Search - Basehead :: Play With Toys

Play With Toys
Basehead
Play With Toys
Genres: Alternative Rock, Pop, Rap & Hip-Hop, Rock
 
  •  Track Listings (11) - Disc #1

The freaky brainchild of Michael Ivey, Basehead's music is deep semiotics disguised as slacker hip-hop. On his debut album, Ivey mumbles through songs about heartbreak, the meaning of life, and beer (several years before B...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Basehead
Title: Play With Toys
Members Wishing: 1
Total Copies: 0
Label: Imago Records
Original Release Date: 1/1/1992
Re-Release Date: 7/23/1996
Genres: Alternative Rock, Pop, Rap & Hip-Hop, Rock
Styles: Experimental Rap, Pop Rap
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 727872300624

Synopsis

Amazon.com
The freaky brainchild of Michael Ivey, Basehead's music is deep semiotics disguised as slacker hip-hop. On his debut album, Ivey mumbles through songs about heartbreak, the meaning of life, and beer (several years before Beck, mind you) over a foundation of funky backbeats, one-note guitar grooves and scratchy lo-fi samples. Cleverly constructed skits woven throughout the songs add musical texture and layers of meaning: a changing radio dial mood-swings "Not Over You" from pretty and melancholic to comical, while the conversation that bookENDs "Ode to My Favorite Beer" turns it into a simultaneous examination of love, alcoholism and the creative process. Being African-American in Washington, D.C. has apparently given Ivey much to think about, as this album illustrates. --Suzanne McElfresh

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CD Reviews

Basehead review
Dokter Pogo | New Orleans | 02/29/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)

"One reviewer was right on in pointing out that this album came out years before Beck blew up. For those of you that haven't heard this yet, this album is filled with relaxed breakbeats, jangly guitars and singing about breaking up, drinking, bad hair, and the hope of a brand new day. The intro and outro tracks are funny as hell, and the samples are as much a part of the music as the vocals. They aren't thrown in just to spice up the music, they tell part of the story. This is a very easy album to get into, and I do believe that fans of any genre can listen to this and appreciate it. It's a shame that this album is relatively obscure, almost NEVER getting any radio play other than on the occasional college station. Help this talented man out and buy this album. I heard that he's a religious man now, but who knows...maybe with enough interest, he'll convert back to the dark side of Basehead."
A lazy, laid back classic
deltafront | Silverdale, WA United States | 12/25/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Take with maximum pharms, folks. This understated masterpiece is like the first "Friday;" massively blissed out, unassuming, and takes the world by storm. There has not been a CD like it since. Off-Kilter vocals, gently strummed guitars, and hillarious sample all drift in and out of consciousness. Thing is, this CD is a decade old, and every time I hear it, I am left thinking that it is still fresher than most of the music being released today. Dieu merci for the small labels."
Get the EMIGRE version, not the IMAGO version...if you can f
Kellryan | Portland, Oregon, USA | 10/25/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Get the original, deleted version of this album on Emigre Records. It was released months (maybe a year?) earlier on the Emigre label (a record label started by a font/typeface graphic design magazine of all things!) The original version of the album had samples that were deemed illegal by The Powers That Be, and several tracks had to be revamped a bit, one or two of them were changed VERY noticeably. Plus, the design and packaging was way better on the Emigre version, too. You can tell the difference immediately if you pull out the booklet: the Emigre version is on matte/rough paper with a different foldout...and the Imago one is glossy and slick to the touch. Don't get me wrong, the Imago version still rules...but...I prefer the original version, the way Mr. Ivey intended it. Oh, plus--do yerself a favor and pick up the "2000 B.C." CDsingle: the two 'remixes' (actually an alternate version and a cool live-ish funk version) are great, as is the bonus track "Can It Be?" Sweet stuff."