''Platinum Jive'' is an album by the American band

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, released in 1994. Subtitled "(Greatest Hits 1969-1999)", the band presented it as a greatest hits collection, although it is made up entirely of original songs. Released by

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

, ''Platinum Jive'' was the band's major label debut, and also their final album. The band supported the album by touring with

the Goats The Goats were an American alternative hip hop trio from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. History The group (whose name, according to Swayzack, was chosen to join the word "scapegoats" and the saying "Don't get my goat," concluding that they felt t ...

, and then

the Cult The Cult are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Bradford in 1983. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band had performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead vocalist Ian Astbury ...

Production

The album was produced by

Phil Nicolo The Butcher Bros. is an American music production team made up of brothers Phil and Joe Nicolo, originally based out of Philadelphia in the mid-to-late '80s. Together and individually, the brothers have produced albums for a wide variety of band ...

and Big Chief.

Schoolly D Jesse Bonds Weaver Jr. (born June 22, 1962), better known by the stage name Schoolly D, is an American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Biography Schoolly D was born Jesse Bonds Weaver Jr. in West Philadelphia and raised in Philadelph ...

contributed a rap verse to "Bona Fide". Guitar player Mark Dancey designed the album artwork. The liner notes to the "greatest hits" album list the band's concocted albums, with titles such as ''We Gotta Impeach Nixon'', ''White Like Mike'', and ''Barry Henssler: The Sexual Intellectual''.

Critical reception

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'' thought that "the rock/funk synthesis is even more seamless, resulting in heavy music that drives hard and with great invention—including ample spicy sonic details provided by flutes, horns and deftly arranged backup vocals." ''

Guitar Player ''Guitar Player'' was an American magazine for guitarists, founded in 1967 in San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francis ...

'' deemed the album "workingman's grunge-funk with a nihilist's sense of black humor." The ''

Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The C ...

'' concluded that, "like the Beastie Boys, Big Chief manages to transcend their influences while blurring the distinction between black get-down funk and white riff-rock." ''

The Tampa Tribune ''The Tampa Tribune'' was a daily newspaper published in Tampa, Florida. Along with the competing ''Tampa Bay Times'', the ''Tampa Tribune'' was one of two major newspapers published in the Tampa Bay area. The newspaper also published a ''St. P ...

'' noted that the album "meshes all of he band'shometown influences from the MC5 to George Clinton." ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' determined that "the Chiefs really can play funk, metal and a credible hybrid of the two, and their affection for booming bass, swaggering guitar and cowbell accents is palpable." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' described ''Platinum Jive'' as "a fake compilation that ranges from hard guitar rock written in the style of late 1960's Detroit bands like the Stooges and MC5 to rap." ''

The Atlanta Journal ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (''AJC'') is an American daily newspaper based in metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger ...

'' wrote that "Big Chief fully embraces mindless, muscle-bound '70s riffage, making music that is equal parts raunchy homage and ironic cackle." The ''

Wisconsin State Journal The ''Wisconsin State Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Madison, Wisconsin by Lee Enterprises. The newspaper, the second largest in Wisconsin, is primarily distributed in a 19 county region in south-central Wisconsin. As of Septembe ...

'' stated that "Big Chief plays raggedy, guitar-fueled, funk-inflected, lighthearted alternative rock."

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called the album "a step backward musically, because the band seems to resort back to its heavy rock roots, not further developing the funk and soul elements of ''Skullgame''," writing that "it's not without its good moments, being more hit than miss and sufficiently enjoyable."

Track listing

References

{{Authority control Big Chief (American band) albums 1994 albums Capitol Records albums