Sneaker Pimps are an English electronic music band,formed in Hartlepool in 1994. They are best known for their debut album,Becoming X (1996),and its singles "6 Underground" and "Spin Spin Sugar". The band takes its name from an article the Beastie Boys published in their Grand Royal magazine about a man they hired to track down classic sneakers.
Mono was a British electronic music duo which had a hit in the late 1990s with their song "Life in Mono". The group's music is often described as trip hop,based on its similarities to contemporary electronic music acts including Sneaker Pimps and Portishead. Audible,and frequently cited,influences in Mono's songs include jazzy instrumentation reminiscent of 1960s spy film soundtracks and production styles rooted in 1960s pop music.
"Gangsta's Paradise" is a single by American rapper Coolio,released on August 1,1995 by Tommy Boy,Warner Bros. and MCA. Interpolating Stevie Wonder's song "Pastime Paradise" (1976),"Gangsta's Paradise" features vocals from American singer L.V. who served as a co-composer and co-lyricist with Coolio and Doug Rasheed,with Wonder also being credited for the composition and lyrics. Certified Platinum in October,the song was included on Coolio's second album,Gangsta's Paradise,in November 1995. Its music video was directed by Antoine Fuqua and featured Michelle Pfeiffer. The song is taken from Pfeiffer's movie Dangerous Minds,and the music video is also themed around the movie.
Becoming X is the debut studio album by English electronic band Sneaker Pimps. It was released on 19 August 1996 in the United Kingdom by Clean Up Records and on 25 February 1997 in the United States by Virgin Records. The album marked the only appearance of Kelli Dayton as lead singer before she was asked to leave the band;Chris Corner replaced her for the band's subsequent albums.
Paul Andrew "Nellee" Hooper is a British record producer,remixer and songwriter known for his work with many major recording artists beginning in the late 1980s. He also debuted as a motion picture music composer with Scottish composer Craig Armstrong and Marius de Vries for the soundtrack for Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet in 1996.
Splinter is the second studio album by English electronic band Sneaker Pimps,released on 25 October 1999 through record labels Clean Up and Virgin.
"Isobel" is a song by Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk for her second studio album,Post (1995). Written by Sjón based on a story by Björk,the lyrics of "Isobel" tell the story of the title character,who is magically born in a forest and sends a message of instinct amongst the logical thinking of the people of the city. The story of Isobel has been explored in "Human Behaviour" and "Bachelorette",forming a trilogy. The track was released as the second single for the album in August 1995 by One Little Indian. Featuring additional songwriting by Nellee Hooper and Marius de Vries,string arrangements by Eumir Deodato and production by Hooper and Björk,"Isobel" combines a lush orchestral sound with electronic breakbeats.
"#1 Crush" is a song by the American rock band Garbage,released internationally as a b-side to their debut single "Vow" (1995),and in the United Kingdom on the b-side to second single "Subhuman" (1995).
"Unfinished Sympathy" is a song by the English trip hop group Massive Attack. It was released on 11 February 1991 under the temporary group name Massive. The song was written by the three band members Robert "3D" Del Naja,Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall,the song's vocalist Shara Nelson and the group's co-producer Jonathan "Jonny Dollar" Sharp. It was released on 11 February 1991 as the second single from the band's first album,Blue Lines (1991),on the band's Wild Bunch label distributed by Circa Records. The name "Massive" was used to avoid a radio ban,as the track's release coincided with the Gulf War. Produced by Massive Attack and Dollar,the song incorporates various musical elements into its arrangement,including vocal and percussion samples,drum programming and string orchestration by the arranger Wil Malone.
"Betcha by Golly,Wow" is a song written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed,originally titled "Keep Growing Strong" and recorded by American actress and singer Connie Stevens under the Bell label in 1970. Stevens' recording runs two minutes and thirty seconds. The composition later became a hit when it was released by the Philadelphia soul group the Stylistics in 1972 under its better known title,"Betcha by Golly,Wow".
"GoldenEye" is a song written by Irish musicians Bono and the Edge and performed by American singer Tina Turner. It served as the theme for the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye. Produced by Nellee Hooper and released as a single on November 6,1995 by Virgin (US) and Parlophone (UK),the track was a chart hit in Europe. It topped the Hungarian Singles Chart and reached the top five in Austria,Finland,France,Italy and Switzerland,as well as number 10 on the UK Singles Chart. "GoldenEye" was less successful outside Europe,reaching number 43 in Canada,number 63 in Australia,and number two on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100. The music video for the song was directed by Jake Scott.
