Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out

Last updated
"Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out"
Turn on, tune it, cop out.jpg
Single by Freak Power
from the album Drive-Thru Booty
B-side "Getting Over the Hump"
Released4 October 1993 (1993-10-04) [1]
Genre Acid jazz
Length4:20
Label
Songwriter(s) Norman Cook
Producer(s)
  • Norman Cook
  • Ashley Slater
Freak Power singles chronology
"Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out"
(1993)
"Rush"
(1994)

"Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out" is a song by Norman Cook's acid jazz group Freak Power, released in October 1993 by Island Records and 4th & Broadway as the debut single from their first album, Drive-Thru Booty (1994). The song features a smooth jazz sound and the baritone vocals of lead singer Ashley Slater. The single originally charted at number 29 in the United Kingdom. However, two years later, the song was used in the popular Levi's advertisement "Taxi", [2] and it was re-released on 6 March 1995. [3] This time, the single was a success, reaching number three on the UK Singles Chart and becoming the group's only top-20 hit. The song was also a moderate hit in western Europe and New Zealand.

Contents

Critical reception

Caroline Sullivan from The Guardian described the song as "a cynical post-modern shopping anthem with a dash of singalong soul." [4] In October 1993, in his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton stated that the song "has the potential to be a major hit". [5] Upon the 1995 release, a reviewer from Music Week commented, "Levi's ads have a habit of spawning Top 10 hits and Freak Power's groovy number is set to become the latest." [6] NME 's review said, "Stuffed with vocals that croakily doff their cap to Sly Stone, wah-wah guitar and a chorus that seems to be fully aware of its '70s-crazed ludicrousness, it's an insidious rare groove drip-feed that'll soon be connected to the veins of thousands." [7]

Andy Beevers wrote in the Record Mirror Dance Update, "With his excellent Mighty Dub Cats and Pizzaman projects, Norman Cook has been sending out low-key signals that something is stirring down in Brighton. Now comes the real deal. The best starting point is the Radio Mix which emphasises the wonderfully mellow and husky male vocal. The weird trippy lyrics, which are nowhere as corny as the title would suggest, are set against a great bassline and plenty of funky touches. The whole thing has a very Seventies feel but it is done with a great deal more understanding and intelligence than all the current disco pastiches." [8] Another Record Mirror editor, James Hamilton, described it as "Norman Cook's Gil Scott Heron-ishly crooking jaunty excellent Donny Hathaway 'The Ghetto' based". [9]

Track listings

  1. "Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out" (radio mix) – 4:21
  2. "Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out" (Pizzaman mix) – 6:51
  3. "Getting Over the Hump" – 4:12
  4. "Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out" (Play-Boys fully loaded vocal) – 7:27
  1. "Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out" (radio mix) – 4:20
  2. "Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out" (T-empo's club mix) – 7:35
  3. "Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out" (Playboys reloaded dub) – 6:22
  4. "Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out" (T-empo's piano dub) – 8:25
  5. "Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out" (Pizzaman mix) – 6:50
  1. "Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out" (album version)
  2. "Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out" (T-Empo's club mix)
  3. "Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out" (Play-Boys reloaded dub)
  4. "Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out" (T-Empo's piano dub)
  1. "Tune On, Tune In, Cop Out" (radio mix) – 4:19
  2. "Getting Over the Hump" – 4:12

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [37] Silver200,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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Freak Power was a band founded by bassist Norman Cook, Ashley Slater, and backing vocalist Jesse Graham. Their music was a mix of acid jazz, funk, soul, and trip hop. Although not credited, the London-based session bass player Dale Davis recorded bass and guitar on their debut album Drive-Thru Booty.

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