Time you put behind you

I know that I'm always writing about Scritti Politti, but I'd love everyone to realize the brilliance that is Green Gartside. Everyone needs a little Scritti Politti in their lives!

Take today, for example. I'm listening to Anomie & Bonhomie, which is one of the unlikeliest candidates for best album of the 90s EVAR. And it's making me so happy.

You wouldn't think that this—a fey popstar from Wales like Green Gartside, teaming up with Me'shell Ndegeocello, Mos Def, & others, in a rock/pop/hip-hop collaboration—could possibly work. But if there's one thing you can say consistently about Scritti Politti, it's that they've always surprised—and the surprise here, for me, is that this could have been a disaster (as most other rock/hip-hop collaborations inevitably have been), and it isn't. At all.

And so I've listened to Anomie & Bonhomie hundreds of times, and amazingly, it does work. In fact, it's in some sense Scritti's most consistently good album. It's also consistently cheap in used & clearance bins, so you should pick it up. And then pick up all of the other albums, too.

Comments

[Jeffrey McManus]

I am with you on the Scritti Politti although I still think that Cupid & Psyche '85 is their best. However: I hate myself for loving his soppy ballads like "First Goodbye" and "Overnite" (from Provision). I am proud of my love for Scritti Politti but I'm embarassed that I like songs like that.

[btrott]

Yeah, I love Cupid & Psyche '85, too. "A Little Knowledge", in particular, is fantastic.

There's no shame in loving the ballads! Some of the best pop songs in the last 20 years. :)

Oh, and don't forget "Oh Patti (Don't Feel Sorry for Loverboy)". Sometimes I think that might be my favorite overall.

[angeline]

Oddly enough, I just put "Brushed With Oil, Dusted With Powder" on a mix CD. I'd been surprised to find out recently that Scritti Politti had more than one really good song, now I'm getting hooked on them. And out of nowhere, even!