"Firestarter" is a song by British electronic dance music band the Prodigy,released on 18 March 1996 by XL Recordings as the first single from their third album,The Fat of the Land (1997). It was co-written and produced by Liam Howlett and features vocals by Keith Flint. It also was the group's first number-one single on the UK Singles Chart,staying on top for three weeks,and their first big international hit,topping the charts in the Czech Republic,Finland,Hungary,and Norway. The music video was directed by Walter Stern and filmed in the London Underground,in black-and-white. Melody Maker ranked the song number two in their list of "Singles of the Year" in 1996. 24 years later,The Guardian ranked it number eight in their list of "The 100 Greatest UK No 1 Singles".
"Cosmic Girl" is the second single from British funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai's third studio album,Travelling Without Moving (1996). The song was released in the United Kingdom on 25 November 1996 via Sony Soho Square and in the United States in 1997 via Work Group. It was written by Jay Kay and Derrick McKenzie,and produced by Rick Pope,achieving great chart success,peaking at No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart. The song also reached No. 3 in Italy,No. 4 in Iceland,and No. 10 in Finland. The accompanying music video was directed by Adrian Moat and filmed in Spain. The B-side to the single is an instrumental,"Slipin' 'N' Slidin'",a song originating from another Jamiroquai track called "Mr Boogie",which was a live-only song. "Slipin 'N' Slidin'",just like "Mr Boogie",also has a vocal version.
"Quit Playing Games (with My Heart)" is a song by American boy band Backstreet Boys,released in October 1996 as the fourth single from their international debut album (1996). It reached No. 1 in Austria,the Czech Republic,Germany,Lithuania,Switzerland,No. 2 in the United Kingdom,and No. 7 in the Netherlands. The song was later included on the band's debut US album and was released as its second single in June 1997,reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that September,making it their most successful single on the chart. It sold 2 million copies in the US. Rolling Stone ranked the song at No. 26 on their list of the "75 Greatest Boy Band Songs of All Time" in 2020.
"Why Can't I Wake Up with You" is a song by English boy band Take That. Written by band member Gary Barlow,the song was released on 8 February 1993 by RCA and BMG as the lead single from their second album,Everything Changes (1993). The song reached number two on the UK Singles Chart and number seven in Ireland
"Keep On Movin'" is a song by British soul and R&B band Soul II Soul. It was the second single released in March 1989 by Virgin from their debut album,Club Classics Vol. One (1989),after "Fairplay". It is one of two songs on the album that features British R&B singer Caron Wheeler and it became one of Soul II Soul's most successful songs. It reached number five on the UK Singles Chart upon its release in March 1989 and number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100,and was even more successful on Billboard's R&B charts,where it hit number one.
"Long Hard Road Out of Hell" is a song by American rock band Marilyn Manson and British trip hop band Sneaker Pimps. It was released as a single from the soundtrack to the 1997 motion picture Spawn. An arena rock and gothic rock song,"Long Hard Road Out of Hell" was written by Marilyn Manson and Twiggy Ramirez and produced by Manson and Sean Beavan. Its lyrics are about self-loathing and its title is derived from John Milton's Paradise Lost (1667). After the track was written,the Sneaker Pimps' Kelli Ali was recruited to perform background vocals on it,as the Spawn soundtrack featured collaborations between hard rock artists and electronic music artists. The Sneaker Pimps were dissatisfied with the final track and wanted a remix of it to be released as a single instead;conversely,Manson deemed it a personal favorite.
"Spin Spin Sugar" is a song by English electronic band Sneaker Pimps,released in March 1997 by Clean Up as the fourth single from their debut studio album,Becoming X (1996). The album version is typical of the Sneaker Pimps in both style and format;there is a driving bass line produced by a synthesizer keyboard which is accompanied by a second synthesizer loop playing above it. Kelli Dayton provides the vocals.
"Can't Stay Away from You" is a song by Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine. The song was released in November 1987 by Epic as the third single from their multi-platinum album,Let It Loose (1987). It became the group's fifth top 10 hit in the United States,peaking at #6 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart;it was their second #1 hit on the adult contemporary chart,following 1986's "Words Get in the Way". The song originally peaked at #88 on the UK Singles Chart in May 1988,however the song was re-released after the success of its follow-up,"Anything for You",peaking at #7 in March 1989.
"Generations of Love" is a song by British band Jesus Loves You,founded by singer Boy George,and was released as the second single from their only album,The Martyr Mantras (1990). The song also features raggamuffin toaster MC Kinky and received favorable reviews from most music critics;both Melody Maker and NME named it Single of the Week. It made the UK Singles Chart in two versions;the "Land of Oz Mix" which peaked at number 80 in 1990 and the "La La Gone Gaga Mix" which peaked at number 35 in 1991. The 1990 version also peaked at number 11 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart,while the 1991 version peaked within the top 20 in the Netherlands and the top 30 in Austria and Belgium. Its music video was directed by Baillie Walsh.
