Impressions of the Wu-Tang clan’s songs featuring John
As the most of you already know (you were looking at the calendar, haven’t you), Wu-Tang Clan’s album 8 Diagrams has been out for 2 days now. It’s 100% sure that John is on two tracks, The Heart Gently Weeps and Windmill (many thanks to Anita for having looked at the album credits and cleared that up!).
You can get the clean version of the album here and the explicit version here. If that’s too much for you, you can buy those two songs only: The Heart Gently Weeps is here and Windmill is here.
Now for some reviews…the longest one first, the rest are behind the “more” link. Feel free to submit your own reviews of these songs in comments.
RZA turns in some exemplary work on “8 Diagrams,” only the fifth Wu Tang studio album, and first in six years. As usual, the producer embraces ’70s blaxploitation-era soul samples and martial-arts movie dialogue, but he also moves the agenda forward by incorporating lots of electric guitar, some of it by the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ John Frusciante.
The guitars don’t turn “8 Diagrams” into some horrid rap-rock fusion. Instead, they’re just another disorienting element for RZA to slice up and blend into his eerie soundscapes. On “Unpredictable,” an overdriven guitar swoops through a churning groove that evokes a police chase through graffiti-scarred alleyways.
Even more audaciously, “The Heart Gently Weeps” interpolates the Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” with contributions from Frusciante and Dhani Harrison, son of the Beatles’ late George Harrison. Ghostface and Method Man really give the guitars something to cry about with a vivid street narrative.
(Chicago Tribune)
The first single, “The Heart Gently Weeps,” is an unusual interpretation of the classic Beatles’ song “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” It’s an interesting experiment in cross-genre song-making, iced by guest performances from George Harrison’s son Dhani Harrison, Erykah Badu and Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante. (Freetimes.com)
“Life Changes,” a tribute to Dirty; and “Stick Me for My Riches” are also slower soul jams, but “8 Diagrams” doesn’t consist entirely of diaphanous instrumental textures. (Courant.com)
Stripped of its Beatles sample, The Heart Gently Weeps remains as bizarre as its supporting cast – Red Hot Chili Pepper John Frusciante, Erykah Badu and George Harrison’s son Dhani, the latter playing a guitar apparently loaned by Russell Crowe – setting Harrison’s wistful melody to an endless litany of violence and horror. (The Guardian)
Anybody interested in what makes the Wu-Tang Clan so strangely great will do well to check out “The Heart Gently Weeps,” a twisted tale of violence in the aisles of Pathmark. It employs Erykah Badu on the chorus, and features Dhani Harrison (son of George) and John Frusciante (of the Red Hot Chili Peppers) playing the majestic licks of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” while the song’s protagonist raps “he wouldn’t let go the joint – so I . . . bit him.” (Philly.com)
ALSO READ: In an NY Post article, RZA is telling more about how The Heart Gently Weeps came to be.
