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Posted by: Jade 7th October 2019, 05:09 PM

BASEMENT JAXX: THE SINGLES RATE



Basement Jaxx have provided us with their quirky style of house music for over 20 years now. They quickly built up a killer string of singles and put a compilation together of all the essentials up to 2005. 'The Singles' was a hugely successful move, as it topped the chart in the U.K. and has sold over a million copies.

Now... it's time to see what BuzzJack thinks of the songs on it! Please rate each one out of 10. You have one optional 11 and -1 in the mix too. The deadline is Monday 28th October 2019 at 23:59 UK time, three weeks from now, so that should be plenty of time to re-familiarise yourselves!

Let's go:

xx Red Alert
xx Good Luck
xx Romeo
xx Oh My Gosh
xx Bingo Bango
xx Where's Your Head At
xx Rendez-Vu
xx Jump n' Shout
xx Lucky Star
xx Plug It In
xx U Don't Know Me
xx Do Your Thing
xx Jus 1 Kiss
xx Flylife
xx Samba Magic

Spotify playlist:

Posted by: Jade 7th October 2019, 05:11 PM

So excited to see how this turns out! I feel like it could be fairly unpredictable at the top as they have so many highlights.

I plan to re-listen to the album on vinyl with its beautiful blue and yellow discs in the coming days

Posted by: dandy* 7th October 2019, 05:34 PM

I love this compilation - a shame they never updated it though as they had some pretty decent stuff after it was released also.

Posted by: Jade 7th October 2019, 05:34 PM

I agree! 'Raindrops' is one of my absolute favourites of theirs

(I think this is probably my all-time favourite dance related album nevertheless, soooo good)

Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 8th October 2019, 08:12 AM

10 Red Alert
09 Good Luck
06 Romeo
09 Oh My Gosh
11 Bingo Bango
06 Where's Your Head At
08 Rendez-Vu
08 Jump n' Shout
03 Lucky Star
09 Plug It In
07 U Don't Know Me
07 Do Your Thing
10 Jus 1 Kiss
08 Flylife
xx Samba Magic

I'll try and listen to that last one.

They've got some proper tunes in their arsenal.

Posted by: pippa 8th October 2019, 06:05 PM

07 Red Alert
09 Good Luck
08 Romeo
09 Oh My Gosh
08 Bingo Bango
11 Where's Your Head At
08 Rendez-Vu
08 Jump n' Shout
06 Lucky Star
08 Plug It In
08 U Don't Know Me
08 Do Your Thing
10 Jus 1 Kiss
06 Flylife
05 Samba Magic

Posted by: lewistgreen 8th October 2019, 06:27 PM

I’m intending to do a proper review of each track for this. It is literally my absolute favourite Greatest Hits and one of the best dance albums in a long while *.*

Posted by: gavindeejay 9th October 2019, 02:26 PM

I was going to post my rate up, but wasn't satisfied with what scores I was giving the songs so will have another listen to the album and post up my rates.

Posted by: Jester 9th October 2019, 06:22 PM

10 Red Alert
08 Good Luck
11 Romeo
10 Oh My Gosh
09 Bingo Bango
08 Where's Your Head At
10 Rendez-Vu
05 Jump n' Shout
04 Lucky Star
06 Plug It In
04 U Don't Know Me
07 Do Your Thing
10 Jus 1 Kiss
05 Flylife
03 Samba Magic

Posted by: Nick F1 9th October 2019, 07:03 PM

7 Red Alert
10 Good Luck
7.5 Romeo
11 Oh My Gosh
7 Bingo Bango
7.5 Where's Your Head At
7 Rendez-Vu
6.5 Jump n' Shout
8 Lucky Star
10 Plug It In
10 U Don't Know Me
6 Do Your Thing
7 Jus 1 Kiss
8 Flylife
7.5 Samba Magic

Posted by: dandy* 9th October 2019, 07:55 PM

I'll do the proper rate later but I have to shout out for these too...

08 Hush Boy
09 Take Me Back To Your House
09 Hey U
09 Raindrops
07 My Turn
08 Mere Pass
10 4 My People Remix
09 Cold Shoulder Remix
07 She Wants To Move Remix
07 Mermaid of Bahia
07 Yodel Song

Posted by: lewistgreen 9th October 2019, 08:01 PM

Gah that Cold Shoulder Remix is amazing. Haven’t heard it in ages! Kiss used to play it all the time

Posted by: lewistgreen 13th October 2019, 11:26 AM

Thank you Jade for doing this!

This is absolutely one of the best Greatest Hits albums I own and actually one of the first I bought when I started getting into dance music properly in 2005. I remember buying it from Asda on the day it came out :') I got the 2 Disc edition at the time, but I lost that so only have the single CD version now.

Boo at Get Me Off being excluded because that was a great single from Rooty and even though its chart impact was minimal it still went Top 40! Cish Cash should've been a single too, it got a video (and is included on the counterpart DVD release to this The Videos) so I think the intention was maybe there but they'd clearly decided to end that era and get ready for this to be released.

