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Emergency On Planet Earth

Jamiroquai

1993
Emergency On Planet Earth
Album Summary

Emergency on Planet Earth is the debut studio album by English funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai, released on 14 June 1993 under Sony Soho Square. Prior its release, the band debuted in 1992 with "When You Gonna Learn" under Acid Jazz Records, and front-man Jay Kay was given a major-label deal with Sony Music. The album was produced as Kay formed the band and is characterised by its acid jazz foundations, layers of instrumentation and socially charged lyrics. Critical reviews of the album were generally positive and noted its 1970s stylings. It reached number one in the UK Albums Chart and sold over 1,200,000 copies worldwide. Its single "Too Young to Die" peaked at number 10 in the UK Singles Chart. A remastered version of the album was released in 2013 to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the album's release.

Wikipedia

Rating

3.25

Votes

7928
Genres
Funk

Reviews

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Wed Mar 17 2021
1

“Emergency on Planet Earth” by Jamiroquai (1993) I’ve never heard of this album or this group. Sounds like a white guy trying to make money pretending to be black. And sometimes what it sounds like is exactly what it is. Cultural appropriation at its worst. His faux Stevie Wonder impersonation is embarrassing. Derivative ripoff. I had to skip ahead. It got worse. This album screams. “Look at me! I’m British and I’m so fashionably and counterculturally cool! Buy my CD so I can pay my session musicians!” Good bass player. Nice fluegelhorn. Strings are terrible. There’s a lot that I could say about how poorly this was composed, arranged, performed, mastered, and mixed, but I just don’t want to. Regarding the, ah, lyrics—they lack poetry, and the social commentary is like skipping rocks on a fetid pond. The self awareness in his self aware lyrics is aware of a pretty silly self. “Blow Your Mind” should’ve been titled “Blow Your Alleged Mind”. This album SUCKS. 1/5

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Sat May 22 2021
4

I really enjoyed this album. This is a solid jam/jazz/funk/acid rock offering with lots to dig in to especially if you're musically inclined. The record was joyful and playful and featured impressive musicianship. I especially enjoyed the use of the synth which in no way made the music sound dated (as synths can do). Great record to put on to get people dancing as well.

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Sun May 23 2021
5

God dammnit this an incredible album. I really struggle to think of any other record that is this interesting AND funky. Out of control momentum that is impossible to stop moving to, I reckon you could power a small Dutch village with the energy this thing emits. Every single track is out of this world but my big highlights are Too Young to Die,and Revolution 1993 (Any track (in the demo) that includes "TAKE IT TO THE BRIDGE" is an obvious 5/5). Fricken sick lead break on Whatever It Is. There's even some bonus cuica in Music Of The Mind. Also my best friend the funky bell sound is back all over it but especially on the opening track and Too Young.

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Thu Feb 18 2021
3

Don't really have alot to say on this one. It's right in the middle of 3 for me. Nothing that really bothers me per se but nothing that really excites me too much either except maybe the use of the dijeridoo. It just makes me want to listen to Stevie Wonder instead.

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Wed May 12 2021
1

Jamiroquai is an artist I haven't really engaged with before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. This is an album that really draws into focus the fine line between appreciation and appropriation. Unfortunately, I feel like it's more the latter. While the funky grooves are fairly bespoke and well-made, I can't help but feel like the singer is cosplaying as Stevie Wonder circa 1972, and that makes me deeply uncomfortable. Why not just listen to Stevie, instead? The generic "socially conscious" lyrics feel more unintentionally Flight of the Conchords than Marvin Gaye. It's a disservice to all the Black artists they freely lift from. Further, the name (a lazy mashup of jam and Iroquois) and the Indigenous iconography used for the group's buffalo man logo just amplifies my disdain. I'll take a pass. Favourite track: "Blow Your Mind"

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Mon Feb 15 2021
4

I've never listened to Jamiroquai before and had no idea what to expect. But I was very positively surprised! It's an interesting mix of styles, nice to hear some rarely used instruments and a lot of variety.

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Thu Jun 10 2021
4

Great album, always loved Jamiroquai

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Fri Jan 14 2022
4

Cet album était de grande, il est en revanche dommage que Jamiroquai se soit endormi sur sa table de mixage. En effet, après 7 sons tous plus impressionnants les uns que les autres, Jami, ayant offert une folle énergie pendant ces plus de 30mn de musique, se trouve en effet un peu las. Le voilà qui se met donc à fermer les yeux quelques secondes pour reprendre ses esprits, mais ces quelques secondes se transformeront en de longues minutes. C'est dommageable, mais n'enlève rien à la qualité de l'album pré-sieste.

