MC 900 Ft Jesus / One Step Ahead of the Spider
Artist MC 900 Ft Jesus
Album Title: One Step Ahead of the Spider
Album Cover:
Primary Genre Electronica/Dance: Trip Hop
Format CD
Released 06/28/1994
Label American Recordings/Warner Bros
Catalog No 9 45560-2
Bar Code No 0 9362-45560-2 2
Packaging Jewelcase
Tracks
1. New Moon (11:41)
2. But If You Go (5:38)
3. If I Only Had a Brain (3:47)
4. Stare and Stare (6:59)
5. Buried at Sea (4:46)
6. Tiptoe Through the Inferno (4:50)
7. Gracias Pepe (3:44)
8. New Year's Eve (3:43)
9. Bill's Dream (8:15)
10. Rhubarb (3:10)
Date Acquired 07/15/1994
Personal Rating
Acquired from Northern Lights
Purchase Price 8.75

Web Links

All Music Guide entry:
Discogs entry:
MusicBrainz entry:

Notes

© ℗ 1994 American Recordings
All songs, © 1994 Household Crow (ASCAP) except:
"Stare and Stare" © 1971 Camad Music (BMI)
"Buried at Sea" © 1994 Household Crow (ASCAP)/DJ Zero Music (BMI)
"Gracías Pepé" © 1994 Household Crow (ASCAP)
Vernon Reid appears courtesy of Epic Records
Insert is an 8 page booklet listing lyrics, credits, song durations, and various artwork.
Art Direction, Photography By – RIchard Krall
Backing Vocals – Analisa Ripke
Bass – Drew Phelps
Congas, Percussion – Mike Dillon
Design [Graphic Design] – Chris Hipp
Drums – Earl Harvin, Jr.
Engineer – Rick Rooney
Guitar, Keyboards, Trumpet – Mark Griffin
Illustration – Greg Contestabile
Mastered By – Stephen Marcussen
Piano – Dave Palmer
Producer – Mark Griffin
Tabla [Tablas] – Nikhil Pandya
Tambura [Tamboura] – Rajiv Chakravarti
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Flute – Chris McGuire
Manufactured By – WEA Manufacturing
Pressed By – Specialty Records Corporation
Phonographic Copyright (p) – American Recordings
Copyright (c) – American Recordings
Published By – Camad Music
Published By – Household Crow
Published By – DJ Zero Music
Recorded At – Planet Dallas Studios
Mixed At – Planet Dallas Studios
Mastered At – Precision Mastering
Barcode (Text): 0 9362-45560-2 2
Barcode (String): 0093624556022
Matrix / Runout (Variant 1): [Specialty Records Corporation "S" logo] 1 45560-2 SRC**01 M2S1
Matrix / Runout (Variant 2): [Specialty Records Corporation "S" logo] 1 45560-2 SRC**01 M2S2
Matrix / Runout (Variant 3): [Specialty Records Corporation "S" logo] 1 45560-2 SRC**01 M2S3
Matrix / Runout (Variant 4): 1 45560-2 SRC**01 M2S4
Rights Society: ASCAP
Rights Society: BMI
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Analyzed Folder: MC 900 Ft Jesus - One Step Ahead Of The Spider_dr.txt
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DR         Peak       RMS        Filename                      
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR11       -0.77 dB   -15.10 dB  01 - New Moon.flac            
DR13       -0.11 dB   -14.32 dB  02 - But If You Go.flac      
DR10       -0.08 dB   -11.85 dB  03 - If I Only Had A Brain.flac
DR12       -0.12 dB   -14.71 dB  04 - Stare And Stare.flac    
DR10       -0.54 dB   -11.64 dB  05 - Buried At Sea.flac      
DR11       -0.09 dB   -13.19 dB  06 - Tiptoe Through The Inferno.flac
DR10       -0.14 dB   -12.51 dB  07 - Gracías Pepé.flac      
DR12       -0.11 dB   -14.67 dB  08 - New Year's Eve.flac      
DR10       -0.38 dB   -12.06 dB  09 - Bill's Dream.flac        
DR11       -0.18 dB   -15.27 dB  10 - Rhubarb.flac            
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Number of Files: 10
Official DR Value: DR11
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Reviews
AllMusic Review by Daniel Gioffre:

With a tamboura drone and an insistent bass ostinato, One Step Ahead of the Spider opens with a sound reminiscent of Mahavishnu John McLaughlin's My Goals Beyond, but the spoken word narration that commences soon afterwards (mostly courtesy of singer-guitarist Mark Griffin) places this record in completely different territory. The vocals on this record are often quite entertaining, as in "Tiptoe Through the Inferno" (sample lyric: "Do not make the mistake of believing that I am the person who is speaking to you now/I am not; that is to say N-O-T/This is an indisputable fact that has been scientifically proven"), but sometimes the drawled delivery and shaky pitch don't work. A good example of this is the band's cover of Curtis Mayfield's "Stare and Stare," where the presence of guitar virtuoso Vernon Reid helps to liven up the slightly awkward vocal performance by Griffin. However, the emphasis on One Step Ahead of the Spider is most definitely the groove and, with drummer Earl Harvin, Jr. assisted by Mike Dillon and Nikhil Pandya (on congas and tablas, respectively), the vibe is somewhere in between Bitches Brew and a neo-hippie drum circle, with a little '70s funk thrown into the mix for good measure. The Miles Davis connection really becomes obvious on "Bill's Dream," which sounds for all the world like an outtake from In a Silent Way. The almost ambient album-closer "Rhubarb" is a strong, enchanting song, with vocals that sound like they were recorded on a boom box. The cryptic conversation heard on this track closes the album out with a mysterious vibe, mirroring the haunting opener, "New Moon." One Step Ahead of the Spider is an eclectic mix of serious and humorous elements, of hipper-than-thou narration and funk-trance instrumentation, making for a unique sound. It's not a bad album by any means, but there is a bit of a dearth of really strong ideas to go with the creative concept. Worth searching out.
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