A Funk Odyssey

A Funk Odyssey
Studio album by Jamiroquai
Released	3 September 2001 (UK) 11 September 2001 (US)
Genre	Funk disco R&B pop disco rock dance pop
Length	48:17
Label	Sony Soho Square (UK) Epic (US)
Producer	Rick Pope
Jamiroquai chronology
An Online Odyssey (2001) A Funk Odyssey (2001) Late Night Tales: Jamiroquai (2003)
Singles from A Funk Odyssey
"Little L" Released: 13 August 2001 "You Give Me Something" Released: 19 November 2001 "Love Foolosophy" Released: 25 February 2002 "Corner of the Earth" Released: 8 July 2002

A Funk Odyssey is the fifth studio album by British funk/acid jazz band Jamiroquai. The album was released on 3 September 2001 in the United Kingdom under Sony Soho Square and 11 September 2001 on Epic Records in the United States.

Background

Combining elements of funk, disco and electronica, the release of the album represented the peak of international commercial success for Jamiroquai, and in the ensuing world tour the group became a household name in many countries. The sleeve art of A Funk Odyssey features Jay Kay posed in front of a series of lasers that form the famous "Buffalo Man" logo, making it the first Jamiroquai album not to feature the logo prominently on its cover.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	58/100[1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Q	[3]
Entertainment Weekly	B[4]
Slant Magazine	[5]

Initial critical response to A Funk Odyssey was generally mixed. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 58, based on 13 reviews.^[1] Q magazine gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, claiming "A certified thoroughbred. This time, there's a bankable chorus or barbed sentiment for every mirror-ball moment....demonstrating that no-one does sci-fi boogie quite as well as he does sci-fi boogie." They also listed it as one of the best 50 albums of 2001.^[6] CMJ described the album as "The perfect mixtape to snap your fingers to on your way to another universe."

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Feel So Good"	Jay Kay, Toby Smith	5:21
2.	"Little L"	Jay Kay, Toby Smith	4:55
3.	"You Give Me Something"	Jay Kay, Rob Harris, Nick Fyffe	3:23
4.	"Corner of the Earth"	Jay Kay, Rob Harris	5:40
5.	"Love Foolosophy"	Jay Kay, Toby Smith	3:45
6.	"Stop Don't Panic"	Jay Kay, Rob Harris, Nick Fyffe	4:34
7.	"Black Crow"	Jay Kay, Rob Harris, Nick Fyffe	4:02
8.	"Main Vein"	Jay Kay	5:05
9.	"Twenty Zero One"	Jay Kay	5:15
10.	"Picture of My Life"	Jay Kay, Rob Harris, Toby Smith	4:11
11.	"So Good to Feel Real" (Hidden Track)	Jay Kay	2:04
Total length:			48:15

• Japanese Bonus Tracks

12. "Do It Like We Used To Do" - 6:49

13. "Deeper Underground" - 4:44

• Australian Bonus Disc

1. "Do It Like We Used to Do" - 6:49
2. "Everybody's Going to the Moon" - 5:22
3. "Little L" (Video)

• Australian Tour Edition Bonus Disc

1. "Space Cowboy" (Classic Club Mix) - 7:52
2. "Supersonic" (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Vocal) - 7:00
3. "Deeper Underground" - 4:44
4. "Little L" (Bob Sinclair Remix) - 7:28
5. "You Give Me Something" (Full Intention Remix) - 3:03
6. "Main Vein" (Live) - 5:14

• Asian Tour Edition Bonus Disc

1. "Everybody's Going to the Moon" - 5:22
2. "Do It Like We Used To Do" - 6:49
3. "Deeper Underground" - 4:44
4. "Little L" (Bob Sinclar Remix) - 7:28
5. "You Give Me Something" (Full Intention Remix) - 3:03
6. "Main Vein" (Live) - 5:14

• South African Tour Edition Bonus Disc

1. "Main Vein" (Live) - 5:14
2. "Do It Like We Used To Do" - 6:49
3. "You Give Me Something" (Full Intention Remix) - 3:03
4. "Little L" (Blaze Remix) - 5:55
5. "Love Foolosophy" (Mondo Grosso Love Acoustic Version) - 4:44
6. "Corner Of The Earth" (Milk & Sugar Short Club Mix) - 4:13

• French Tour Edition Bonus Disc

1. "Everybody's Going To The Moon" - 5:22
2. "Do It Like We Used To Do" - 6:49
3. "Main Vein" (Live) - 5:14
4. "Titan" (Live At Telewest Arena) - 3:15
5. "Feels So Good" (Knee Deep Vocal Dub) - 7:34
6. "Love Foolosophy" (Mondo Grosso Love Acoustic Version) - 4:44

