Sneaker Pimps

PIMPIN!!!! lol 6 under is the best! This is for the people who listend to them back in the day.

I've had this cd forever but recently put it on my iPod and started listening to it again. I know there's so much debate about what "trip hop" really is - to me this album is definitely trip hop. It's dark and sexy but not too out there that you can't listen to it in the car. The songs are almost pop but the music really makes it work - the acoustic guitar and heavy bass beat on "Post-Modern Sleaze" is SO good. If you haven't heard this definitely give it a listen.

an ex boyfriend of mine got me into this band a couple of years ago, and since then i have had many copies of this particular cd, and recently i had to replace it yet again when it mysteriously dissapeared from my apartment.. its a great, funky cd and im very dissapointed that the original female lead singer left.. i just havent been able to get into their new male lead singer line up since, and highly doubt ill ever buy any other of their cds.. this album is very full of trippy, electronic sounding tracks, kind of reminds me a bit of progressive techno in a way.. my alltime favorite tracks on here of course are 6 underground, and tesko suicide, but all together, every track is great.. i love how the female singers voice sounds like shes begging, pleading in a coy, seductive manner, almost begging you not to put the cd away... anyway, you should really check this album out, great listening material... oh, one more thing, im not too big on the remix of 6 underground, the last track, its faster than the original version... i dont reccomend it.... but hey, im not everyone either.. deffintley check it out....

this is groundbreaking in my book. subverse and whimsical, sensual yet sonic. see also massive attack and imogen heap. slick stuff

Love this CD. Not the kind of music I normally go for, but some good tracks.

Not a gem in the mix. Becoming X stays on top. Spin spin suggar great. This ones dull. Bring back the original female singer.

Well of course if you don't like the Sneaker Pimps your taste in music sucks and this is another good one from them..

This just isn't the Sneaker Pimps sound - unlike Becoming X - that was awesome. I found a few tracks okay, but I won't be purchasing this CD because it only lets me down. It just doesn't work for me. I do hope they come out with another CD and familiar sound as the CD Becoming X - until then,,,I'll stick with my old sneaker pimps CD.

This CD is, in essence, not from the same band you have heard recorded on the masterful album Becoming X. Having parted ways with Kelli Dayton (now Kelli Ali), their first highly definitive lead singer, the Sneaker Pimps underwent a sort of reinvention. While their initial sound was extremely bass heavy, eerie, and focused less on guitar-range notation, Bloodsport finds itself in a drastically less dark ambience. Rather than the sexy club mystique of old, this CD offers a much more cynical perspective.

This is a rather successful venture: from the outset, songs like "Kiro TV" and "Small Town Witch" are driving and powerful, with enough traces of trip hop left to feed your hunger for some dance grooves. Where their original moody dance sound has become less prevalent, however, it has been replaced by tinges of alternative rock and post-grunge, especially in the case of songs like "Sick". This is a daunting change for the Sneaker Pimps, who were so capable in their previous trip hop ambience. But it seems to have worked, because the album is quite coherent and cohesive, rarely if ever falling into tangential realms of sound past or future.

There are what I consider to be a couple of weak points in the songs "Black Sheep" and "The Fuel", however, which may simply be because they represent the unsuccessful return to the slow mood of the Sneaker Pimps' older material. In this setting, especially through Chris Corner's voice, the songs become dryly emotional in such a way as to bore to death. Say what you will about the raw emotion brought by Corner's voice, but electronic tracks such as these are unjustifiably slow and moody without any emotional return to the listener. One feels a certain blandness rather than the sympathy that ought to be desired. The lyrics add to the dead-ballad feel, succeeding elsewhere in the album but in these songs falling flat on their faces.

But in spite of these small failings, this is a good album. Those who loved Kelli Ali's bubblegum stylings with the Sneaker Pimps and the dark, rich trip hop feel she brought the band will probably be disappointed, but this band deserves better than to have those expectations imposed upon a wholly different lineup. Look at this recording as coming from a separate artist and it will be much easier to enjoy, and ultimately quite worth the time.

