Emergency on Planet Earth | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 14 June 1993 [1] [2] [3] | |||
Recorded | 1992–1993 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 55:01 (CD) 64:03 (LP) | |||
Label |
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Producer |
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Jamiroquai chronology | ||||
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Singles from Emergency on Planet Earth | ||||
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Emergency on Planet Earth is the debut studio album by English funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai, released on 14 June 1993 under Sony Soho Square. Prior its release, the band debuted in 1992 with "When You Gonna Learn" under Acid Jazz Records, and front-man Jay Kay was given a major-label deal with Sony Music. The album was produced as Toby, Stuart and Kay formed the band and is characterised by its acid jazz foundations, layers of instrumentation and socially charged lyrics.
Critical reviews of the album were generally positive and noted its 1970s stylings. It reached number one in the UK Albums Chart and sold over 1,200,000 copies worldwide. Its single "Too Young to Die" peaked at number 10 in the UK Singles Chart. A remastered version of the album was released in 2013 to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the album's release, including a new vinyl release.
"I wanted this to be an album, not a collection of three minute songs. I didn't want tracks to be rigid, stuck in that verse, chorus, verse, chorus thing. All the people I'd been listening to were jazz-fusion bands, they didn't do three minute tracks, they just played."
—Kay, 2013 [4]
While Jay Kay was sending songs to record companies, he wrote the first track "When You Gonna Learn" after taking inspiration from Native American and First Nation peoples and their philosophies, and from his anger towards the shooting of elephants in a television programme. [4] The song also "takes on everything from racism to corporate greed," according to Interview . [5] Kay said the track laid down "the sound, the flavor [and] the concept" of the album. [4] After he had it recorded, Kay fought with his producer, who took out half the lyrics and produced the song based on what was charting at the time. [4] With the track restored to his preference, the experience helped Kay realise he "wanted a proper live band with a proper live sound". [4] The band would be named "Jamiroquai", a blend of the words "jam" and the name of a Native American confederacy, the Iroquois. [5]
Kay gradually gathered band members, including Wallis Buchanan, who played the didgeridoo, [4] and Stuart Zender, who became the band's bassist by audition. [6] [7] Kay's manager scouted keyboardist Toby Smith, who joined the group as Kay's songwriting partner. [4] Together, they wrote the second track, "Too Young to Die", a song also inspired by Kay's anger towards the wars he had seen on television. [4] Regarding how the track was written, Kay said in 2013: "I have a very limited musical ability in terms of playing", so he would sing the instruments as Smith would work out the chords. [4] The two tracks would shape up the album, [4] which are followed up by the "high-kicking" funk track "Hooked Up". [8] With the fourth track "If I Like It I Do It" Kay said it reminded him of "Harvest for the World" by Isley Brothers. [4] The former song's lyrics have been described as anarchist: "The kids want the system breaking down/Not higher education/If it ain't no natural law/Then you can keep your regulations". [9] "Music of the Mind" is a laid-back Latin fusion track that takes inspiration from Flora Purim's song "Moon Dreams". [4] [8]
With the title track, Kay said that it ultimately defined the concept of the album: "The whole groove of it, all the syncopation, the strings gliding over the top... and the lyrics were hammer to the nail: 'The kids need education/and the streets are never clean/... is that life that I am witnessing/or just another wasted birth'". [4] Kay wanted to re-create the Headhunters' song "God Made Me Funky" with his own track "Whatever It Is, I Just Can't Stop", and he credits having "a real drummer" for its "funky feel". [4] "Blow Your Mind" is a soft track intended to last eight and half minutes long. The track was recorded in one take; Kay said: "the brass was feeling so nice that when we got to the end I didn't want it to stop, so I motioned to the guys to go again, which is why there's the reprise." [4] For the ten-minute track "Revolution 1993", the track has "paramilitary drums" and "grinding bass". With the lyrics, Kay said "it rounded off all the other things I've been saying on the album". [4] It also has "crisscrossed ascending and descending lines, James Brown-like brass punches, a female rhythm and blues choir, Mitch Mitchellesque drums, African percussion, up-front funk bass and elements of hip hop, fusion, acid jazz, technopop and ragamuffin." [10] The album ends with the "didgeridoo workout" track "Didgin' Out". [11]
