The Return of the Space Cowboy
Encyclopedia
The Return Of The Space Cowboy is the second album by the band Jamiroquai
. Released in 1994, it is usually classified under the acid-jazz and funk
genre.
but remains a classic in the United Kingdom
and elsewhere. Many consider it to be the best and most refined example of the unique Jamiroquai sound. The album has sold 4,000,000 copies to date. Bassist Stuart Zender
does not appear on the album version of the song "Space Cowboy". Zender's explanation of the events which led to his non-appearance on the title track refer to a situation that occurred during the last stages of the album recording. Jay Kay
informed Zender that he wanted to record a new version of the title track. However, Zender had scheduled some time off to patch up his relationship with model Milla Jovovich
. Kay gave his blessing to take the time off, but when Zender returned he found that Kay had recruited a session bassist, known only as "Mr X", to play on the song. Mr X is credited on the liner notes. The track "Morning Glory" was sampled in "Bite Our Style (Interlude)", a track by Missy Elliott
from her album, Supa Dupa Fly
. A similar occurrence occurred with "Manifest Destiny", sampled in "Who Do U Believe In", a track by Tupac
from his album Better Dayz
.
gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, claiming "Jason Kay is a wonderfully nimble singer with a Stevie Wonder jones, and Jamiroquai parlay jazzy soul pop so tight it crackles....Nowadays, when most funk comes out of cans, Jamiroquai's live spark glows." Entertainment Weekly
gave the album a B- rating, claiming "No idle nostalgia broker, Jamiroquai is a funk-making machine with a bright future in the past." Q
magazine also gave the album 3 out of 5 stars, claiming "An ebullient follow-up to his storming debut." The Source
claimed "The Return Of The Space Cowboy is a mixture of acid jazz-like keyboards with an overlay of bright horns and hard basslines....This group may still be light years ahead of the hip-hop world." Musician
claimed "...sounds like a bastard spawn of Stevie Wonder and Mandrill with its vintage keyboards, jazz harmonies and fondness for rambling, jam-oriented arrangements..."
Note: The running time of "Stilness In Time" on the LP release of the album is 6:13.
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as...
. Released in 1994, it is usually classified under the acid-jazz and funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
genre.
Album information
This album has become somewhat uncommon in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
but remains a classic in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and elsewhere. Many consider it to be the best and most refined example of the unique Jamiroquai sound. The album has sold 4,000,000 copies to date. Bassist Stuart Zender
Stuart Zender
Stuart Patrick Jude Zender is an English bassist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for being the original bass player for Jamiroquai.-Early life:...
does not appear on the album version of the song "Space Cowboy". Zender's explanation of the events which led to his non-appearance on the title track refer to a situation that occurred during the last stages of the album recording. Jay Kay
Jason Kay
Jason "Jay Kay" Luís Cheetham , is a Grammy Award-winning English musician, best known as the lead singer of the band Jamiroquai...
informed Zender that he wanted to record a new version of the title track. However, Zender had scheduled some time off to patch up his relationship with model Milla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich December 17, 1975)is an American model, actress, musician, and fashion designer. Over her career, she has appeared in a number of science fiction and action-themed films, for which music channel VH1 has referred to her as the "reigning queen of kick-butt".Milla Jovovich began...
. Kay gave his blessing to take the time off, but when Zender returned he found that Kay had recruited a session bassist, known only as "Mr X", to play on the song. Mr X is credited on the liner notes. The track "Morning Glory" was sampled in "Bite Our Style (Interlude)", a track by Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
from her album, Supa Dupa Fly
Supa Dupa Fly
Upon its release, Supa Dupa Fly received critical acclaim among music critics. Writers lauded record producer Timbaland's production as unique and revolutionary, whose "lean, digital grooves are packed with unpredictable arrangements and stuttering rhythms"...
. A similar occurrence occurred with "Manifest Destiny", sampled in "Who Do U Believe In", a track by Tupac
Tupac
Tupac is a relatively uncommon male name. Notable people with the name include:*Túpac Inca Yupanqui , tenth Sapa Inca of the Incan Empire*Túpac Amaru , last indigenous leader of the Inca people in Peru...
from his album Better Dayz
Better Dayz
-Disc 2:-Album chart positions:...
.
Reception
Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, claiming "Jason Kay is a wonderfully nimble singer with a Stevie Wonder jones, and Jamiroquai parlay jazzy soul pop so tight it crackles....Nowadays, when most funk comes out of cans, Jamiroquai's live spark glows." Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave the album a B- rating, claiming "No idle nostalgia broker, Jamiroquai is a funk-making machine with a bright future in the past." Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
magazine also gave the album 3 out of 5 stars, claiming "An ebullient follow-up to his storming debut." The Source
The Source (magazine)
The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988...
claimed "The Return Of The Space Cowboy is a mixture of acid jazz-like keyboards with an overlay of bright horns and hard basslines....This group may still be light years ahead of the hip-hop world." Musician
Musician (magazine)
Musician was a monthly magazine that covered news and information about American popular music. Initially called "Music America", it was founded in 1976 by Sam Holdsworth and Gordon Baird. The two friends borrowed $20,000 from relatives and started the publication in a barn in Colorado...
claimed "...sounds like a bastard spawn of Stevie Wonder and Mandrill with its vintage keyboards, jazz harmonies and fondness for rambling, jam-oriented arrangements..."