11 Red Alert
The first song I ever heard from them and probably the same for many others (I had always thought this was their debut until this came out ) and is their best track without a doubt. The video used to scare me as a kid but it has such a stomping production and a fantastic groove that it deserves its 11 points!

09 Good Luck
Lisa Kekaula is such a powerhouse on this track and the backing track sounds like nothing else that was released in 2003/4. As soon as that 'TELL ME, TELL ME' comes in I'm hooked.

08 Romeo
I liked the switch up of the vibe of this record and the chorus is catchy af. Kele Le Roc does a fantastic job at delivering the vocals.

10 Oh My Gosh
Released as the lead single from this GH, it was great to have something brand new for this and now stands the test of time as one of their best tracks. I had no idea who Vula was until this came out but she certainly suited the vibe of their music. And yes, we do see that boy standing over there

10 Bingo Bango
This song is just an absolute hoot with a fantastic carnival vibe and the production just shines through. This firmly cemented their 'Basement Jaxx' sound for being so quirky and interesting.

07 Where's Your Head At
A bit of a racket, but still great nonetheless. The video cracks me up with those monkeys and to be fair the song immediately gets stuck in my head whenever I hear it.

06 Rendez-Vu
This is probably my least favourite song from the Remedy era, but it was clearly a favourite amongst the public as this is still their highest charting single to date! Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy hearing it but the almost mumbly vocal production doesn't do that much for me.

09 Jump n' Shout
Woo this is one track I really didn't remember at the time of getting the album so hearing this then, and now, was a pleasant surprise. It's crazy! Slarta John's lyricism baffles me to this day but I can't help bop along.

10 Lucky Star
This was very much my introduction to Dizzee Rascal in 2003 and it is definitely a Basement Jaxx song through and through. I've mentioned the production a lot throughout this rate, but this is just that song that defines how unique they are.

08 Plug It In
Who'd have thought they'd get an ex-NSYNC member to appear on a track, but they did! An intriguing song with another odd video to boot. Plug It In was a song that wasn't really on my radar at the time of the release but is definitely a standout single from the Kish Kash era.

09 U Don't Know Me
This is one that has just got better and better over time and I definitely prefer this version that was included on the GH instead of the Jaxxhouz Remix for the single release. Again, Lisa Kekaula just smashes it out of the park. The great thing about the single release was the video with the lookalike Queen going on a partying rampage

10 Do Your Thing
Originally included as part of the Rooty era and then re-released as the third and final single of this GH, Do Your Thing still stands the test of time as being one of the duo's best singles.

05 Jus 1 Kiss
One of the weaker singles of the Rooty era, but definitely still enjoyable.

08 Flylife
I thought this was just tacked on at the end of the album as a bonus track or something so was surprised to see this was actually their first charting single from back in 1997! It's swooping production is fantastic.

07 Samba Magic
Their debut single from 10 years previously in 1995, it has a great vibe and finishes the album nicely as a throwback.

---

11 Red Alert
09 Good Luck
08 Romeo
10 Oh My Gosh
10 Bingo Bango
07 Where's Your Head At
06 Rendez-Vu
09 Jump n' Shout
10 Lucky Star
08 Plug It In
09 U Don't Know Me
10 Do Your Thing
05 Jus 1 Kiss
08 Flylife
07 Samba Magic

Posted by: Jade 13th October 2019, 11:33 AM

Every 11 so far is unique *.*

No problem lewis! I enjoyed reading your commentary and seeing a high score for 'Do Your Thing'

Posted by: Jade 13th October 2019, 03:40 PM

-ruins the unique 11s streak-

11 Red Alert
08 Good Luck
09 Romeo
10 Oh My Gosh
09 Bingo Bango
10 Where's Your Head At
10 Rendez-Vu
08 Jump n' Shout
08 Lucky Star
07 Plug It In
07 U Don't Know Me
10 Do Your Thing
07 Jus 1 Kiss
08 Flylife
08 Samba Magic

God bless this album and its beautiful vinyl

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Posted by: TheSnake 13th October 2019, 03:56 PM

Posted by: dobbo 13th October 2019, 04:16 PM

10 Red Alert
09 Good Luck
11 Romeo
07 Oh My Gosh
06 Bingo Bango
09 Where's Your Head At
07 Rendez-Vu
08 Jump n' Shout
02 Lucky Star
10 Plug It In
05 U Don't Know Me
00 Do Your Thing
01 Jus 1 Kiss
-1 Flylife
03 Samba Magic

Posted by: Tones and Iz 14th October 2019, 01:55 AM

10 Red Alert
07 Good Luck
09 Romeo
11 Oh My Gosh
10 Bingo Bango
08 Where's Your Head At
08 Rendez-Vu
07 Jump n' Shout
09 Lucky Star
10 Plug It In
05 U Don't Know Me
08 Do Your Thing
06 Jus 1 Kiss
08 Flylife
09 Samba Magic

I'd give Raindrops so much too, it's between that and Oh My Gosh for their best, though the other 10s are strong af

Posted by: Bloodjerdling 14th October 2019, 08:49 PM

Thanks everyone for the rates so far *.* still two weeks to submit one!

Posted by: Bloodjerdling 21st October 2019, 08:44 AM

One week left to submit a rate!

