Crazy

by

Seal

Edit

After my first sampling of 'Crazy' on the radio, it has become one of my favorite tracks to mellow out to. My hunt for the tune on CD was daunting at first, since I didn't know the name of the artist or the full title of the song. Fortunately, after (badly) singing a few lines of the tune to a friend, he let me know the title and the artist, Seal.

I eventually tracked down the 'Crazy' CD maxi-single, with six different versions of the tune, including club mix and acoustic. Very different takes on the same tune. But the one I wanted the most, the radio version (the full album has an extended rendition), was there to start things off.

Some nights when I get home from work, I throw this one in the player, and let the stress ebb from me. Time to get calm, as well as 'crazy'.

'Late!

By C.S.

Influenced by a mix of American soul and Led Zeppelinesque rock n roll, Seal hit the North American scene with his self- titled debut LP in 1991 and the single "Crazy"

He extends his collaborations beyond his in- studio partnership w/ Trevor Horn on the maxi- single to the song to inject new spins on the hit by putting together six diferent mixes, minus the bonus track "Sparkle" and the original album version.

As always, taking in so many versions of one song at one time, can either drive a listener crazy with repetitive takes on one creation or be entertained by the ability for an artist to find so many fantastic ways to re-create a track and maintain fragments of the original pieces in the song.

Seal offers a collection here that lies somewhere in the middle. He takes each inviting hook and builds on it, using it as the centerpiece of the re-arrangments.

It works well on the second acoustic / instrumental where there's additional rhythm guitar whose sound has been muted down in an under-stated fashion,coupled with the primary synth riff that is mixed with a vocal beginning with "but were never gonna survive unless..... The arrangement only suffers in the fact that it could have been a tad bit longer, but with the realization there are many other mixes, in all likelihood Seal decided to eliminate overkill by keeping song length to a minimum.

The William Orbit acoustic version unmasks the fact that "Crazy", in stripped down form, sounds solid without all of the layers, and placing it among all of the glossier mixes was a good tactic.

Seal takes a different approach to the "a capella" mix by taking out the drums,changing the octave a bit while keeping the original synth riff and stretching the notes that pre- dominate this track. In an un-ortodox way the strength, rhythm wise, on it's own merits allows the listener to use his / her imagination to insert the drums in themselves. Normally with less adept remixing methods and weaker tracks, listeners would be disappointed if the drums were omitted.

The bonus track "Sparkle" offers nothing worth ranting and raving about, for it is mere house beat filler with to give everyone a brief musical break from the onslaught of " Crazy" offerings prior to and the mixes that will continue after the track concludes.

"Krazy" begins with a haunting intro and is a souped up production of the original track with thicker bass line, heavier drums and cymbal / hi -hat work that give it a liver feel on all fronts. In addition, crunchy guitar work, a new chorus and an second synth, bright in tone that runs parallel to the original backing track, make this arguably the best mix on the disc.

The same could have been said about the "L.A.Mix" for the first two minutes with the primary vocal used being "in a world full of people"... The arrangement is almost identical to the original,but the magic is killed off with too much repitition of the same hook .

Fortunately there is a redemption to some degree on the final cut, the "Chick on My Tip" mix with it's Stevie Wonder style bass and haunted house keyboards - an eclectic pairing on paper, but a combination that works well musically combined with an extended guitar solo .

Remixing, like anything else, is an art form and in it's short history it has gotten many an artist in trouble. But when tracks are re-worked well, it can be a devastatingly entertaining weapon.

Though many of the re-workings of "Crazy" often fade out too soon, it does leave those who are enjoying the track, salivating to hear more. The results here are solid enough to earn a very respectable (3) three stars.

C.S.

6-14-03