Cass Browne, drummer of British punk band The Senseless Things and a member of the Gorillaz writing staff, was hired to play drums on the album to fill out any spaces that couldn't be filled by just a drum machine or a sampled drum loop. "Clint Eastwood" is the song where Gorillaz became a band and not just Damon mucking about in a studio with a group of producers. America has a history for latching on to cowboy influenced songs by odd bands and turning those songs into fluke hits (such is the case with Wall of Voodoo and DEVO.) However, Gorillaz "Clint Eastwood" proved to be a song that shifted the way music was going in not only the underground world but the mainstream world as well. In 2001, a song that combined dubby reggae with hip hop and old timey western soundtrack music became a hit in America. Instead, it feels like a musical vacation for all parties involved - a little self-indulgent, but filled with enough fun ideas and good songs to make this virtual band's debut a genuinely enjoyable album.Clint Eastwood (Live with Holograms, 2002)Ĭlint Eastwood (Del The Funky Homosapien live cover, 2006)Ĭlint Eastwood (Escape To Plastic Beach Tour)Ĭlint Eastwood (Snoop Dogg live cover with Damon Albarn)Ĭlint Eastwood (Damon Albarn live with Del The Funky Homosapien, Dan The Automator, Snoop Dogg and backing band The Heavy Seas)Ĭlint Eastwood (Africa Express live, 2015)Ĭlint Eastwood (Humanz Live, with Del The Funky Homosapien) Albarn has fun sending up Blur's cheeky pop on songs like "5/4" and "Re-Hash," their trip-hop experiments on "New Genious" and "Sound Check," and "Song 2"-like thrash-pop on "Punk" and "M1 A1." Despite the similarities between Albarn's main gig and his contributions here, Gorillaz isn't an Albarn solo album in disguise Nakamura's bass- and beat-oriented production gives the album an authentically dub and hip-hop-inspired feel, particularly on "Rock the House" and "Tomorrow Comes Today." Likewise, Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Miho Hatori, and Ibrahim Ferrer's vocals ensure that it sounds like a diverse collaboration rather than an insular side project. Musically, however, Gorillaz is a cutely caricatured blend of Albarn's eclectic Brit-pop and Nakamura's equally wide-ranging hip-hop, and it sounds almost as good as the band looks.
It's too bad that there isn't a DVD version of Gorillaz, with videos for every song, à la the DVD version of Super Furry Animals' Rings Around the World. And initially, Gorillaz' self-titled debut feels incomplete when Hewlett's imagery is removed the concept of Gorillaz as a virtual band doesn't hold up as well when you can't see the virtual bandmembers.
Gorillaz clint eastwood update#
The amazing "Thriller"-meets-Planet of the Apes clip for "Clint Eastwood" is so visually clever that it's easy to take the song's equally clever, hip-hop-tinged update of the Specials' "Ghost Town" for granted.
Admittedly, Hewlett's edgy-cute characterizations of 2-D, Gorillaz' pretty boy singer (who looks a cross between the Charlatans' Tim Burgess and Sonic the Hedgehog), sinister bassist Murdoc, whiz-kid guitarist Noodle, and b-boy drummer Russel are so arresting that they almost detract from Gorillaz' music. It's tempting to judge Gorillaz - Damon Albarn, Tank Girl creator Jamie Hewlett, and Dan "The Automator" Nakamura's virtual band - just by their brilliantly animated videos and write the project off as another triumph of style over substance.