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Monday, February 9, 2009

Tip I’ll Give You a Break, Pt. 7

Posted by on Mon, Feb 9, 2009 at 5:56 PM

[I’ll Give You a Break is a sporadic series of posts highlighting obscure (and not so obscure) breakbeats in unlikely places, so that they may be sampled by producers or just enjoyed for their own geeky purposes. NB: Don’t forget to clear all samples through the proper channels (cough).]

The Pretty Things’ “Sickle Clowns”—off 1970’s Parachute—sounds like a cross between Steely Dan’s suave jazz rock and Santana's fiery Latin shuffle, but at a low boil. It’s certainly not the first thing you think of when you think about the Pretty Things (which is something you should do with some regularity).

Most people know the British rock band for their awe-inspiring S.F. Sorrow, the first concept album (ask Pete Townshend), or maybe for their early garage-rock cuts, which were some of the dirtiest such specimens ever waxed (see “Rosalyn” and “Come See Me”).

The bit in this song that’s ripe for sampling occurs from 3:57-4:20. This isn’t primo boom-bap fodder, but rather a weird, slinky percussive bed for some Jeru the Damaja/“Come Clean”-type shit. Guaranteed, your track will stand out if you use this.

The Pretty Things- “Sickle Clowns”

 

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The high hat on that track never fails to make me smile. And those unhinged vocals have always reminded me of Pink Floyd's "The Nile Song" (released in '69).
Posted by Kathy Fennessy on February 9, 2009 at 10:29 PM

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