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Fri Jan 14 2022
4

Après une série catastrophique entamée juste après l'album culte de l'ultra-sexuel Marvin Gaye, la musique de bon goût vient de faire son retour dans le générateur par le biais de Jamiroquai. Pour l'anecdote, à la veille de la sortie de ce premier album, les membres du groupe fêtèrent leur futur succès lors d'une soirée particulièrement arrosée. Malheureusement pour eux, le chanteur ne s'arrêta jamais de gobeloter et s'endormit au petit matin sur la table de mixage allumée le cul à l'air. Résultat des courses : une fin d'album totalement cacophonique doublée d'un xylostome.

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Sun Jan 24 2021
5

Awesomely jazzy and poppy. Such a unique blend.

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Fri Jun 11 2021
5

Loved this- will listen to it again

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Thu Sep 09 2021
5

Funky, politically charged, enjoyable.

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Tue Nov 23 2021
5

Groovin, bumpin, funky, jive, etc. Fantastic

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Tue Nov 23 2021
5

Incredible disco/funk album, start to finish

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Sat Nov 27 2021
5

Groovy, funky and I was literally listening to this two days before it came up in the list. Great musicians playing great songs

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Fri Jan 07 2022
5

I knew I would love this before I even listened!

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Tue Jan 18 2022
5

Best Song: Too Young to Die. Dancy, groovy, with a hint of melancholy lyrics. Absolute jam. Worst Song: There isn't one. Overall: May more lyrically interesting than I expected, full of dark gems mixed with funky, high energy music that makes you want to move. Feels like the dance album for the apocalypse. "Death can seem to bear no relevance Bet you wished you'd danced to the music What you want to do is kill yourself Still you don't dance to the music"

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Wed Jun 23 2021
4

I really enjoyed this album. Modern Jazz with a hip beat.

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Thu Jan 14 2021
4

Fun vibes. Love that Jamiroquai sound!

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Mon Jun 14 2021
4

funky and fresh. I should have been listening to this when it came out. Already warranted a replay.

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Sat Dec 17 2022
3

An impressively funky debut from the QAnon Shaman, borrowing heavily from Stevie Wonder’s early-mid 70’s output.

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Mon Jun 21 2021
2

As a dance album this is great, for just easy listening it's lacking the variation in tempo and composition to make it more than background music.

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Thu Feb 11 2021
2

Kinda receptive boring, songs were too long, no saves, although it had some nice vocals at times 2.5

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Wed May 12 2021
1

I'm gonna have to side with Nick's review on Emergency on Planet Earth, as most of this album feels contrived, with Jamiroquai stepping into a style that was historically marketable. However, the historical appropriation of cultural music/stylings of black American musicians by white British musicians is well documented, so this whole project feels uncomfortable to listen to.

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Tue Mar 08 2022
1

1 point for the bassist. 0 points for everything else.

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Sat Apr 03 2021
5

I only listened to most of the album, but I already loved Jamiroquai, so it was good.

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Thu Nov 11 2021
5

I haven't heard much of Jamiroquai before now, but it's definitely better than I imagined. Everything has a good sound that always keeps up the vibe. Very nice music, more of something to just chill and groove to than keep on in the background, but I'm not complaining. And a late happy 25th to Traveling Without Moving!

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Tue Jan 11 2022
5

not a perfect straight through listen, but 5 for the course correction from metal this helped with!

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Fri Jan 21 2022
5

Very interesting, much more than I was expecting

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Sat Jan 29 2022
5

Great funk/jazz whatever this is I loved it

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Wed Mar 09 2022
5

Revolution was f****** amazing

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Fri Mar 25 2022
5

If you like Jazz , Funk, R&B. You need to check out this English band.Great to listen to !

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Mon May 09 2022
5

Funkiest '90s music I've ever heard. Rad.

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Tue May 10 2022
5

Cool jazz funk album, you can see their influence on some of the people like Bruno Mars and Anderson paak today, which is copl

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Mon Aug 29 2022
5

Loved this fusion of jazz, world and funk.

