N*E*R*D - In Search of... The Neptunes

Before über-production duo The Neptunes got any stateside props for their “rock group” side project N*E*R*D, the album was released first in Europe in the Fall of 2001. Here in the U.S. it was immediately panned by most U.S. Hip Hop rags (yaaaawn…) So the day it was supposed to finally be released in the states, in early 2002, N*E*R*D - In Search of… The Neptunes was pulled from the shelves and Chad and Pharell went back to the studio… With help from Star Trak signees Spy Mob they rerecorded the drum tracks and many of the synth parts this time using live instruments. The previous version had been created (like all the other Neptunes tracks) with synthesizers, samplers, etc… and besides the song structure and vocals you didn’t (at least I didn’t) really think “rock music” (choke, cough)… So this was more of a “Rock” repackaging if you will… giving it a more classifiable and band based sound.

SO. Finally, it would see a true U.S. release… in April 2002… almost a year after the original demo surfaced. The result is the N*E*R*D you saw playing Coachella and all the other big amphitheatres and festivals around the U.S…

But how did the original album sound?!?!? Well… hmm… I think… better… in some cases… in others the rock rework edges out the original. Personally, I prefer the original sampler and synth version… as I’m a synthetic music fucknut… But there are a couple songs that were definitely improved upon with Spymob’s instrumentation.

Maybe these... Maybe not?

N*E*R*D - Things Are Getting Better (Original)
N*E*R*D - Things Are Getting Better

N*E*R*D - Tape You (Original)
N*E*R*D - Tape You

You decide…