5:48

12. Change 4:10

13. Steaming 1:02

14. Positive Suggestions 5:12

15. Fix The Machine 4:20

Bernard Fowler – vocals

Keith LeBlanc – drums

Skip McDonald – guitar, vocals

Adrian Sherwood – effects, percussion

Doug Wimbish – bass guitar, vocals

Production and additional personnel

Susie Davis – keyboards on "Wolf in Sheeps Clothing"

Lisa Fischer – backing vocals

Mick Jagger – harmonica on "Take a Stroll"

Melle Mel – vocals on "See the Fire Burning"

Cindy Mizelle – backing vocals

A heavy stylistic shift for the Tackhead crew, Strange Things sees them almost completely swerve away from their unique blend of Industrial Hip-Hop and Dub/Reggae-stylings to rather straightforward Funk Rock with embellishments. I do mean that as well, aside from some tape-experiments and the occasional sample-work, this is the band going down on some rather normal Funk-grooves, sometimes rocking harder (Super Stupid), sometimes leaning harder on the groove (the title track), but it all just feels weirdly undercooked. Excuse the comparison, but a lot of this material sounds like Living Colour outtakes from their first and second albums, which to me kind of explains why Doug Wimbish would join them only two years later. However, in the last quarter there are some tracks that are closer to the previous Tackhead sound, Change and Positive Suggestion, and unsurprisingly they are the best tracks on the album.

This is the last album Tackhead would produce for a whopping 24 years, and I think I can tell why. There was obviously some tension in the band as to where to go next, as some people obviously wanted their Funk Rock, Adrian still tried to get the sound design and samples in order, some wanted to Rock harder, and others just wanted to write "normal" songs. The Tackhead crew wouldn't go defunct, not remotely, they would go through multiple different names and keep working with each other, just without much full-length projects. That's understandable, sometimes things grow apart like that. Strange Things is a weird end to the original Tackhead-era, but a fun curiosity all the same.

Piece of art, from one of the best dance supergroups, the album remastered in brilliant digital audio quality and all the 12" mixes and B-Sides from the singles and 12"s released alongside it. One of my favourite albums and a must for any fan, especially for the bonus tracks and well worth a listen if you're interested or into On-U-Sound stuff, totally recommended.