Published on Aug 2, 2004
The Grey Album is already legendary in terms of Internet
lore: a relatively unknown, immensely talented DJ fuses colors of
two well-known albums, The Beatles’
The White Album and Jay-Zs 2003 farewell album,
The Black Album. Legal action ensues. Downloads are made and
like it or not,
The Grey Album, even if it is essentially illegal, has
already changed the landscape of music. DJ Danger Mouse (formally
known as Brian Burton) has created a novelty album that is anything
but a novelty.
Of course, DJ’s have been mixing albums for decades. In 1993,
dance-kings The KLF paired up with late country legend Tammy
Wynette to record “Justified and Ancient.” Many college DJ’s fuse
so-called ‘incompatible’ artists together for the sake of novelty.
But
The Grey Album created a phenomenon that will likely be
replicated in years to come. Fans of copyright laws have reasonable
right to fear — some DJs may create a better listening experience
than the original album.
Put the debate aside, and
The Grey Album is an excellent generation gap tool. Any
classic rock fans who refuse to acknowledge the talents Jay-Z or
rap in general will no doubt brave the posturing of Jay-Z to hear
snippets of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” in “What More Can I
Say.” Jay-Z fans who think classic rock is “geezer rock” will
discover some of the tightest, most-head-bobbing and flat-out weird
beats The Beatles generated when the listener hears the guitar line
and “ohh yeah!” shout-outs in “Glass Onion” in the song,
“Encore.”
Some experiments flounder. “Justify My Thug” and “Interlude”
don’t seem to go anywhere and are the two songs where
The Grey Album sounds less like an album and more like a
well-crafted publicity stunt. Still, anyone who tries to make order
out of “Revolution 9” deserves some credit.
Time will essentially determine whether
The Grey Album will gain in artistic value. If any artist
benefits (other than DJ Danger Mouse) from
The Grey Album, it would likely be Jay-Z. Despite all of the
accolades he has reaped from the hip-hop world, many music critics
remain skeptical in ranking him up with the Bruce Springsteen’s or
Prince’s of the world. The fact that Jay-Z’s music can sound at
home, and even complement The Beatles seminal
White Album will hopefully earn Jay-Z some respect from non
hip-hop critics. As for The Beatles,
The Grey Album shows that despite the fact that it is likely
the most over-analyzed album in rock history, more can still be
learned from it. And as for DJ Danger Mouse, the road is now
officially paved for your first full-length LP of original material
following this phenomenon. No pressure…