• Original Test Pressing

1. "Feel So Good" (Uncut) – 6:24
2. "Little L" (Extra Percussion) – 4:55
3. "You Give Me Something" (Uncut) – 5:16
4. "Interlude #1" – 0:35
5. "Main Vein" (No Vocals – Cut) – 4:51
6. "Corner Of The Earth" (Vocal Variation) – 5:40
7. "Twenty Zero One" (Uncut) – 8:29
8. "Black Crow" (Vocal Variation) – 4:02
9. "Interlude #2" – 1:22
10. "Do It Like We Used To Do" (Edited) – 6:49
11. "Stop Don't Panic" (Uncut) – 5:31
12. "Interlude #3" – 0:20
13. "Picture of My Life" (Vocal Variation – Cut) – 3:46
14. "So Good To Feel Real" – 2:14

Outtakes

"Cannabliss" was a track which was performed live during a pre-album tour in 2001. The track was scrapped from the project after Jay claimed that it wasn't even half complete at the time of going to press. The track's introduction was re-used for "Corner of the Earth". The album's title track, "A Funk Odyssey", was performed by the group while on tour; however, it was not included on the album. It is unknown whether this track is an outtake from the album, or was intended as a live-only track. "Shoot The Moon" was a further outtake from the album, performed live at least twice, once at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2003, and once at a concert in Turkey. A widely circulated recording of the song being played at the festival exists, and can be found on the group's official website for download. One interesting fact about the song is that it was intended to have a horn section. The band did not have a horn section at the time, so the electric guitar had to substitute the horns. A studio version was never recorded. The test pressing of the album also featured three interludes. The first features band frontman Jay in an electronically manipulated monologue, asking himself why he would want to "shut down the funk assembly unit." The second interlude is a beatbox track, which was later sampled in the single "Feels Just Like It Should", while the third features Strauss' "The Blue Danube" being faded in slowly at a low volume. A case of synchronicity occurs when the test pressing is played to Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey.^[7]

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[8]	4× Platinum	280,000^^
France (SNEP)[9]	2× Gold	200,000^*
Italy (FIMI)[10]	Platinum	100,000^*
Japan (RIAJ)[11]	Platinum	255,000[12]
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[13]	Gold	50,000^^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[14]	Platinum	40,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[15]	2× Platinum	600,000^^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[16]	Platinum	1,000,000^*
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

Charts

Weekly charts Chart Position Australian ARIA Album Chart[17] 1 Austrian Albums Chart[18] 4 Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders) [19] 6 Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[20] 3 Canadian Albums Chart[21] 5 Danish Albums Chart[22] 9 Dutch Albums Chart[23] 4 Finnish Albums Chart[24] 4 French SNEP Albums Chart[25] 1 German Media Control Albums Chart[26] 2 Italian Albums Chart[27] 1 Japanese Oricon Albums Chart[28] 2 New Zealand Albums Chart[29] 17 Norwegian Albums Chart[30] 12 Swedish Albums Chart[31] 13 Swiss Albums Chart[32] 1 UK Albums Chart[33] 1 U.S. Billboard 200[21] 44

Year-end charts Chart (2001) Position Australian Albums Chart[34] 40 Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[35] 88 Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[36] 87 Dutch Albums Chart[37] 77 French Albums Chart[38] 47 Italian Albums Chart[39] 22 Japanese Albums Chart[40] 90 Swiss Albums Chart[41] 24 Chart (2002) Position Australian Albums Chart[42] 6

References

1. "Jamiroquai:A Funk Odyssey (2001): Reviews". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. Retrieved 2 April 2009.
2. Wilson, MacKenzie. "Jamiroquai: A Funk Odyssey > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
3. Q (9/01, p.112) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...A certified thoroughbred. This time, there's a bankable chorus or barbed sentiment for every mirror-ball moment....demonstrating that no-one does sci-fi boogie quite as well as he does sci-fi boogie..."
4. Weingarten, Marc (10 September 2001). "A Funk Odyssey (2001): Jamiroquai". Entertainment Weekly.
5. http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/jamiroquai-a-funk-odyssey
6. "The Best 50 Albums of 2001". Q. December 2001. pp. 60–65.
7. Milos, Knjaz (8 July 2007). "Synchronicity: 2001: ASO & AFOTP". jamiroquai.com. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
8. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association.
9. "French album certifications – Jamiroquai – A Funk Odyssey" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
10. "Musica: Disco di platino per Jamiroquai" (in Italian). Adnkronos. 10 September 2001. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
11. "RIAJ > The Record > October 2001 > Certified Awards (August 2001)" (PDF). Recording Industry Association of Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 2014-01-02.
12. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
13. "Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano: Certificados > 2000–2003". Iberautor Promociones Culturales. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
14. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Jamoriquai; 'A Funk Odyssey')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
15. "British album certifications – Jamiroquai – A Funk Odyssey". British Phonographic Industry. Enter A Funk Odyssey in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
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