This song, Missing as remixed by Todd Terry, was an enormous hit for Everything But the Girl in 1995. It was ubiquitous. You couldn't leave the house without hearing it. Or stay in the house for that matter. As a result familiarity led to contempt. When I hear it now twenty two years later, especially when played at some volume in a shop say, it sounds good and transports me back to my mid 20s in the mid 90s.
As a song it's a fairly standard and simple remix job, Terry adding on the New York deep house vibes and clattering drumbeat but it works as happy/sad dance music, the upbeat drums against Tracey's vocals and lyrics.
Missing (Club Mix)
5 comments:
The Walking Wounded album which they did next, as an electronic duo, is one of my favourite albums of the era. It was fairly obvious Ben Watt was actually into what was happening to the music, rather than bandwagon jumping. Lots of space for the Voice as well. Proper old fashioned lyrical songwriting doesn't always work with electronics for me, but Walking Wounded manages it, at least on the singles. I remember Ben Watt talking about jungle/dnb and comparing the rhythms and cut ups to jazz. And you can hear it on his take on it. It's a loop away from having a Jazz Club Drum Solo.
That's better than what I wrote Simon. Thank you.
Good point you make about familiarity breeding contempt.
I do like this single but in now more than 10 years I haven't been able to find a way to post it up at my place. I think it's down to being annoyed at how big a hit it was when so many of their tremendous 45s were flops.
I learned a long time ago to give Missing, as remixed by Todd Terry, its due. I love the song. SA, you are right, it is a standard Todd Terry NYC House mix, but THAT is exactly what was appropriate for it. All too often remixes mess with the the speed/pitch of the vocals to fit the remixer's beats - this completely aggravates me and did EBTG as well. They handed the song to TT, Chris + James, Little Joey and Ultramarine, with the proviso that they NOT mess with Tracey's vocals to fit the BPM. This is what makes these remixes so successful...I have to say I am just as enamored of the Chris + James Full On Club Mix as TT's it has an amazing Big Room feel.
Funny thing is that just a year later, as a cash in by their label, Blanco Y Negro/Warner Brothers, Terry was asked by the label, not the band, to remix of Driving and he did exactly what they didn't want, he changed the pitch of Tracey's vocals to fit his beats. Consequently, the band disowned the remix. The Masters At Work Racing Mix is much more successful.
was great at the time but even now over-playing makes me shy away from it. Unfair perhaps but that's how it is sometimes.
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