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Mon Sep 12 2022
5

Lo que se logra en este disco es algo muy especial y que a mí gusto lo hace lograr las 5 estrellas: Jazz, de ese que si lo toca Chick Corea o Chuck Mangione no sería ni siquiera mencionado en el mundo pop, pero de alguna manera cambian algo de la estructura, le agregan una voz moderna o yo qué se qué y PUM de pronto fue hit en MTV, llena conciertos de gente de otras generaciones y suenan frescos. El disco no tiene un minuto de aburrimiento y solo tal vez la versión extendida pueda sentirse demasiado, pero sus 10 tracks originales rifan duro.

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Tue Sep 13 2022
5

I will show my age and my whole ass here, but my only exposure to Jamiroquai (beyond in passing) was through Napoleon Dynamite. But honestly, I do really like this sound, and I was absolutely baffled by the amount of didgeridoo on a funk album!

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Fri Sep 16 2022
5

10/10 - based as fuck I don’t even care that this album came out 20 years later than it should have, it still sounds amazing it’s like if Stevie Wonder made a Thundercat album perfection🤌

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Wed Nov 02 2022
5

As a teen I was obsessed with Jamiroquai in the 1990s. I was probably too young to understand the charges of cultural appropriation many have levelled against them, and of accusations of Jay Kay being a white rip-off of Stevie Wonder. I listened again and preferred to listen with my innocent ears of the 90s. There is a sniff of hypocrisy when Kay passionately sings about environmental catastrophe, yet is a massive petrolhead. Yet beyond all of that, there is some fantastic musicianship on this album. Stuart Zender is an absolute bass wizard, some of these riffs are just too funky - it's a great shame he later fell out with Kay only 2 albums on. The late Toby Smith's keyboards are exquisite and there's even Wallis' digeridoo for something a bit different. For all the funk, it's a solid 5/5.

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Wed Nov 02 2022
5

First Jamiroquai album ive listened to all the way through, and it was alot more didgereedoo psychadelic weird that I expected it to be. However, thats never a bad thing. Overall, really enjoyed the album with some real gems in there and some solid grooves to simply relax to. My tops songs were If i like it, i do it and Blow your mind. Some sweet basslines with those even sweeter horn rhythms!

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Tue Nov 15 2022
5

Now this is what i call a really stylish funk acid jazz album. Dance to it music with a point. Excellent!!!

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Mon Nov 21 2022
5

Solid 4.5 . I love Jamiroquai unique talent

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Thu Nov 24 2022
5

This album is right down the middle for everything that I like. What a treat this was. Favorite track: Revolution 1993

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Sat Nov 26 2022
5

Snazzy jazzy groovy! A didgeridoo solo? You BET I’m in!

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Sat Nov 26 2022
5

Jamiroquai! When you want a 70s sound but not from the 70s. Really fun and funky grooves. I love it!

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Sat Nov 26 2022
5

So groovy and funky! Totally dug it!!

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Sat Nov 26 2022
5

I was first introduced to Jamiroquai by the iconic dance in "Napoleon Dynamite." I had assumed it was a 70s classic I had somehow missed along the way. Turns out I missed out on Jamiroquai throughout the 90s! How sad that was! How could this happen? This was funky and topical and fun! I'm sort of mad at myself for not pursuing this music after "Canned Heat" became a staple of my playlists. Feels like I missed my second chance then. But here we are, and I love this groovy music.

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Fri Dec 16 2022
5

Puts a skip in your step and a shake in yo booty

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Mon Dec 19 2022
5

sassy! i like it so far. i know he's a stevie wonder ripoff but he's fun.

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Tue Dec 20 2022
5

Some really good funk, let down only slightly by Jay Kay being a prick.

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Tue Dec 27 2022
5

Loved it on vinyl when it came out. Lifelong acid jazz fan. Met Jay. He was cool.

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Fri Jan 06 2023
5

Very enjoyable album. Not the biggest fan of pop music but I did enjoy this album. It has some unique and fun sounds that are very enjoyable.

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Tue Feb 21 2023
5

Longtime listener; longtime fan.

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Wed Feb 22 2023
5

I knew the moment that this album was generated for me today that I was going to have a great listening experience. My partner calls him “the twat in the hat”, and I can see why, but oh lordy I love his music. Songs I already knew: all of them to a degree Favourites: Too Young To Die, Emergency On Planet Earth, Didgin’ Out I really enjoy funk as a whole. It’s hard to not like! It’s music designed to make your rump shake, so if you don’t enjoy it it’s a sure fire way to find out that you have no soul. Jamiroquai masters the art of this. There is no point throughout this album where I didn’t want to dance. That’s not to say it all sounded the same because that would be very untrue, yet I still wanted to dance nonetheless. Overall, I obviously love it, and that says a lot considering there’s a load of didgeridoo in it.