Emergency on Planet Earth was released on 17 June 1993 under Sony Soho Square. [12] [8] In the United States, it was released under Columbia. [13] Its inner sleeve contains a manifesto by Kay regarding the environment. [14] The album reached number 1 in the UK albums chart and was certified Platinum, indicating it has sold 300,000 copies in the country. [15] It became the fastest-selling album in the country since Faith (1987) by George Michael. [16] In France, it ranked number 7 in its SNEP Album Charts. [17] In the country's year-end chart, it ranked number 14. [18] The album ranked number 5 in the Swiss Album Charts, where it was certified Gold. [19] [20] In Japan, it ranked number 40 in the Oricon Charts, receiving a Platinum certification. [21] [22] The album reached number 15 in the Dutch Album Top 100 and sold 50,000 copies, certifying it as Gold. [23] [24] It also reached number 84 on its year-end chart. [25] Overall, the album sold 1,200,000 copies. [26] In 2013, Emergency on Planet Earth was one of the first three albums to be re-issued on the band's 20th anniversary campaign, also containing a bonus disc with remixes, demos, live performances and B-sides. [27] [11]
"When You Gonna Learn" was released as the lead single from the album on 19 October 1992 via Acid Jazz Records. The band were offered major label contracts after its release and Kay signed with Sony. [a] [29] [30] [28] The single charted at number 52 in the UK Singles Chart. [31] The music video for the song "mix[es] images of cruelty, blight, disaster and genocide". Because it featured the Holocaust, it was banned in American MTV. [32] "Too Young to Die" was released as the second single from the album on 1 March 1993, reaching number 10 in the UK. [31] "Blow Your Mind" was released as the third single from the album on 24 May 1993. [33] The single peaked at #12 on the UK Singles Chart. [31] "Emergency on Planet Earth" was released as the fourth single from the album on 2 August 1993. [34] The track peaked at number 32 on the UK Singles Chart. [31] "When You Gonna Learn" was re-released by Sony Records as the fifth and final single from the album on 13 September 1993. [35] The re-release was slightly more successful than the original, peaking at number 28 on the UK Singles Chart. [31]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [14] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [36] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ [37] |
MusicHound | 3/5 [38] |
Music Week | [39] |
The Philadelphia Inquirer | . [40] |
Q | [41] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [42] |
Select | 4/5 [43] |
Smash Hits | [44] |
Uncut | 8/10 [11] |
Critics have noted the layers of instrumentation on Emergency on Planet Earth, including its horn and string arrangements and the digeridoo, which "few '70s soul artists employed", according to J.D. Considine. [14] [45] [13] Praising Kay's vocals, Christopher Dawes of Melody Maker said "Stevie Wonder and Aaron Neville were the instant reference points." [30] Entertainment Weekly described the album as helping the band "turn out gritty organic grooves with enthusiasm." [37] Q magazine gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, describing it as "A funky and beautiful record, a contender for best British soul album of the '90s, and frankly better than anything Stevie Wonder has made since Hotter Than July ." BBC Music claims [45] – "it laid the foundations for an acid-jazz sound that the band would continue to build upon for the next decade and a half." Mike Zwerin of The New York Times called the album "a rare treasure, contemporary pop music with mass potential worth a detour". [10] Tony Parsons of The Daily Telegraph stated that the band "take[s] every cliche in the soul handbook and somehow turn it into a thing of beauty. [Kay] calls women 'sexy ladies' and says things like 'you blow my mind' and 'no more wars,' yet somehow these stale sentiments are rendered fresh and fragrant and really rather wonderful." [46]
A Billboard Magazine reviewer argued that "although Kaye[ sic ] tries to bring a modern vibe to his music, mostly he operates within '70s parameters." [47] David Sinclair of The Times wrote that the band "have recorded a debut which combines youthful brio with musicianship of the very highest order. And, so long as one takes the absurdly earnest, politically correct tone of the lyrics with a sizable pinch of salt, it's a lot of fun too." [8] Mark Jenkins of The Washington Post questioned the band's socially charged lyrics, and further wrote of the album: "Derived from the lush, silky '70s funk and soul of Philadelphia International and Stevie Wonder, Jamiroquai's sound is about as revolutionary as a nonreturnable bottle of Pepsi." [9]
A year after the album's release, Jamiroquai were nominated for Brit Award for Best New Artist, Best British Group and Best British Dance Act. Emergency on Planet Earth was nominated for Best British Album and the music video for "Too Young to Die" was nominated for Best British Video. [48] In 1996, Mixmag placed the album at number 17 in its The 50 Best Dance Albums of All Time list.[ citation needed ] Fnac ranked the album at 229 in its 1000 Best Albums of All Time and listed it as a Key album in The Ideal Discography: 823 Indispensables Albums (2015).[ citation needed ] In their year-end lists, The Face ranked it at number 14, while Musikexpress ranked it at number 34.[ citation needed ] The album also was listed in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . [49] [50]