The Sneaker Pimps will probably never write another song as good as "6 Underground", the mod-rock hit from their 1996 debut BECOMING X. But aside from that track and a few others, the album itself was fairly lackluster. The followup, 1999's SPLINTER, wasn't even released Stateside. Boldly jettisoning lead singer Kelli Dayton shortly before releasing SPLINTER was seen as a bad move by most of the music press, not to mention the fans. For a while it seemed like the band were destined to be a one-hit wonder.

Whether the shift in group dynamic was the catalyst needed to spark the creative burst of BLOODSPORT isn't known, but what's clear is that the Sneaker Pimps have improved immeasurably in terms of songwriting. The tunes on BLOODSPORT are everything BECOMING X's album tracks weren't: fully fleshed-out pop songs with hook, melody, and weight. The whole album is solid from start to finish, but highlights include "Sick", "Loretta Young Silks", "Small Town Witch", and the moody electro title track. Vocalist Chris Corner's world-weary rasp is a perfect fit for these downtempo numbers, and though Dayton had more charisma, Corner is the ultimately the right voice for these songs.

BLOODSPORT is a terrific about-face from a band once in the gutter. Pick it up and savor the sound of inspiration renewed.

i love this cd all songs on it rocks i listien while i play games and wash dishes.

Immortal Records executive producer Happy Walters was responsible for killing the long-standing feud between rock and hip-hop when he coordinated the production for the soundtrack to 1993's "Judgement Night", which was critically-lauded for its unorthodox tag-teaming of acts of both genres. Walters decided to try the same concept for "Spawn", the 1997 live-action flim adapted from creator Todd MacFarlane's Marvel Comic. This time out, he put together established acts from both hard rock and electronica, and the results here were equally as memorable if not terrific.

Filter & The Crystal Method ("[Can't You] Trip Like I Do"), Marilyn Manson & Sneaker Pimps ("Long Hard Road Out Of Hell"), Mansun & 808 State ("Skin Up Pin Up"), and ButHole Surfers & Moby ("Tiny Rubberbands") are dark but solid tracks to keep an ear on. Two very key tracks that standout (and are the best on the entire record, I feel) belong to Metallica & DJ Spooky ("For Whom The Bell Tolls [The Irony Of It All]") and Prodigy & Tom Morello ("One Man Army"). The former for its blend of anger and sadness and the latter for the brilliant guitar wizardry of Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello (also of AudioSlave).

The only track I had intense trouble with was "T-4 Strain" by Goldie & Henry Rollins. Uneven and repetitive at times. Same goes for the closing track from Soul Coughing & Roni Size, but theirs is five times better than the Goldie/Rollins offering. As a black male who loves rock music, as well as my hip-hop & R&B, I am proud to say that this is one soundtrack I still play with to this day when the feeling hits me.

"Spawn", despite its flaws, was a solid and satisfying follow-up to "Judgment Night" and created an alternative way to release built-up tension by blending classic hard-rock riffs with electronic beats to give you the ultimate experience in a digital headbangers ball. - DEM -

Thanks to the pioneering work done Rick Rubin et al. back in the day, the very idea of mixing dance and hard-rock has become the norm these days. Ten years back, however, it was not as widely accepted nor as likely to be a commercial success, thus the decision to produce an album of some of the hardest rockers and phatest beat-meisters was a risky one. Couple that with the usual unpredictable nature of soundtrack sales and you could have been looking at both an artistic and commercial white-elephant. Is that the case, here? Definitely not so! What we have here is perhaps the best ever example of dance-rock fusion. An outstandingly original selection of both tunes and pairings; fourteen solid tracks all uniquely original yet which all somehow see, to come together under a common theme, a common sense. Brilliant. What continues to amaze me is that nearly a decade after its release I still enjoy listening to this CD as though I just bought it yesterday, it is timeless excellence and a record that should be in the collection of anyone who appreciates great music, music without boundaries. All in all I cannot convey the staggering excellence of this varied offering, take a listen for yourself, if you like progressive music or dance-based rhythms, I am certain you won't be disappointed.
N.B. Incidentally if you are looking for a CD to run to or cycle to, then this is the CD for you. Go out for a ride with this plugged in your ears and you'll cycle twice as fast! Guaranteed!

