Low-Life | UK Hip Hop Story | Pitman - It Takes A Nation of Tossers CD [Son]

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1979-1985

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1985-1990

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1990-1995

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Pitman - It Takes A Nation of Tossers CD [Son]

Tracklist:
1. Countdown To Pitworld
2. What I Am
3. Waiting
4. When Miners Attack
5. Witness The Pitness
6. Words
7. Sugar In Ya Peas
8. The Pitman and Her
9. Twat Farm Revisited
10. Mr Pitiful
11. Soot FM
12. Mam Sed
13. Food Interlood
14. What's The Point?
15. Two Twats

Latest in the long line of Northern comedy rappers Pitman brings us the ultimate in ironic grumpy old man rap. A more toned down version of Carlon Stardom, along similar lines of Staunch Liaison or the Menagerie, Pitman has undoubted skills and has been turned to the dark side. Like the rest of society Pitman has a chip on his shoulder and wants to let everyone know about it in the most blatant terms. The LP is probably going to be too much for many of those annoying people who always see the positive in all the minutiae of life. If you are like me, someone who has become cynical and finds it hard to see any light at the end of the tunnel then this will be right up your street. Someone voicing your inner concerns - everything you want to moan about down the pub. If you feel this way the chances are you are getting on a bit and that also will mean that there is more here for you than a new jack as you will get all the references harking back to what you will perceive to be a better era of rap.

The LP opens with someone I suppose who is meant to be our illustrious Prime Minister talking about how the UK has its own thugs and although how they don't carry Uzi's thay are still dangerous. MC Pitman is described as aspiring to be a gangsta and is a dangerous character you wouldn't want to meet on a Newcastle street late at night. The opening track and the title of the LP borrow heavily from Public Enemy. Over sirens and the Funky Drummer break Pitman gets a live crowd to chant after him 'Shit Hole' and his catch phrase 'Battered Sausage'. What I Am borrows from old skool Steady B in terms of the cuts and drum machine and from Brand Nubian for the chorus. Waiting brings some blue note breaks, and the lyrics are all on point about having to wait for stuff in life. It starts off with complaints about public transport and the waits one has to endure. Pitman moves on to hit the nail right on the head about traffic jams, waiting for change in shops and all other kinds of waits one has to endure. When Miners Attack is a funny skit where a miner is complaining that Pitman thinks he is black and that his music is shit. Suffice to say the guy get completely slated.

The classic Pitman track that brought him to most people's attention if it wasn't the Pitman Says track, which is unfortunately not included here, will be his remix of Roots Manuva's track to transform it into Witness The Pitness. From Pitman's previous 7" I had thought that all the tracks would be remakes, but although many do seem very familiar, each track is more of a collage rather than a straight rip off.

Words is a laid back commentary over super cheesy almost sleep inducing breaks. Sugar In Ya Peas takes the beat and the initial rap from Run DMC's Sucker MC's. The beat has a few extra production twiddles, such as additional stabs at different pitches and some cutting in the chorus, but little has been done to over do it and that is what is good about this LP. Nothing is really overdone, you can note the influences and see how Styly has updated things a touch. Although Pitman does have his own lyrics to say, he does keep coming back to Run DMC's lyrics just to keep you reminded of where his is coming from and possibly also to show that he has the skill to do it as well and still have what he is saying still make sense.

Pitman excels at simple everyday life observational lyrics. The Pitman & Her is another track like this in which Pitman takes us through several hours in his mundane life. Most people can relate to his gripes and it starts off with an alarm clock and Pitman stating it is too early to get up. Public transport fits in again, but the main thrust of this tack is the Pitman picking up a girl. There is not much energetic rapping going on here, its just like Pitman is chatting to you, but it al goes a bit strange about non existent spoons, and then the alarm clock returns and it turns out Pitman had been snoozing.

Twat Farm is for all those people who like to be emblazoned with other people's logos. A hard beat and a well chopped guitar make the backing for this track which contains some really funny one liners which should have anyone who isn't offended smirking at the least. Tracks like Call Me Mr Pitiful play games with the title and music wise bring the funk and breaks back and with his supremely understated conversational rap style Pitman delivers classic lines we have all thought about like, 'at least I don't look like Seal'.

Mam Said, as you might expect is the piss take version of LL's Mamma Said Knock You Out, but as usual Pitman twists it for a typically UK slant, the chorus running My mamma'll give you a clout. Even the backgrough Ahhh has been Pitmanified, and it is once you notice all these little touches that you just have to listen all the more intently. All throughout Pitman takes his lyrics in a parallel direction to the original, but then veers off down his own route and it is only when he does it that you realise he had been building to this diversion, which also references the original. Mind blowing! The final track Two Twats is a rambling Derek & Clive back and forth dialogue covering the usual topics of biscuits and battered sausages over the Mexican break.

You'd think that Pitman would run out of steam, but he has enough coal to keep him powered up all the way to the end of the LP. The character is quite well rounded and the circular recurring references wither mean that the Pitman character is real or that his alter ego Styly Cee deserves a great deal of credit as any good actor or writer would expect in another field. If you can take this attitude across a whole LP, then the format of half cover versions and parodies probably gives the project extra longevity and also shows another skill Pitman has, which is namely to stay on a particular topic and make it funny.

The artwork completely fits in with the whole project. Sepiaed out grimey shots of a pit heads and Victorian era designs all fit in with the grumpy old man persona and are what this layout by Doug Bowden and photographs by Cairo capture. This is a great LP which the chances are will go over the top of a lot of people's heads. I take the point that people could hear these references and still not be impressed, bit I think that if they get it they can't fail to like it. Whether it will still be getting spun in several years time I don't know.

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