Big Audio Dynamite – “Contact” (1989) Review | Just Another Contact High
Kronomyth 4.1: Contact paper.
I’d always found Big Audio Dynamite baffling, and then it hit me: wallpaper. They’re making musical wallpaper, cutting pieces and alternating patterns using a mix of music and media. It’s not so different from Andy Warhol and his pop art experiments, finding art in the commonplace while destroying the mystery and elitism that has clung to art through the centuries. The song Contact, from Megatop Phoenix, was re-arranged in three very different mixes: the 7” mix (my personal favorite), the softer but not much longer 12” mix and the extended Club mix. Not content with simply cutting up Contact, Mick Jones re-uses the idea with a sample of the guitar from The Who’s “I Can’t Explain” to create Who-Beats. Ah, but it doesn’t end there. Jones and Greg Roberts dip into their deep mixed media bucket for the dance-driven In Full Effect, which appeared in an edited and full-length version on the 7- and 12-inch singles, respectively. “In Full Effect” is mesmerizing wallpaper that I actually enjoy more than the “Contact” remixes and is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys club music. Still got a bit of bare wall in your mind to cover? Check out If I Were John Carpenter, which mixes more heavy beats and groovy sounds with dynamite media clips (including Gene Wilder’s “It’s alive” from Young Frankenstein).
The Product
A1. Contact (7” mix) (Mick Jones/Dan Donovan) (4:10)
B1. In Full Effect (Mick Jones/Greg Roberts) (4:25)
Original 12-inch single version
A1. Contact (remix) (Mick Jones/Dan Donovan) (4:39)
A2. Who-Beats (Mick Jones) (2:01)
B1. If I Were John Carpenter (B.A.D.) (7:24)
Original 12-inch single version (US)
A1. Contact (12” remix) (Mick Jones/Dan Donovan) (4:39)
A2. Who-Beats (Mick Jones) (2:01)
A3. Contact (7” remix) (Mick Jones/Dan Donovan) (4:12)
B1. In Full Effect (Mick Jones/Greg Roberts) (7:17)
B2. Contact (club mix) (Mick Jones/Dan Donovan) (6:46)
Promotional CD single version
A1. Contact (7” version) (Mick Jones/Dan Donovan) (4:10)
A2. Contact (12” mix) (Mick Jones/Dan Donovan) (4:39)
A3. Contact (club mix) (Mick Jones/Dan Donovan) (6:46)
A4. Contact (LP version) (Mick Jones/Dan Donovan) (4:40)
The Players
Produced by Mick Jones and Bill Price, “Who-Beats” produced by Mick Jones, “In Full Effect” produced by Mick Jones and Greg Roberts; remixed by Judge Jules and Roy the Roach.
The Plastic
Released as 7-inch and 12-inch single in October 1989 in the UK (CBS, BAAD 6/BAAD QT6), the US (Columbia, 38-73043/CAS 1899) and Australia (CBS, 655353 7) with regional picture sleeve. Also released as a promotional CD single in 1989 in the US (Columbia, CSK 73043)