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Tue Mar 14 2023
5

i enjoyed this despite its inexplicable fascination with the didgeridoo

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Tue Mar 21 2023
5

Just so fun and groovy. Beautiful rich vocals too

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Tue Mar 21 2023
5

unknown amazing record happy to be exposed to it

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Mon Apr 24 2023
5

One of the best soul and funky albums there is.

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Wed May 10 2023
5

Very good, funky, jazzy, soulful album brimming with energy. I'm eager to hear some more of Jamiroquai's albums though - I'm sure Travelling Without Moving will come up eventually. Honestly pretty much everything on Emergency On Planet Earth was totally new to me. But what a debut album this is! Despite the version I listened to being the 2 hour long 20th anniversary reissue, it was still thoroughly enjoyable throughout. Favourite: Too Young to Die

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Sun Jun 11 2023
5

Energetic, playful, poetically rich and engaging. Good to listen on a ride home, chilling, playing in the room, sunny day. Classic well-rounded and focused record from Jamiroquai. Danceable, chill meaningful all at the same time. It evokes emotions of rebellion, but with a twist of fun. If I like it, I do it; Music of the mind; Blow Your Mind; Revolution 1993 4.8/5

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Thu Jun 15 2023
5

Very enjoyable. I've heard a fair amount of Jamiroquai but never a studio album. Wow! That was funky, soulful & groovy. Feel good 70s vibe. I'll be listening to him during my workdays. 4.5 stars.

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Fri Jun 23 2023
5

Disco has evolved! The best word is groovy! Awesome sax, awesome flute, awesome bass, awesome voice, what's not to love?

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Thu Jun 29 2023
5

Jamiroquai must be one of my favourite artists and this album is fire

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Wed Jul 05 2023
5

So much funk and energy together with great bass lines is a five star album for sure!

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Tue Aug 22 2023
5

I nearly named my first born son Jamiroquai because of this album. Jommi for short. This is just just soaring music, the coolest, happiest beats..

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Wed Sep 06 2023
5

Forgot how good this was. I felt he was treated as a bit of a joke at the time with the bit hats and denise van outen etc but by god are there some great tunes on here.

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Fri Sep 08 2023
5

This album is funky as fuck. The main thing for me here is the absolutely brilliant instrumentation. Smooooth bass, funky psychedelic space keys, violin, sexy synth, trumpet! There's tons of great songs on here, but I also I love the extended musical interludes - really nice. And big shout out to the mixing on this record - it's top notch. I find the other commentary on here around appropriation so boring, if we're talking solely about the music of course. Are you not allowed to have influences anymore? Get over yourselves. You're a white British man JK, stay in your fucking lane. You should be more like someone like George Formby, play ukulele and sing some innocuous song about cleaning windows or something. Oh wait, the ukulele was from Portuguese origin and popularised in Hawaii... but... that's appropriation too! Is it too late to cancel George Formby? He's a monster! Rant aside... great album!

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Thu Sep 14 2023
5

Fantastic album full of dancey, funky, jazz influenced sounds. Songs that get into your head and stay there. This album could change your mood from depressed to energetically happy.

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Thu Nov 05 2020
4

It's pretty good but goes on a bit

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Sun Apr 25 2021
4

Great album. Some iffy songs later on but solid.

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Tue Feb 02 2021
4

Funky, good background music to work to.

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Thu Jan 14 2021
4

Toe tapping. Funky. Smooth. Nice sound stage. Decent instrumentals

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Sat Jan 30 2021
4

En del snuskigt bra här, verkligen. Han kan han, Jamiroquai. En del låtar lite för svaga för att bli ett “på väggen”-album, men fan det e ett najs album. Stark 4a!

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Thu Jan 14 2021
4

Good. Got a little tired towards the end

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Sun Jan 31 2021
4

Jazz pop interesting. Kinda diggin the vibes on this album

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Sun Jan 17 2021
4

Great. Nineties nostalgia trip

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Fri Jul 09 2021
4

Funky but honestly kinda boring. Still gonna give it an 8 just based on the sound.

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