Released 11 November 1997 Producer Various Release date 11 November 1997 Genre Post-grunge | Length 65:34 Artist Bush Label Trauma Records | |
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Recorded Platinum Island Studios, NYC and Bush 8-Track, London England Deconstructed
(1997) The Science of Things
(1999) Similar Bush albums, Post-grunge albums | ||
Bush deconstructed full album
Deconstructed is a remix album by British band Bush, released on 11 November 1997, through Trauma Records. It did not feature any new material but was a collaborative effort between the band and various producers working in the electronic genre of music to remix some of the band's previously released songs. "Mouth (The Stingray Mix)" was released as a single in 1997 and became a minor hit, due largely in part to it being featured prominently in both the trailer and the 1997 film An American Werewolf in Paris.
Contents
Three tracks from this album, "Mouth (The Stingray Mix)", "Everything Zen (The Lhasa Fever Mix)", and "Swallowed (The Goldie/Both Sides Toasted Please Mix)" also appear on Bush's 2005 greatest hits compilation, The Best of: 1994-1999.
In a 1997 interview with NY Rock, Gavin Rossdale noted the development of Deconstructed:
"It was an interesting idea, to try and mix two completely different genres, maybe influence the whole dance and techno scene with some good old fashioned rock. In a way, they are the old singles, but remixed they’ve got a completely different slant which is certainly interesting."Bush synapse philip steir mix
Reception
While not a studio album, Deconstructed often stands among the band's studio catalog and has been frequently cited regarding Bush's transformation from simple post-grunge to more experimental rock. It was followed two years later by their third studio album, The Science of Things, which continued this incorporation of electronic elements into hard rock. This decision brought upon mixed reviews throughout the music world.
AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine suggested that Deconstructed reflected Bush's need to diversify in the face of the fading post-grunge style. He also prospected that, while some remixes turned out well, Deconstructed would fail to satisfy either audience; Bush fans would allegedly "hate" several tracks because of the stray from the traditional grunge sound, and dance/electronica fans would find much of it "unimaginative."
Robert Levine of Rolling Stone also showed skepticism in Bush's sudden decision to jump into electronic experimentation after long establishing themselves as a stripped down hard rock act. Nevertheless, he claimed, "they make the move more easily than one might expect." Levine complemented various tracks including the "eerie soundscape" of "Swallowed" and added that "amid that ominous din, Gavin Rossdale's voice comes through only occasionally and faintly. Ironically, it's one of the strongest musical statements he's made yet."
Jae-Ha Kim of Entertainment Weekly stated that "Goldie and Bush's Gavin Rossdale are an unlikely combination. But the trip-hop God is among a handful of artists who remix the band on Deconstructed"; and that while "Synapse" "oozes breathy seduction" and "Personal Holloway" "induces dancing, rather than moshing," Kim criticized "Swallowed" and called it "a clunker".
Track listing
Songs
1Everything Zen (The Lhasa Fever mix)4:16
2Mouth (The Stingray mix)4:35
3Swallowed (Goldie/Toasted Both Sides Please mix)5:49