Emergency On Planet Earth
Jamiroquai
1993
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“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
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.
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.
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.
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"
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.
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.
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.
Groovy, funky and I was literally listening to this two days before it came up in the list. Great musicians playing great songs
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"
funky and fresh. I should have been listening to this when it came out. Already warranted a replay.
An impressively funky debut from the QAnon Shaman, borrowing heavily from Stevie Wonder’s early-mid 70’s output.
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.
Kinda receptive boring, songs were too long, no saves, although it had some nice vocals at times 2.5
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.
I only listened to most of the album, but I already loved Jamiroquai, so it was good.
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!
not a perfect straight through listen, but 5 for the course correction from metal this helped with!
If you like Jazz , Funk, R&B. You need to check out this English band.Great to listen to !
Cool jazz funk album, you can see their influence on some of the people like Bruno Mars and Anderson paak today, which is copl
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.
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!
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🤌
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.
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!
Now this is what i call a really stylish funk acid jazz album. Dance to it music with a point. Excellent!!!
This album is right down the middle for everything that I like. What a treat this was. Favorite track: Revolution 1993
Jamiroquai! When you want a 70s sound but not from the 70s. Really fun and funky grooves. I love it!
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.
sassy! i like it so far. i know he's a stevie wonder ripoff but he's fun.
Some really good funk, let down only slightly by Jay Kay being a prick.
Loved it on vinyl when it came out. Lifelong acid jazz fan. Met Jay. He was cool.
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.
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.
i enjoyed this despite its inexplicable fascination with the didgeridoo
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!
Funky but honestly kinda boring. Still gonna give it an 8 just based on the sound.
Jimiroquai Broadbent knows how much this slaps... Nah seriously, it's super cheesy, it's definitely of its time, and Jay Kay is an asshole. But I can't deny that this album is loaded with a fair few bops.
It's a decent album with some good tunes. Bit sullied by how much of a bell Jay kay became. Gets a bit samey towards the end
8/10 wasn't anything crazy but it was musically interesting and a fun listen. i'll be honest when i saw it was a british funk band i was skeptical but they did a good job.
Past perfect bij het weer, deze plaat! Had wel iets korter gemogen, op den duur wist ik het wel.
I really like the first song when you gonna learn. I also like too young to die
I can't claim I listened to the whole thing (two hours what) but I did listen to a lot of it. Acid jazz is a real genre-bending kind of music and this album really takes it to the next level. I think there's a didgeridoo in the first song? It's cool, not much more to say.
This was great! Ashamed to admit I'd never heard any Jamiroquai before but this was quality.
Embarrassingly I'd only been familiar with the band's "hits" so was happy to give a deeper dive here. Didn't know this was their debut album and *wow* - elements of 70s Stevie Wonder and Herbie Hancock combined with 90s production... Perfect instrumentation - the horns, Rhodes piano, percussion... My initial favourite is "Whatever It Is, I Just Can't Stop" holymoly. That growly bass is the bomb. This is the first strong 4 i'm giving to something I'd never heard before - this will get many many listens.
Honestly, I was ready to go into this and hate it. I remember Jamiroquai as a schmucky doofus who had that Virtual Insanity song and the cool video where he was walking funny on a multi plane treadmill. This record is more akin to a funk protest record, and with a couple quibbles I have in a couple spots this is entirely listenable and would be great background music for a party and would fit into a playlist with the likes of Stevie Wonder or Parliment. Nice surprise.