The Bliss Album…? (Vibrations of Love and Anger and the Ponderance of Life and Existence)

The Bliss Album...? (Vibrations of Love and Anger and the Ponderance of Life and Existence)
Studio album by P.M. Dawn
Released March 23, 1993
Genre Pop-rap[1]
Length 60:12
Label Gee Street, Island
Producer P.M. Dawn
P.M. Dawn chronology

Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience
(1991)		 The Bliss Album...?
(1993)		 Jesus Wept
(1995)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [2]
Chicago Tribune [3]
Robert Christgau A[4]
Entertainment Weekly A−[5]
Q [6]
Rolling Stone [7]

The Bliss Album...? (Vibrations of Love and Anger and the Ponderance of Life and Existence) is the second studio album by American hip hop duo P.M. Dawn. It was released on March 23, 1993, by Gee Street and Island Records.[8] The album received positive reviews from music critics and produced two hit singles—"I'd Die Without You" and "Looking Through Patient Eyes".[9]

Music

According to music critic David Browne, The Bliss Album...? continues and expands on the mentally stimulating hip hop of the duo's debut album.[5] Allmusic's Steve Huey wrote that it emphasized its predecessor's urban soul sounds, eschewed Prince Be's rapping in favor of melodies, and had both pop and aggressive rap songs.[2]

Singles

Before releasing The Bliss Album...?, P.M. Dawn contributed the single "I'd Die Without You" to the 1992 Eddie Murphy comedy Boomerang and its soundtrack. The top 5 hit was also included on The Bliss Album...?, as was the Billboard Top 10 single "Looking Through Patient Eyes" (featuring backing vocals by Cathy Dennis and sampling George Michael's hit "Father Figure"), the Boy George duet "More Than Likely" and a cover of the Beatles' "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)."

Sampling lawsuit

The album also included "So On and So On," which led to a 1999 sampling lawsuit. In the lawsuit Batiste v. Island Records, Inc., Paul and Michael Batiste claimed that P.M. Dawn's song "So On and So On" used unauthorized samples from David Batiste & The Gladiators' "Funky Soul." The fifth Circuit Federal Appellate Court found that the Batistes point to no evidence in the record demonstrating that consumers were confused or deceived by either the use of a digital sample of "Funky Soul" in "So On and So On" or the attribution to David Batiste as a co-author of the track. The Batistes' claim that Paul and Michael Batiste were improperly excluded from the liner notes accompanying the album also failed to suggest that consumers were confused, especially because the liner notes do credit the name of the band in which both Paul and Michael Batiste performed.[10]

Track listing

  1. "Intro" :49
  2. "When Midnight Sighs" – 3:55
  3. "So On and So On" – 4:04
  4. "Plastic" – 3:48
  5. "The Ways of the Wind" – 4:32
  6. "To Love Me More" – 4:44
  7. "About Nothing (For the Love of Destiny)" – 4:15
  8. "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" – 3:13
  9. "Beyond Infinite Affections" – 4:11
  10. "Looking Through Patient Eyes" – 4:09
  11. "Filthy Rich (I Don't Wanna Be)" – 4:07
  12. "More Than Likely" – 4:18
  13. "The Nocturnal Is in the House" – 4:20
  14. "When It's Raining Cats and Dogs" – 5:36
  15. "I'd Die Without You" – 4:11

Singles

I'd Die Without You (1992)

US CD single

  1. I'd Die Without You (Extended Remix Radio Edit)
  2. I'd Die Without You (Extended Jeep Mix)
  3. I'd Die Without You (Remix Dub)
  4. I'd Die Without You (Remix Instrumental)
  5. I'd Die Without You

US CASS single

UK 12" single

  1. I'd Die Without You
  2. On A Clear Day (HEvian Club Mix)
  3. On A Clear Day (HEvian Mix)

Looking Through Patient Eyes (1993)

US CD single

  1. Looking Through Patient Eyes (Extended Mix) 6.15
  2. Looking Through Patient Eyes (Radio Mix) 4.06
  3. Looking Through Patient Eyes (Instrumental) 4.18

US 7" single

  1. Looking Through Patient Eyes (Radio Mix) 4.06
  2. Plastic (Radio Mix)

US CD promo

  1. Looking Through Patient Eyes (Radio Mix) 4.06
  2. Looking Through Patient Eyes
  3. Looking Through Patient Eyes (Extended Mix) 6.15

US 12" promo

  1. Looking Through Patient Eyes (Pete Rock Mix)
  2. Looking Through Patient Eyes
  3. Plastic (Radio Mix)
  4. Looking Through Patient Eyes (Radio Mix) 4.06

US 12" promo

  1. Looking Through Patient Eyes (Radio Mix) 4.06
  2. Looking Through Patient Eyes (Extended Mix) 6.15
  3. Looking Through Patient Eyes (Instrumental) 4.18
  4. Plastic (Radio Mix)

UK CD single

  1. Looking Through Patient Eyes (Radio Mix) 4.06
  2. Looking Through Patient Eyes (Extended Mix) 6.l5
  3. Plastic (Extended Mix)
  4. Plastic (Radio Mix)

