Gnarls Barkley: “Crazy” (Live on Top Of The Pops)
Gnarls Barkley’s St. Elsewhere is an album that I would consider an early competitor for my year-end best list. Absolutely unique and defying any genre stereotypes, Dangermouse and Cee-Lo have crafted a 30-minute wake-up call to the hip-hop underground: if you’re good enough, you can rise to the top. Dangermouse has managed to evolve from Beatles + Hov mashmaker to acclaimed major-label producer (for Gorillaz’ Demon Days) while staying in tune with the indie rap scene with his collaboration with MF Doom, as Dangerdoom. Cee-Lo has always hovered on the brink of mainstream rap, with a few singles (like the excellent “I’ll Be Around”) that weren’t as noticed by the radio as they should’ve been, and I relish the irony that it was only when he shifted his mainstream capabilities to indie sensibilities that he broke in to the charts in a big way.
By now you’ve all probably heard about Gnarls Barkley’s record-breaking run to the top of the United Kingdom singles charts; lead single “Crazy” is the first ever single to make it to the number one spot before the physical single was released. This marked a few things for me: one, downloading is a legitimate moneymaker, two, when something is just great, it can and will make its way on to the charts, and three, the UK is better than the US at appreciating good music. Another thing “Crazy”’s astronomical rise to the top of the charts did was earn Gnarls Barkley a chance to perform on England’s Top of the Pops. I’m sure a lot of you have seen this video, which has been making the rounds of the blogosphere in some fashion, but I can’t stress enough how great it is. Gnarls slows “Crazy” way down and throws in an epic string section, while Cee-Lo’s voice has never sounded so soulful. A legitimately great singer, Cee-Lo absolutely kills it on stage here, hitting all the notes he’s reaching for and unrelentingly sending shivers down my spine and goosebumps up my arms. I implore you to watch the video below:
Also, to sweeten the deal, I’m putting up an mp3 of the performance I ripped. It took me quite a few tries to get a high-enough-quality version to post here, but I admit that the quality isn’t exactly top-notch. Definitely worth the download, though, as though “Crazy” isn’t my favorite track off St. Elsewhere (”Just A Thought” probably holds that distinction right now), this particular version is easily one of the top five songs I’ve heard this year. Pick it up below:
MP3: Gnarls Barkley - “Crazy” (Live on TOTP) [highly recommended]
NOTE: Unfortunately, I can’t post any of the great songs from St. Elsewhere, as I know other bloggers have gotten in to some trouble with Gnarls’ record label for that, but I [highly recommend] purchasing it; it’s currently available from iTunes but I’d go ahead and pick up a physical copy if I were you. Also, if you are a representative of Gnarls Barkley and would like this mp3 taken down, I would be more than happy to do so, just send me an email.