All tracks are written by Jay Kay and Toby Smith, except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "When You Gonna Learn (Digeridoo)" | Kay | 3:47 |
2. | "Too Young to Die" | 6:04 | |
3. | "Hooked Up" | 4:37 | |
4. | "If I Like It, I Do It" | Kay, Nick Van Gelder | 4:53 |
5. | "Music of the Mind" (instrumental) | 6:22 | |
6. | "Emergency on Planet Earth" | 4:04 | |
7. | "Whatever It Is, I Just Can't Stop" | Kay | 4:07 |
8. | "Blow Your Mind" | 8:33 | |
9. | "Revolution 1993" | 10:17 | |
10. | "Didgin' Out" (instrumental) | Kay, Wallis Buchanan | 2:35 |
Total length: | 55:01 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "When You Gonna Learn" (JK Mix) | Kay | 6:22 |
2. | "Too Young to Die" (Extended Mix) | 10:08 | |
3. | "Hooked Up" | 4:37 | |
4. | "If I Like It, I Do It" (Extended Mix) | Kay, Nick Van Gelder | 6:58 |
5. | "Music of the Mind" (instrumental) | 6:22 | |
6. | "Emergency on Planet Earth" | 4:03 | |
7. | "Whatever It Is, I Just Can't Stop" | Kay | 4:06 |
8. | "Blow Your Mind" | 8:36 | |
9. | "Revolution 1993" | 10:16 | |
10. | "Didgin' Out" (instrumental) | Kay, Wallis Buchanan | 2:35 |
Total length: | 64:03 |
Note: Original 2LP pressings of Emergency follow the above track list with the three extended mixes. All re-pressings contain the CD version of the album.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "When You Gonna Learn" (Cante Hondo Mix) | Kay | 5:47 |
2. | "When You Gonna Learn" (Live at the Leadmill) | Kay | 9:49 |
3. | "Too Young to Die" (Extended Mix) | 10:12 | |
4. | "If I Like It, I Do It" (Acoustic) | Kay, Nick Van Gelder | 4:24 |
5. | "Emergency on Planet Earth" (London Rican Mix) | 7:14 | |
6. | "Revolution 1993" (Original Demo) | 10:20 | |
7. | "Didgin' Out" (Live at the Milky Way, Amsterdam) | Kay, Wallis Buchanan | 3:25 |
8. | "Brothers Like You" (Live at Glastonbury) | Kay | 4:32 |
9. | "God Make Me Funky" (Live at Glastonbury) | Bennie Maupin, Bill Summers, Paul Jackson, Mike Clark, DeWayne McKnight | 4:25 |
10. | "Music of the Mind" (Live at Glastonbury) | 6:19 | |
Total length: | 66:08 |
Credits for Emergency on Planet Earth adapted from album liner notes. [52]
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
France (SNEP) [59] | Platinum | 300,000* |
Japan (RIAJ) [22] | Platinum | 200,000^ |
Netherlands (NVPI) [24] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [20] | Gold | 25,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [15] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
Summaries | ||
Worldwide | — | 1,200,000 [26] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Jamiroquai are an English acid jazz and funk band from London. Formed in 1992, they are fronted by vocalist Jay Kay, and were prominent in the London-based funk and acid jazz movement of the 1990s. They built on their acid jazz sound in their early releases and later drew from rock, disco, electronic and Latin music genres. Lyrically, the group has addressed social and environmental justice. Kay has remained as the only original member through several line-up changes.
Jay Kay is a British singer and songwriter. In 1992 he co-founded the acid jazz and funk band Jamiroquai and still serves as their lead vocalist. As of 2017, the band had sold more than 26 million albums worldwide.
The Return of the Space Cowboy is the second album by English funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai. The album was released on 17 October 1994 under Sony Soho Square. The album continues the musical direction of their debut, Emergency on Planet Earth (1993), and is characterised by its complex songwriting as a result of Jay Kay's creative block mid-production. Its lyrics addressed street life, hope, loss, Kay's drug use, and social matters regarding Native Americans and youth protests.
Travelling Without Moving is the third studio album by English funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai, released on 28 August 1996 in Japan, then on 9 September 1996 in the United Kingdom under Sony Soho Square. Front-man Jay Kay intended for the album to have a more universal style, revolving around "cars, life and love". Critics have generally praised the album for being more focused and refined than the band's previous work, while others panned its lyrics and found the album too derivative. Its visual concept of sports cars received backlash from press, as it contradicted Kay's professed environmental beliefs.
Synkronized is the fourth studio album by English funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai. It was released on 8 June 1999 by Work Group in the United States, and on 14 June 1999 by S2 Records in the United Kingdom. Bassist Stuart Zender left the band during recording, and Nick Fyffe was hired as a replacement. The album contains funk, acid jazz and disco elements.
Dynamite is the sixth studio album by English funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai. It was released on 15 June 2005 in Japan, 20 June 2005 in the United Kingdom, 21 July 2005 in Australia and 20 September 2005 in the United States.
