Megatop Phoenix

Megatop Phoenix
Studio album by Big Audio Dynamite
Released	5 September 1989
Recorded	1 January 1989
Genre	Alternative dance, acid house, alternative rock
Length	59:05
Label	CBS
Producer	Mick Jones & Bill Price
Big Audio Dynamite chronology
Tighten Up, Vol. 88 (1988) Megatop Phoenix (1989) Kool-Aid (1990)
Singles from Megatop Phoenix
"James Brown" b/w "If I Were John Carpenter" Released: 1989 "Contact" b/w "In Full Effect" Released: October 1989

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

Megatop Phoenix is the fourth and last studio album by the original line-up of Big Audio Dynamite, released in 1989. This was also the last album to be released under the name of Big Audio Dynamite for six years (until 1995's F-Punk).

Overview

It was produced by Mick Jones and Bill Price. It was recorded and mixed by Bill Price at Konk Studios North London, assisted by George Holt and Fintan McDonald. It was compiled at Air Studios in the West End assisted by Andy Strange and mastered by Jacko at Tape One. The cover was designed by Bullitt and Big Audio Dynamite. Photos were by Dan Donovan assisted by Mark Bromfield. In 1990 Mick Jones formed Big Audio Dynamite II with totally different members. The phoenix in the title is a reference to a near-death experience of Jones, who had nearly died of pneumonia before recording the album but successfully recovered.

Track listing

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Start"	Big Audio Dynamite	0:14
2.	"Rewind"	Big Audio Dynamite	4:35
3.	"All Mink & No Manners"	Big Audio Dynamite	0:41
4.	"Union, Jack"	Jones, Letts, Williams	6:04
5.	"Contact"	Jones, Donovan	4:42
6.	"Dragon Town"	Jones, Letts, Roberts, Williams	4:46
7.	"Baby, Don't Apologise"	Jones, Letts	4:51
8.	"Is Yours Working Yet?"	Big Audio Dynamite	1:03
9.	"Around the Girl in 80 Ways"	Jones, Letts	3:30

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
10.	"James Brown"	Jones, Letts	5:08
11.	"Everybody Needs a Holiday"	Jones, Letts	5:33
12.	"Mick's a Hippie Burning"	Big Audio Dynamite	2:31
13.	"House Arrest"	Jones, Letts, Roberts, Donovan	3:59
14.	"The Green Lady"	Jones, Letts, Roberts	3:43
15.	"London Bridge"	Jones, Letts, Roberts	3:50
16.	"Stalag 123"	Jones, Letts, Roberts	3:11
17.	"End"	Big Audio Dynamite	0:34

Samples

The album makes copious use of sampling from various musical and other sources. Many of the tracks listed are created mainly from samples. Some of the samples are identified with their source below.

• "Start" – Opening moments of Powell and Pressburger's A Matter of Life and Death
• "Rewind" – Much of what is being tape-rewound during the latter part of the song is from "Stalag 123"
• "Union, Jack" – Rule Britannia, Charlie Watts' drum opening from The Rolling Stones Honky Tonk Woman, Richard II, "You wouldn't know Karl Marx from a toffee apple" – from the film Britannia Hospital and "Heritage in motion" etc. from The Knack ...and How to Get It
• "Contact" – Brief use of the main riff from "I Can't Explain" by The Who
• "Dragon Town" – George Formby from "Mr Wu's a window cleaner now" and 'aaah aaah' portion of "S.F. Sorrow Is Born" by The Pretty Things
• "Is Yours Working Yet?" – Alfred Hitchcock
• "Around the Girl in 80 Ways" – Right Said Fred, by Bernard Cribbins
• "James Brown" – "Living in America" by James Brown
• "Micks a Hippie Burning" – Digging a hole, again by Bernard Cribbins and Withnail and I
• "The Green Lady" – Snippet of instrumental break from "S.F. Sorrow Is Born" by The Pretty Things
• "London Bridge" – London Pride by Noël Coward.
• "Stalag 123" – The Great Escape Theme Music
• "End" – Listen with Mother

According to The NME review of 2/9/1989 there are also samples of Arthur Scargill and BAD interviews.

Personnel

• Mick Jones – vocals, guitar, producer
• Don Letts – sound effects, vocals
• Greg Roberts – drums, vocals
• Leo 'E-Zee-Kill' Williams – bass, vocals
• Dan Donovan – keyboards, photography, vocals
• Flea – sound effects
• Bill Price – producer, engineer, mixing
• George Holt – assistant engineer, mixing assistant
• Andy Strange – compilation assistant

External links

• Interview with the original lineup of Big Audio Dynamite after the release of Megatop Phoenix

References

1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Review: Megatop Phoenix. Allmusic. Retrieved on 9 April 2010.