Friday, October 28, 2005

Bullfrog - Turning the prince into a frog

In my humble opinion, the world needs more bands like Bullfrog. Unfortunately, due to the amazing skill of the members of this band, I don't think this is really a viable possibility. The cast members of note are as follows:

Eric Sans (aka Kid Koala) - You may or may not know who Kid Koala is. But in all likelihood you've heard something Kid Koala has done. Through his work with Gorillaz, he hit the main stream from behind the curtains. He also worked on Deltron 3030 if you're a underground hip-hop head (essentially the Gorillaz with more emphasis on Del and less on Damon Albarn). On his own he's released some VERY experimental turntablist albums (not recommended for the faint of heart), but to see him live on the turntables is an transcendental experience, especially when he puts the headphones away and keeps spinning the wax.

James Sobers (aka BluRum 13 aka The Killa Platypus) - Not known in many circles, his slow smooth rhymes are among my favorites of ANY rapper. I put him on par with Del and Chali 2na, but that's just my opinion. The newest release apparently does not include James, but he's still in the Bullfrog fold.

Mark Robertson
- Mark brings the funk, and is the guitarist and helm of Bullfrog.

Other variable members - Peter Santiago, Massimo Sansalone, and a few others.
Bullfrog makes music that fits somewhere in between funk, jazz, hip-hop, and electronica. Basically, the greatest party music EVER created. Koala's cuts fit perfectly into the mix, without overshadowing the funk. BluRum 13's vocals are amazingly witty, funny, and well placed.

Their self titled release on Rope-a-dope records is a great album, with a stand out song in "Reverse Psychology", however to get the real experience you'll need to wait until the band gets back together to tour again. Hopefully they'll be doing so soon, and hopefully BluRum 13 will be with them despite not being on their most recent release "Deeper Shade Of Green". Below I have supplied links from their website for two songs off the new album (Mark on vocals) and one off their self titled album (Mark and BluRum 13 on vocals). I have also included 'The Bullfrog Theme' thanks to the link on Rope-a-dope records.

Bullfrog - Deeper Shade Of Green
Bullfrog - Winter Song
Bullfrog - Nice Try
Bullfrog - Bullfrog Theme

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