"Seven Days in Sunny June" is the second single from British funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai's sixth studio album, Dynamite (2005). Written by lead singer Jay Kay and new keyboardist Matt Johnson, the track is considered to be a throwback to the old acid jazz sound upon which Jamiroquai made their name. The song peaked at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Virtual Insanity" is a song by British funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai, released on 19 August 1996 by Sony Soho Square as the second single from their third studio album, Travelling Without Moving (1996). The song was written by Jay Kay and Toby Smith, and produced by Al Stone. Its music video, directed by Jonathan Glazer, was released in September 1996, garnering ten nominations and winning four, including for Video of the Year, at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards. The music video has since become an Internet meme.
"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.
High Times: Singles 1992–2006 is a compilation album by the British band Jamiroquai that was released on 6 November 2006 in the United Kingdom and 8 November 2006 in Japan.
"When You Gonna Learn" is a song by British funk/acid jazz band Jamiroquai, released as their debut single. It was originally released in October 1992 by Acid Jazz Records before being re-released on Sony Records in September 1993 as the lead single from the band's debut studio album, Emergency on Planet Earth (1993). The lyrical themes, like many of Jamiroquai's early songs, speak of environmental awareness and unfettered capitalism. Its music video was directed by Morgan Lawley and was banned from MTV in its original edit.
"Too Young to Die" is a song by British funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai, released in March 1993 by Sony Soho Square as the second single from their debut studio album, Emergency on Planet Earth (1993). The song was written by lead singer Jason Kay and Toby Smith, and produced by Kay. The original version of the track runs at 10:18; however, both the single and album versions were cut, running at 3:22 and 6:05, respectively. The single received positive reviews from music critics, who compared Jay Kay to Stevie Wonder.
"The Kids" is the first single taken from British funk/acid jazz band Jamiroquai's second studio album, The Return of the Space Cowboy (1994), though it was recorded shortly after the Emergency on Planet Earth sessions and was not a worldwide single release. The single was only released in Japan, on 12 December 1993 by Epic. "The Kids" is a song that deals with the rights of children and their social status in the world. It is written to be absurdly loud and high in tempo, to possibly represent the immaturity of children, and more generally the whole early childhood of a person, which is usually a carefree time of life.
"Corner of the Earth" is the fourth and final single from British funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai's fifth studio album, A Funk Odyssey (2001). The song was written by Jason Kay and Rob Harris and is a bossa nova–type track, reflecting on the problems that people of the Earth have to suffer. The song peaked at number 31 on the UK Singles Chart and was the last Jamiroquai single to use the DVD format. The video consists of Jay Kay sitting and dancing in a forest, wearing his trademark feather headdress. He does several other things, such as creating balls of light and making the moon come out.
"King for a Day" is the fourth single from British funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai's fourth studio album, Synkronized (1999). The song was written by Jay Kay. Upon its release on 29 November 1999, the song reached number 20 on the UK Singles Chart. The video features Jay Kay walking around an old mansion in a regal costume, where each room has a member of the band.
"You Give Me Something" is a song from British funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai's fifth studio album, A Funk Odyssey (2001). Written by Jay Kay, Rob Harris, and Nick Fyffe, the song was released in November 2001 as the second single from the album. The track peaked at 16 on the UK Singles Chart, number 17 in Spain, and number 30 in France. The song was the group's first single to be released on the DVD single format.
"Emergency on Planet Earth" is a song by British funk/acid jazz band Jamiroquai, released in August 1993 by Sony Soho Square as the fourth and final single from the band's debut studio album of the same name (1993). The song was written by frontman Jay Kay, and has an environmentalist tone, urging the listener to "stop modernisation going on." The track peaked at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart and at number four on the US Dance Chart.
"Stillness in Time" is a song by British funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai, released in 1994 on their second studio album, The Return of the Space Cowboy (1994), and the year after as a single by Sony Soho Square. The track was written by Jay Kay and Toby Smith, and peaked at number nine on the UK Singles Chart, making it the group's highest-charting release to that date. It also reached number one on the UK Dance Chart and number 14 in Scotland.
"Half the Man" is a song by British funk/acid jazz band Jamiroquai, released in November 1994 by S2 Records as a single from their second studio album, The Return of the Space Cowboy (1994). The song peaked at number 15 on the UK Singles Chart. Its music video was directed by Paul Boyd. "Half the Man" is in the key of D major.
"Blow Your Mind" is the third overall single to be released from British funk/acid jazz band Jamiroquai's debut studio album, Emergency on Planet Earth (1993). It was released on 24 May 1993 through Sony Soho Square in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was written by frontman Jay Kay with Toby Smith, and produced by Rick Pope. Its accompanying music video was directed by Vaughan Arnell and Anthea Benton.