The remix collection that complements
Original Jam Sessions 1969 has a handful of stunners, with the rest of the tracks being groovy enough, if only because of
Bill Cosby and
Quincy Jones' original recordings.
Herbert mucks everything up on his track, making
Quincy's band sound both death metal and amusement-park carousel.
Cornershop relate the wacka-wacka guitar to the sitar in their mix, while
Bedrock and
Said Mrad both take the deep and creeping noir route with great results.
Mix Master Mike and
Cosby's rap on "Hikky-Burr" sound like a match made in funk heaven, but the turntable master doesn't do much more than scratch over the original track. Everything else is more pleasing than memorable, with few of the remixers willing to really mess with master
Quincy's groove. One has to wonder if Concord would've been better off calling on more hip-hop talent. Maybe they would've gone deeper into the funk, but these light-touch and bright remixes make for an enjoyable afternoon poolside if
Thievery Corporation and their ilk are your thing. ~ David Jeffries