CRYSTAL METHOD celebrates 10 years of "Vegas"

Congratulations to Crystal Method... my personal favorite Big Beat dance artists! The duo's debut album, Vegas, was a total landmark in dance music and introduced American audiences to the UK dance sound of Prodigy and Fatboy Slim. And just in time for its 10th anniversary (can you believe it's been that long??) the album just went platinum! Which, of course, is rare for any electronic album in the states.


I loooved this album back when I was in high school. I remember it was one of my earliest introductions to "harder" electronic music... stuff that went beyond the dance-pop sound I was used to on the radio. Granted, they had some radio songs... like "Busy Child" and "Trip Like I Do." But this was the CD I would throw on in my first car (a '99 Dodge Neon... don't be jealous! haha) and cruise to when I was getting ready for a Friday night. Random sidenote: I actually discovered it cause the song "Comin' Back" played in the background of a party scene in the horror movie Urban Legend, which I totally loved at the time. I remember thinking "what song is this?? It's awesome!" Now bear in mind the concept of Googling lyrics was still a novelty at this time. Haha. So I had to wait for the end credits of the movie, and try to narrow down which of the songs they listed might be the one.

Glad I took the time to do that, or I would never have discovered "Vegas"!

Soooo to celebrate Crystal Method has released a double-disc Anniversary edition of "Vegas." The first disc is a remastered version of the original "Vegas" tracklisting, and the second is new remixes, live versions, and music videos for two of their biggest hits... "Busy Child," and my fave... "Comin' Back."

The album also has sweet liner notes that give inside facts and trivia on the making of the songs. Such as...

* The seductive female voice on "Trip Like I Do" is an actual sample from an answering machine message Scott Kirkland (one half of the Crystal Method duo) got from his girlfriend.

* The vocalist on "Comin' Back" is Trixie Reiss. The same diva who is now riding high as part of electro-pop outfit Tricky Bizness!


Trixie as part of new act Tricky Bizness

* "Keep Hope Alive" was inspired by Jesse Jackson's speech at the 1992 Democratic Convention. (Listen closely and you can hear snippets in the background)

Ten years and it still holds up strong. Classic!

What happens in "Vegas" stays in... aww, you know the rest ;)

JOHNNY