Amazon.com: Versions gathers 18 Thievery Corporation remixes from across a music spectrum that only the most eclectic could love. The vinyl-popping digital duo embraces '60s psychedelia with the Doors and '60s kitsch with Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. They put them all into the mixmaster, usually adding the downtempo jazzy electro-lounge beats upon which they built their early reputation. Alpert's "Lemon Tree," taken from the recent Whipped Cream & Other Delights Rewhipped, is a vintage noirish mood piece, but this doesn't always work. Fear of Pop's "In Love" becomes a tedious vamp, and the Doors' "Strange Days" is a missed opportunity squandered on a Cagian "indeterminacy" moment, like two bands in different rooms. But the Thievery formula usually works wonders on even the most unlikely material. There's an Indian twang to many of these mixes, including the Middle East-via-Bombay grooves of Trans-Global Underground, the Indian singing of Ustad Sultan Khan, and the fragile sitar of Anoushka Shankar. Even the tunes that aren't Eastern, like Nouvelle Vague's Euro-lounge "This Is Not a Love Song," get the full Indian treatment with droning tambouras and tabla percussion. I wonder what it says that no matter whether they're using Astrud Gilberto, Sarah McLachlan, or the Doors as source material, it all comes out sounding like Thievery Corporation. --John Diliberto
Definitly different and interesting Wow! I never heard of this group until I was listening to Yahoo! Music Radio and switched to the Dance genre. Actually, the group I heard and was looking for was Kira, or Akira - and I found Thievery. I listened to the samples on Amazon and thought it was interesting enough to purchase their music.
All I can say is, I like what I hear.
Get ready for the ride of your life! Spectacular musical journey. When you hear Jim Morrison laying down the voice track from Strange Days to Thievery Corporation music you will flip! Sarah McLaughlan in "dirty little secrets" is bone chilling. It's a ride through style, panache and many, many "wows". Sit down and enjoy!
Versions Awesome CD. Great music to work to, party to, be creative to. just about anything
Consistently Excellent!!! It's nice to finally have many of these remixes in one place, including many I had not heard before. Despite these songs being from many different genres and times, they flow together like liquid butter! The new Thievery song "Originality" is a slamming reggae jam that will liven up your party in the coming months. Imagine today's young people getting down to The Doors, courtesy of Thievery's "Strange Days" remix. Elsewhere, there are plenty of songs to spin, no matter your mood. This is not just some knockoff package till Thievery can deliver another studio album - this is a full fledged musical work!
On another note, it's nice to know that Thievery is embracing the beauty of album packaging, with another first rate package here to go along with "The Cosmic Game" and "Richest Man in Babylon." Even though CD sales are going the way of the passenger pigeon, it's nice to browse through such an elaborate package, which can then enhance the entire listening experience.
Not their best, but a regular in my playlist Thoroughly enjoy this cd, which I can play during a variety of moods, events, or tasks. I especially enjoy placing individual songs in my playlists related to specific moods. Love Thievery and ESL!
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