If someone came up to you and asked you to name the first true stadium
house band, what would be your response? Many people would scratch
their heads and name off several different artists but I doubt few
would ever mention the group Utah Saints. While Utah Saints have had
several hit singles and two full albums released, they don�t garner as
much name recognition in comparison to such groups as The KLF,
Underworld, Chemical Brothers, or The Prodigy.
Who are the Utah Saints?
Utah Saints are best known for their practice of manipulating samples from mainstream pop and rock songs from artists like Kate Bush, Eurythmics, and even Metallica and combining them with dance beats. It is this unique mixture of sounds that led to some classic hits like "Something Good," "What Can You Do for Me," and my personal favorite, "Lost Vagueness." What limits Utah Saints from being more familiar is the distance of time between releases; they waited seven years between the release of their first and second albums, and so they would disappear from the scene for long periods of time even though they would work on various other projects. Fortunately for us, though, someone has seen fit to bring back their music with an updated version of their classic hit "Something Good."The History of Something Good
"Something Good" was originally released in 1992 and was a huge hit, but in the past year it was remixed by Australian producers Van She as a bootleg. Jez Willis and Tim Garbutt of Utah Saints came across it and approved of it, so they decided to re-record it with a new vocal that sounded like Kate Bush but was in fact a different vocalist, and this new version has been released by Ministry of Sound. This new version of the popular track has garnered quit a bit of play itself and has become a chart hit again and the remixes that are offered on the single release are just further proof of its staying power. The original mix shows us a better updated version of the original tune in which the music is faster and more danceable even though the new vocals seem almost lost within the beats- still, it's a great track for the club floor.Good Remixes
The Warren Clarke radio edit, though, mellows out just a bit by adding several slow buildups which lowers the energy of the new version but still provides enough electricity to enjoy. We find a more cosmic sound though on the VanShe Tech remix which melds laser sound effects into the beat but still remains pretty much the same as the previous two tracks- unlike those radio edits, we see a full club mix which extends the listening experience and provides a spacey vibe that definitely invokes a more unique experience that abruptly ends with some deep bassline as if a space ship has been launched. A bit of funk is brought to the table with the eSquire remix which uses distinctive piano chords to add a certain groove to the dance beat while also employing more laser effects to add to the funky vibe of the track.The Best Remix
The last remix, though, pulls out all of the stops and gives us deep pulsating baselines and bleeps which definitely intensify during the buildup. The Bart B More remix almost comes across as hedonistic but then it seems to fall apart when it decides to combine elements from the last two remixes with more piano chords and laser sounds that create a certain chaos to the fluidity of the track. The remix picks itself back up at the end with a return to the thunderous beat that definitely begs for massive play on the club floor. While I definitely enjoyed this new release of a classic gem from Utah Saints, I definitely would have loved to see a bit more diversity between the remixes provided. While they did tend to deliver lots of energy and dance floor fun, I felt as though they were more an extension of each other since the tracks didn�t really set themselves apart from each other very much.That being said, I definitely feel like this is a track worthy of its name and that "Something Good" reminds us how talented Utah Saints can be at providing club gems worthy of a listen. Sometimes tracks are such classics and timeless that they are worthy of a replay to entertain a new generation of party and club goers and "Something Good" is no different.
Release April 2009 on Ministry of Sound America
