"So it seems that everyone likes 'Timeless' better than this one, but I'm not sure why. I'm sure everyone will disagree with my review, but I don't really care. Goldie conquers new ground with this extremely brave release. 'Mother' is superb, although I must admit...I seldom find myself in the mood for a 60 minute track. However...I'm always in the mood for 'Chico', 'I'll be there..' and 'Demonz'. 'Timeless' was great when it was released, but it is already sounding a bit dated, and I find it a bit dull. My only complaint with this album is that the Grooverider remix of 'Temper' is a hell of a lot better, and so are the remixes of 'Digital'. Although that was probably intentional to sell the singles...regardless, this is dope."
No big deal, actually no deal at all
Isabel Sanchez | Chillin | 12/27/2001
(2 out of 5 stars)
"i have heard a zillion ambient DnB compelations and this album would fall neatly in that catagory, thats if i totally forgot who Goldie was, and what hes done for DnB. the first Goldie album i bought was "Amazing sounds of DnB." that album is uncanny to me; it has been my expierience with some of my favorite artists, when i purchase backward in time, the sound of the artist tends to get alot more raw. in Goldies case its the opposite. this album and timeless make me want to sleep. Goldie has great samples, and his talent is with out question. but this these albums are just as boreing as the other wanna-be-futureistic Dj's on the metalheadz label of the time."
David Bowie makes the difference!
Carl Johnson | Detroit, MI United States | 05/19/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have followed Goldie for quite some time. Drangonfly and Mother MAKE this 2 disc set worth your while. It is the last of this particular phase of Goldie. More rythmically complex than his first one, Goldie put his heart into this. David Bowie lends his voice to Mother and Drangonfly is a trip hop wonder. Excellent spin!"
An interesting attempt, but ultimately too self-indulgent an
Steward Willons | Illinois | 07/10/2008
(2 out of 5 stars)
"As a fan of Goldie's music and a supporter of any electronic artist who works to break the boundaries of generic convention, I'm sad to be giving this CD a negative review. I wanted it to be great and I wanted to like it. I give Goldie props for a great effort, but it's ultimately unsuccessful.
The first disc is rather staggering - an hour long drum 'n bass "tribute" to his mother. The idea is great, but it makes a few assumptions. Number 1 - it assumes that approximately 30 minutes of vocal work by Goldie himself is a good idea. Goldie's vocals are barely sufficient for a track like "Temper Temper" and anything more is just inappropriate. Number 2 - it assumes that Goldie's personal journey is inherently interesting. The fact that he was abandoned by his mother at a young age is sad, but it's not enough to say "I was abandoned by my mother" and then make an hour-long track assuming some sort of emotional connection. It's a solid effort, but the whole thing still seems rather self-indulgent. Upon listening to "Mother", it seems like it was made more for Goldie's personal edification than anything else. Once the drums kick in, things improve considerably, but since it's sandwiched in between long, vaguely "orchestral" (in the most diluted sense of the word) arrangements, it's just not worth the effort.
The second disc is stronger, but it's still no "Timeless". Goldie has already proved he can work with extended tracks because "Timeless" was, well, a timeless album. I'm not sure why he abandoned his winning formula for this album, but he did. "Temper Temper" is sort of rocking and is an obvious standout track. "Dragonfly" also has some nice moments. Unfortunately, "Chico - Death of a Rockstar", clearly intended to be a substantial track, is just sort of bland. It's around 15-minutes long, but it cannot sustain interest. It actually feels a little bit polite, when it should be gritty and in-your-face.
I knew "SaturnzReturn" had mixed reviews when I bought it. I fully intended to find something the reviewers had missed, something to make me love the album. After living with the album for a while, I have come to the conclusion that it's just not that good. I'm sure the very idea of a track like "Mother" will be interesting to some. For that reason, I would recommend trying to find it used for a good price because it's just not worth the money. Goldie fans would do well to skip this in favor of the superior "Ring of Saturn". While it's technically a remix album, all the tracks that are revisited are also improved. That includes a heavily abbreviated mix of "Mother", which works really well as a hardcore, dark drum 'n bass track.
Here's the breakdown of my final rating. As always, I would give this 2.5 stars if I could.