Yes, you read that right – Fun Lovin’ Criminals released their impressive debut album a whole TWENTY YEARS AGO.
Try to put the rather mean-spirited, mug smashing bullying of a visibly uncomfortable Rizzle Kicks on a 2013 episode of the BBC’s Never Mind The Buzzcocks to the back of your mind for a moment. Perhaps it’s worth tuning in to Huey Morgan’s crate digging show on 6Music too, just to remind yourself that he is actually a man of impeccable taste and naturally gregarious, laid back manner. To be fair, with the Buzzcocks thing, it is often said that if you accidentally run over a rabbit and see it twitching in agony, the kindest thing to do is reverse back over it again, finish it off and put it out of its misery. Morgan was merely stomping on the head of a beast that had been lying prostrate on its deathbed and gasping for breath for at least the past two years. Perhaps we can view the whole sorry episode as a noble action after all.
The reason I’m saying all this is because there was a danger that it would otherwise diminish what was something of a seminal release of the 1990s, its success no doubt propelled – or at least given a helpful shove – by its sampling of dialogue from Tarantino’s celebrated cult classic Pulp Fiction in the opening throes of ‘Scooby Snacks‘. The reason it would be a pity is because, quite simply, Come Find Yourself was a very fine album indeed. I’m almost certain that Gomez, at least, could never have existed without the (almost) eponymously titled tune that raises the curtain, and the rest of the collection brings together an ultra-smooth blend of irresistibly sun-drenched soul, delightfully sleazy funk and astute observations on New York City street life.
But you know all that already, right? So what of the other discs included here? Well, this collection comprises 3 CDs, 1 DVD, an instrumental vinyl LP picture disc and a 10″ box set in a 12 X 12 book.
In truth, I don’t think we really needed ten different versions of ‘Scooby Snacks’, did we? And that’s before we even get to the final DVD disc, in which it is included four more times, albeit in the form of promo videos and selected television appearances. This means that, on the audio discs alone, their most celebrated single makes up almost a sixth of the tracks on offer! If that sounds a little self indulgent, the good news is that the BBC sessions, by and large, are quite wonderful. Often they assume an altogether smoother bent than the more playful essence of the original parent album. Perhaps most noticeably, the sessions showcase just how good a guitarist Morgan is, which tends to pass most observers by.
Come Find Yourself’s 20th anniversary box-set is beautifully packaged, full to the brim with effervescent, cursive cool and still sounding fresh after a good two decades. And what’s not to like about that?
