A Little History
"What is a N.E.R.D? N.E.R.D stands for No One Ever Really Dies. The Neptunes are who they are and N.E.R.D is what they do. It's there life. N.E.R.D is just a basic belief, man. People's energies are made of their souls. When you die, that energy may disperse but it isn't destroyed. Energy cannot be destroyed. It can manifest in a different way but even then it's like their souls are going somewhere. If it's going to heaven or hell or even if it's going into a fog or somewhere in the atmosphere to lurk unbeknownst to itself, it's going somewhere." – Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of The Neptunes are the most revolutionary production tandem in modern music since Quincy Jones and Rod Tempterton put down shuffle-beats and doo-wops behind a young singer named Michael Jackson. With their digital musical palette and vivid imaginations, they've taken their hip-hop foundation and un-tethered the bounds of pop, bestowing unsuspecting hit records in almost machine-gun-like succession – whether in rap (Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, et al), R&B (Usher, Babyface), pop (Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake) or rock (No Doubt).
But N.E.R.D is not the Neptunes. N.E.R.D is the offspring of the Neptunes id, a fly-or-die, thrash-around, do-as-you-will, set-your-soul-on-fire alter-ego that subscribes to no rules, adheres to no agenda. It is Pharrell, Chad and Shay – a trio whose chemistry allows the uninhibited exploration of the sounds, emotions and impulses of self and society, of identity and belonging. Of life.
Fly or Die is the second album from N.E.R.D, picking up where the groups debut, In Search Of…, left off. "It's evolution, for real," says Shay. "There's an entire dimension to music and life that we touched on with In Search Of…, but that was only the beginning. Those were only doors to this other dimension and with this album we are there."
"I think we learned a lot from the first album and we've opened up more here," explains Chad. "I think we're going places we haven't gone before."
Track One
Don’t worry about it
The song opens up with a jazzy guitar riff from Chad Hugo followed by a catchy and strong drum beat and then with Pharrell singing “its that dark skin” “its that juicy lips girl” followed by him a shay singing
“she’s bad ,bad, bad ass” and Pharrell takes it to the next level by screaming “I’ve been all around this earth seen those girls who kissed me first” and as your listing to that you can here how much the band has changed since the early days and how much Pharrells singing has improved…but towards the end it starts to get a little bit lame
But a strong opener
9/10
Track Two
Fly or Die
When I first got this album back in 2004 this was the track that appealed to me the most…. With very simple drums, bass and guitar( Chad had only been playing for 2 years) but there simple but excellent and sweet and Pharrells lyrics are very well written when he begins to adapt a story in the second verse, and also in this song you get one of the very hard to find vocals from shay witch you used to her quite a lot back on “in search of…”
One of my favourite tracks on the album
10/10
Track Three
Jump (Featuring Joel Madden & Benji Madden)
Not as good as “Fly or Die” but better than “Don’t Worry About It” this song features Joel Madden & Benji Madden, I’m not really a fan of good charlotte but these guys sounded great in this song but Pharrell out showed them for sure in this song….the drums and bass are very very simple but they sound great and catchy just like “Fly Or Die” but the turntable solo at the end of the song was very average and I would expect a better one from the Neptunes.
Another great song of this album
9/10
Track Four
Back Seat Love
This is once again a track about girls….this song has a really good drum sound and the guitar sounds much more complicated than the three previous songs with regular solos in the verses and I feel that Pharrell has don’t his best vocal job in this song so far on the album and the listener is starting to understand what N.E.R.D have evolved to from “In Search Of…” but the downside to this song is that the song drags on to much at the end.
Once again a good track.
8.5/10
Track Five
She Wants to Move
This was the first out two singles to be released from this album and this was a very successful single reaching very high positions in the charts as well as a fancy video clip to go with it, I first herd this song on the radio about 10000 times and after about 3453262462 times of playing it I got a bit sick of it, but you might have herd this on the radio but for those who haven’t this is a very catchy song with a great but simple guitar riff and a great but simple guitar solo at the end
If you haven’t herd this song…get it
10/10
Track Six
Breakout
One of the slower songs on this album it’s a song about breaking up I think its about many things? This song contains very well written lyrics from Pharrell… I used to really dislike this song but it grows on me like most slow songs do….. there is not much to say about this song.
It grows on you as you hear it.
7.5/10
Track Seven
Wonderful Place
This track is a weaker song off this album and is about taking drugs that bring you to a wonderful place its quite a funny song but it gets really old very, very quickly and has a lack of guitar and drums but it has good trumpet playing and great vocals by Pharrell and Shay….
After this track is finished there is a secret track that is called “I Was Waiting For You” a very cute track about a Mum, Dad and there kids who go fishing but the baby almost drowns but the mum saves it, it’s a very well written track.
6.5/10
Track Eight
Drill Sargent
Just like “breakout” this is another song that grew on me over time, its got a very Beatles style feel to it In the course as Pharrell would sing “drill sergeant, got a word for you, I’m not going to war!” with a heavy guitar riff and then it mellows down for the verses with a guitar solo from Chad Hugo but the downfall for this song is that Pharrells verse 1 and 2 are exactly the same.
One of my favourite songs of the album
10/10
Track Nine
Thrasher
This is the most heaviest track off the album with rude lyrics from Pharrell saying stuff like “every once and awhile there is some ass hole, giving you *** cause something in his life wont fold”
This tracks instruments are just as rude as the lyrics with strong drums and heavy jazz guitar riffs from shay it’s a very solid track off the album and one that is hard to forget…it reminds me of Rckstar from “In Search Of…”
9/10
Track Ten
Maybe
My favourite track of this album with great and catchy piano from pharrell and solid jazzy guitar riff from a guest Lenny Kravitz and drums by “?uestlove” this song was the second of the two singles from this album but apparently it dident do as well as “She Wants To Move” did witch I think is a real pitty but tough tittys…anyway this song features a very good drum solo and every once and awhile Lenny or Chad will pop in and do a guitar solo.
My favourite song on the album.
10/10
Track Eleven
The Way She Dances
This is a very raunchy song where you see Pharrells dirty side that you see in “Tape You”, “Back Seat Love”, “She Wants to Move” and “Don’t Worry About it”…. With him singing “take off your skirt, take off your blouse, I hope your toes are painted, cause your going to dance in your undies all over your house” its got very good jazzy guitar from Chad and great keyboards.
8.5/10
Track Twelve
Chariet of Fire
A very strange and slow song which introduces itself by singing “I rote this song when I was drunk”
Im not really to sure what this is about… it sort of reminds me off “Breakout” in a way, and strange and romantic way to end this album
8/10