Posted by: Bjork 21st October 2019, 08:49 AM

I bought this back in the day and played it a lot, still remember most of them except the ones at the end of the album,
will re-listen and do the ranking later

Posted by: Euphorique 22nd October 2019, 03:35 PM

08 Red Alert
07 Good Luck
10 Romeo
07 Oh My Gosh
11 Bingo Bango
-1 Where's Your Head At
09 Rendez-Vu
03 Jump n' Shout
10 Lucky Star
08 Plug It In
06 U Don't Know Me
04 Do Your Thing
06 Jus 1 Kiss
05 Flylife
05 Samba Magic

Posted by: Sleepy Rollo 26th October 2019, 12:49 PM

09 Red Alert
05 Good Luck
04 Romeo
02 Oh My Gosh
08 Bingo Bango
11 Where's Your Head At
07 Rendez-Vu
08 Jump n' Shout
01 Lucky Star
06 Plug It In
03 U Don't Know Me
07 Do Your Thing
03 Jus 1 Kiss
10 Flylife
02 Samba Magic

Posted by: Jess Glynne 26th October 2019, 03:48 PM

10 Red Alert
10 Good Luck
11 Romeo
10 Oh My Gosh
08 Bingo Bango
09 Where's Your Head At
08 Rendez-Vu
06 Jump n' Shout
04 Lucky Star
09 Plug It In
04 U Don't Know Me
08 Do Your Thing
07 Jus 1 Kiss
xx Flylife
xx Samba Magic

Will get on those last two later!

Posted by: Bréxit 26th October 2019, 04:43 PM

9.5 Red Alert
9 Good Luck
7 Romeo
8 Oh My Gosh
9.5 Bingo Bango
11 Where's Your Head At
8 Rendez-Vu
9 Jump N' Shout
7 Lucky Star
8.5 Plug It In
6 U Don't Know Me
9 Do Your Thing
7 Jus 1 Kiss
9 Flylife
7.5 Samba Magic

'Flylife' was a great discovery *.*

Posted by: Bloodjerdling 27th October 2019, 11:33 PM

A little over 24 hours left to submit rates / amend any blanks!

Posted by: gavindeejay 28th October 2019, 07:30 AM

10 Red Alert
09 Good Luck
09 Romeo
09 Oh My Gosh
11 Bingo Bango - Such an underrated track
10 Where's Your Head At - The video for this is very clever
06 Rendez-Vu
05 Jump n' Shout
05 Lucky Star
09 Plug It In
07 U Don't Know Me
08 Do Your Thing
06 Jus 1 Kiss
08 Flylife
10 Samba Magic

All in all a very strong selection of tracks. Perfect listening for the weekend!

Posted by: Bjork 28th October 2019, 12:23 PM

09 Red Alert
11 Good Luck
09 Romeo
09 Oh My Gosh
08 Bingo Bango
09 Where's Your Head At
07 Rendez-Vu
07 Jump n' Shout
05 Lucky Star
08 Plug It In
07 U Don't Know Me
05 Do Your Thing
05 Jus 1 Kiss
07 Flylife
06 Samba Magic

Posted by: danG 28th October 2019, 04:23 PM

10 Red Alert
09 Good Luck
10 Romeo
08 Oh My Gosh
10 Bingo Bango
11 Where's Your Head At
08 Rendez-Vu
06 Jump n' Shout
04 Lucky Star
06 Plug It In
04 U Don't Know Me
08 Do Your Thing
05 Jus 1 Kiss
06 Flylife
07 Samba Magic

Posted by: Bloodjerdling 28th October 2019, 08:24 PM

Great to see 15 rates so far! Any others?

Posted by: dandy* 28th October 2019, 08:57 PM

10 Red Alert
10 Good Luck
07 Romeo
09 Oh My Gosh
10 Bingo Bango
08 Where's Your Head At
10 Rendez-Vu
08 Jump n' Shout
03 Lucky Star
08 Plug It In
05 U Don't Know Me
11 Do Your Thing
06 Jus 1 Kiss
08 Flylife
07 Samba Magic

Posted by: RabbitFurCoat 28th October 2019, 09:14 PM

08 Red Alert
10 Good Luck
07 Romeo
11 Oh My Gosh
06 Bingo Bango
05 Where's Your Head At
08 Rendez-Vu
08 Jump n' Shout
08 Lucky Star
10 Plug It In
06 U Don't Know Me
08 Do Your Thing
07 Jus 1 Kiss
05 Flylife
06 Samba Magic

Posted by: SevenSeize 28th October 2019, 09:51 PM

10 Red Alert
08 Good Luck
08 Romeo
09 Oh My Gosh
10 Bingo Bango
11 Where's Your Head At
10 Rendez-Vu
08 Jump n' Shout
08 Lucky Star
09 Plug It In
05 U Don't Know Me
07 Do Your Thing
07 Jus 1 Kiss
05 Flylife
07 Samba Magic

Posted by: Bloodjerdling 29th October 2019, 12:00 AM

Thanks to everyone who submitted rates before the official deadline - I'm happy with the turnout!