UK 12" single

  1. Looking Through Patient Eyes (Extended Mix)
  2. Looking Through Patient Eyes (Radio Mix)
  3. Plastic (12" Mix)
  4. Plastic (Funk U Tomorrow)

Plastic (1993)

US 12" single & promo

  1. Plastic (Extended) 5.35
  2. Plastic (Radio) 3.50
  3. Plastic (The Funk U Tomorrow Mix) 3.50
  4. Plastic (Instrumental Dub) 5.03

US CD promo

  1. Plastic (Radio Mix) 3.50
  2. Plastic (Extended Mix) 5.35
  3. Plastic (Funk U Tomorrow)
  4. Plastic (Instrumental Dub)

The Ways Of The Wind (1993)

US CASS single

  1. The Ways Of The Wind (Radio Edit) 3.55
  2. The Ways Of The Wind (Acoustic Edit) 3.57
  3. The Ways Of The Wind (Cash Money Groove Mix) 5.03

US CD promo

  1. The Ways Of The Wind (Radio Edit) 3.55
  2. The Ways Of The Wind (Acoustic Edit) 3.57
  3. The Ways Of The Wind (UK 12" Remix) 6.17
  4. The Ways Of The Wind (UK 7" Remix)
  5. The Ways Of The Wind

US 12" promo

  1. The Ways Of The Wind (U.S. 12" Remix) 6.59
  2. The Ways Of The Wind (UK 12" Remix) 6.17
  3. The Ways Of The Wind (Underground Dub) 6.28
  4. The Ways Of The Wind (Cash Money Groove Mix) 5.03

When Midnight Sighs (1993)

UK 12" promo GEET51DJ

  1. When Midnight Sighs (Fully Loaded Vocal)
  2. When Midnight Sighs (Fully Loaded Instrumental)
  3. Norwegian Wood
  4. Looking Through Patient Eyes (Pete Rock Mix)
  5. When Midnight Sighs (Fully Loaded Dub)

More Than Likely (1993)

UK CD single

  1. More Than Likely (Edit) 3.53
  2. More Than Likely (Drum + Bass Mix) 4.20
  3. More Than Likely (Accapella) 4.04
  4. When It's Raining Cats & Dogs 5.36

UK CD single

  1. More Than Likely (Strings Mix) 4.21
  2. You Me The Vibe Electric 3.52
  3. Fly Me To The Moon 4.37
  4. Frostbite 3.00

Norwegian Wood (1993)

UK CD single

  1. Norwegian Wood
  2. Looking Through Patient Eyes (Pete Rock Mix)
  3. When Midnight Sighs (Fully Loaded Vocal)
  4. When Midnight Sighs (Fully Loaded Instrumental)

The Nocturnal Is In The House (1993)

US 12" promo

  1. The Nocturnal Is In The House 4.20
  2. The Nocturnal Is In The House (Instrumental) 4.20
  3. Get Off Mine (Stereo Field Dub) 3.55 note: NOT a P.M. Dawn track
  4. The Nocturnal Is In The House (Acappella) 3.18

You Got Me Floating (1993)

Note: This is a non-album track

US CASS single

  1. You Got Me Floating 4.51
  2. When Midnight Sighs 3.55

US CD promo

  1. You Got Me Floating 4.50
  2. When Midnight Sighs (Vocal Remix) 6.41
  3. You Got Me Floating (Instrumental) 4.50
  4. When Midnight Sighs (Instrumental Remix) 7.06

US 12" promo

  1. You Got Me Floating 4.50
  2. When Midnight Sighs (Vocal Remix) 6.41

References

  1. ↑ "The Best & Worst Records of 1993". Entertainment Weekly: 115. December 31, 1993. ...Hammer gave the concept of pop rap a bad name, but this duo takes the idea and does more than run with it--they've perfected it...
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Allmusic review
  3. ↑ Kot, Greg (April 29, 1993). "P.M. Dawn The Bliss Album...? (Gee Street...". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  4. ↑ Christgau, Robert (April 6, 1993). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice (New York). Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Browne, David (April 2, 1993). "The Bliss Album...? (Vibrations of Love and Anger and the Ponderance of Life and Existence) Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Review: The Bliss Album...?". Q: 80. April 1993. ...[P.M. Dawn] continue their romantic quest for happiness and the meaning of life in their own cerebral psychedelic style of seductive, melodic hip hop...those who found [their first album's] yearning images, appealing melodies and psychedelic touches so emotive will not be disappointed...
  7. ↑ "Review: The Bliss Album...?". Rolling Stone: 60–61. April 15, 1993. ...Prince Be and DJ Minutemix weave singular tunes out of everything that turns them on or bums them out....the esoteric turns downright earthy in the supple hands of P.M. Dawn...
  8. ↑ Morris, Chris (March 6, 1993). "New Mode Marching In; AD Unplugs; Duo Debuts". Billboard: 14. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  9. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "P.M. Dawn". Allmusic. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  10. ↑ "United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. - 179 F.3d 217". Retrieved 1999-06-21.

External links