Personal favourites:
Track #6. For Whom The Bell Tolls (The Irony Of All) - Metallica & DJ Spooky
Track #13. No Remorse (I Wanna Die) - Slayer & Atari Teenage Riot

- anyone who rates this less than four stars should never have bought the CD in the first place, because it's clearly NOT the music for them and thus renders their review entirely worthless. A total of fourteen tracks, TWENTY-EIGHT collaborators - it would be impossible to rate this CD so low.

I remember listening to this soundtrack around 1997, and its really hard to hear any of these cool songs over the radio. Good music! Worth buying!!

This is a good soundtrack. "Trip like I Do" was the main reason I got it. I found out I got a lot more too. Marilyn Manson with Sneaker Pimps, Orbital and Kirk Hammet, Butthole Surfers and Moby, Metallica and DJ Spooky. All these tracks are good. It starts to wind down and lose steam with the last couple of tracks but this is a good investment. If you enjoy the musical fusion of different styles than check this out, also check out the Judgement Night soundtrack

Putting aside the old vs new Sneaker pimps debate (I like Becoming-X as much as Bloodsport, but for different reasons) this is the one to miss.. It just does not do it for me, to dark and depressing when compared to the others.

I loved this album. I am a Sneaker Pimps fan since about 1997. In my opinion, this is their best. It is more slow and dark, as opposed to Becoming X and Bloodsport. Chris Corner, in my opinion, is a much better fit for the Sneaker Pimps music and lyrics. I'm glad he was the vocalist on their last two albums, I much prefer it to Kelli's whine to her voice.

suprisingly while most people preferred Ali singer of the first sp album " Becoming X" I think Chris Corner brought more creativity to the Sneaker Pimps. Chris is a swell lead and gives the group versatility. Although dark to others " splinter" fills the void

How mystifying it is to me that anyone ever confused Kelli Dayton (now calling herself Kelli Ali and posing mostly nude on an unremarkable album with songs to which she is a mere contributor) as the Sneaker Pimps, when she was merely their recruited window dressing. The gentlemen gave her props and license, but she disrespectfully ran away with it, and took the orientation of the band with her, into the woods. It required much moxy for Liam and Chris to reclaim their creation by dismissing her and returning to their roots and lifelong partnership. It was a hugely rewarding decision.

What a dreadful shame that Sneaker Pimps have been crudely lumped into such categories as "electro pop" a la Madonna, perpetrator of one of the world's most pervasive and enduring musical frauds (one more reason why the artifically-sweetened, nasally twinged, Mini Mouse, babygirl, bubble gum-scented, limited vocal abilities of Kelli, who invited comparison to said musical fraudster, was a serious detriment to the band).

Chris Corner is the genuine article - he creates magnificently AND performs as talented instrumentalist and stunningly gifted vocalist, and he does so to a standard of perfection not achieved by most of the more popular acts in ANY genre. He is a rare jewel.

(And Liam ain't no slouch, neitha!)

After the departure of Kelli Dayton, most Sneaker Pimps fans were hesitant on giving "Splinter" a go. The transition from Dayton to Chris Corner seemed to have compromised the bands style and for most fans, this was unforgivable. However, I listened to "Splinter" before "Becoming X" and had less of that bias. After listening to Sneaker Pimps for some years now I can honestly say that this album isn't as dreadful as some people make it out to be. If anything Corner's haunting vocals and riffs help the band get back to its trip hop roots and actually do so in dramatic fashion. "Splinter" as a whole is good (not great) and for a few fleeting moments, the album can lift you off your feet.

This is a must have for collectors and completists, but it comes up short for music lovers and casual fans. The two mixes on this single just don't grab one nearly as much as the original version of '6 Underground'.

