the cranberries - zombie (camel's hump mix)

i was given a heads up on this one through acid ted's blog when he discovered it on one of cranberries greatest hits boxes/compos. he wasn't up on it since it featured dolores singing but i found it intriguing since it focused on the bassline. this is truly one of those orb remixes that's been under rug swept and not featured elsewhere, probably because it wasn't properly released until it appeared on the cranberries 2002 box set spanning their entire career (until then).

the many times i've listened to "zombie" after 1994 i've always been captivated by that low bassline and how it's in a almost dub reggae style. i've mentioned before that a lot of times i get more intrigued by the rhythm section of a song than the guitars or vocals and especially in rock music.

i tend to like the song more if it has a great bassline rather than a lengthy guitarwanking session. songs like the beatles' "taxman", the jams' "a town called malice", the breeders' "cannonball" and nirvana's "in bloom". "zombie" is often remembered for that hook and that heavy guitar but for me it's the bassline and the chord progression.

the reason i'm talking about "zombie" and this version was because of i had the displeasure of hearing mohombi's recent song "in your head" where he very tounge in cheek like replaces "zombie" with his artist name. the original then came to mind and of course that this remix that i heard a while back.

it starts out with a funny quote "you're about to discover how to create your own music, that's right. you no longer need to listen to the dumb music they play on the radio, now you can create your own dumb music. just look what you can do with this rhythm machine" and then it goes into what can only can be described as orbular.

heavy soundscapes, some random sounds, a deep and booming bass and all the trimmings you expect from dr alex patterson in his dubbiest labcoat. o'riordan's vocal is featured in the first half and a little bit at the end and while they sound random in this shape and form, they aren't really bothersome. i quite liked what the the orb did with this track and it's well interesting.

buy here (7digital)