This was the soundtrack that Apple really wanted in their iPod pitch. This is like starbucks 2099. I love it. If you enjoyed those Susan Vega joints[back in the day], then just point, click, purchase, and I'll read your review later.

This song is the best song on the entire album of The Sneaker Pimps. Why not get a single that includes so many mixes of it? After over four years, I still love the song. Any Hooverphonic, Massive Attack, or Portishead fan would love this. And why not? It was mixed by the best trip-hop mixer Nellee Hooper.

I thought this song was gonna be what it was in "Can't Hardly Wait", but it wasn't. But, it's still pretty cool. Kind of Bjork-esque, but not too much. You just kind of have to be in a certain mood for it. I really only like the 1st song, but it's still bareable, which is why I gave it 3 stars. Hey, for 3 bucks, why not?

It is the most unusual blend of music and lyrics...but it has so much appeal that it mesmerized by the entire CD. Well worth the money I paid for it and the time I waited to arrive.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the track Spin Spin Sugar (Armand's Dark Garage Mix)It's so trippy. I can't find it anywhere!! Finally I came across it here, then it's not available anymore. I need that track!!

Okay, well I just love this song. I heard this song on the Showtime series, Queer as Folk, and fell in love with it so bad, that I had to go out the next day, find who sang it, and buy the cd. Loretta Young Silk is a FANTASTIC song as well as the others.

I ordered this from the store on their website. I personally only got it because I loved the song Miami Counting. The additional songs on it are great, i've heard them before but now you can own it. This is a great way to set up a single. Also, my copy of the single was signed by the band since I ordered it from their site. I am not sure if they are still doing it, but either way it's a nice little cd to get.

This is a very cool little ep. The 3 acoustic songs are completely different from the album versions, but in a way that makes them just as good, if not a bit more enjoyable, than the originals. This is one of those recordings that gives you a feel of how the song was probably originally written, rather than it sounding like a stripped version of the track that you're used to. Very pretty stuff.

The unreleased track, "Miami Counting", was only ever available as a live version from a radio performance prior to this recording. It is a cool song that I think is better than several of the songs on "Bloodsport". This is not at all a throwaway track...it's actually got an amazingly moving, dark feel to it.

This is more of a response to another reviewer's question regarding the song "Spin Spin Sugar". I think the version of the song you are looking for appears on the Sneaker Pimps cd BECOMING REMIXED. In particular, the remix of Spin Spin Sugar is called ARMAND'S DARK GARAGE MIX.

As far as a review of this cd, it's a classic. Dreamy, soothing female vocals layered over mid tempo, trip hop beats with a little rock flavor.

Personally, I prefer the vocals on the later Sneaker Pimps cds featuring one of the main writers and guitarists, Chris Corner. His androgenous vocals are full of tormented, fragile sexuality.

His solo work as I AM X is even more dark, delicious and sensual. It is a definite nod to the recent Electroclash movement, which is in itself a nod to mid to late eighties (and earlier) electro groups such as Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk, Cabaret Voltaire, Human League, and Gary Numan.

I would suggest buying this cd in addition to any other Sneaker Pimps cds. If you're looking for a more "upbeat" incarnation of their music, get the remix cd that features a more dance-friendly vibe.

Cheers!

This is not actually a review; I just have a question... Are the songs on this import album different versions of those on the original album? I've heard a much cooler version of "Spin Spin Sugar" than the one on the original album, but I can't seem to locate it. If it is on this CD that would be awesome... or if it can be found elsewhere that info would be useful to me as well. Please help!

The anticipation was greater than the product. Although there are a few very good tracks, the entire package was a disappointment.

The singer, with a voice that could sing you to sleep with a lullaby, can express the feel of a song with the depth or softness of her voice. Unusual, and strangely erotic, her voice lifts you to the mood of the song. The music, simplistic, yet with definite rhythm and a strong base beat ensures that you can listen to the CD either loudly or softly. With varying degrees of "heaviness", this CD is definitely a pleasure to own and listen to, irrespective of what kind of music you like.