Track listing
- "Just Another Story" (Jason KayJason KayJason "Jay Kay" Luís Cheetham , is a Grammy Award-winning English musician, best known as the lead singer of the band Jamiroquai...
, Toby SmithToby SmithToby Smith is a musician, most famous for being the keyboardist and co-songwriter for Jamiroquai from 1992 up to 2001....
) – 8:48 - "Stillness in TimeStillness in Time"Stillness In Time" is the third single from British Acid Jazz band Jamiroquai's second studio album, The Return of the Space Cowboy. The track peaked at #9 on the UK Singles Chart, making it the group's highest charting release to that date. The song was covered by Calvin Harris on the Radio 1...
" (Jason KayJason KayJason "Jay Kay" Luís Cheetham , is a Grammy Award-winning English musician, best known as the lead singer of the band Jamiroquai...
, Toby SmithToby SmithToby Smith is a musician, most famous for being the keyboardist and co-songwriter for Jamiroquai from 1992 up to 2001....
) – 4:15 - "Half the ManHalf the Man"Half The Man" is the second single from British Acid Jazz group Jamiroquai's second studio album, The Return of the Space Cowboy. The track became the group's best-selling single to that point, peaking at #7 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was featured on the soundtrack of cult British surf...
" (Jason KayJason KayJason "Jay Kay" Luís Cheetham , is a Grammy Award-winning English musician, best known as the lead singer of the band Jamiroquai...
, Toby SmithToby SmithToby Smith is a musician, most famous for being the keyboardist and co-songwriter for Jamiroquai from 1992 up to 2001....
) – 4:48 - "Light YearsLight Years (Jamiroquai song)"Light Years" is the fourth single from British Acid Jazz band Jamiroquai's second studio album, The Return of the Space Cowboy. The song peaked at #36 on the UK Singles Chart due to poor promotion of the track. In the US, the song hit #6 on the U.S. Dance Chart. The American version of the single...
" (Jason KayJason KayJason "Jay Kay" Luís Cheetham , is a Grammy Award-winning English musician, best known as the lead singer of the band Jamiroquai...
, Toby SmithToby SmithToby Smith is a musician, most famous for being the keyboardist and co-songwriter for Jamiroquai from 1992 up to 2001....
) – 5:53 - "Manifest Destiny" (Jason KayJason KayJason "Jay Kay" Luís Cheetham , is a Grammy Award-winning English musician, best known as the lead singer of the band Jamiroquai...
, Toby SmithToby SmithToby Smith is a musician, most famous for being the keyboardist and co-songwriter for Jamiroquai from 1992 up to 2001....
) – 6:19 - "The Kids" (Jason KayJason KayJason "Jay Kay" Luís Cheetham , is a Grammy Award-winning English musician, best known as the lead singer of the band Jamiroquai...
, Toby SmithToby SmithToby Smith is a musician, most famous for being the keyboardist and co-songwriter for Jamiroquai from 1992 up to 2001....
) – 5:08 - "Mr. Moon" (Jason KayJason KayJason "Jay Kay" Luís Cheetham , is a Grammy Award-winning English musician, best known as the lead singer of the band Jamiroquai...
, Stuart ZenderStuart ZenderStuart Patrick Jude Zender is an English bassist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for being the original bass player for Jamiroquai.-Early life:...
, Toby SmithToby SmithToby Smith is a musician, most famous for being the keyboardist and co-songwriter for Jamiroquai from 1992 up to 2001....
) – 5:28 - "Scam" (Jason KayJason KayJason "Jay Kay" Luís Cheetham , is a Grammy Award-winning English musician, best known as the lead singer of the band Jamiroquai...
, Stuart ZenderStuart ZenderStuart Patrick Jude Zender is an English bassist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for being the original bass player for Jamiroquai.-Early life:...
) – 7:00 - "Journey To Arnhemland" (Jason KayJason KayJason "Jay Kay" Luís Cheetham , is a Grammy Award-winning English musician, best known as the lead singer of the band Jamiroquai...
, Toby SmithToby SmithToby Smith is a musician, most famous for being the keyboardist and co-songwriter for Jamiroquai from 1992 up to 2001....
, Wallis Buchanan) – 5:19 - "Morning Glory" (Jason KayJason KayJason "Jay Kay" Luís Cheetham , is a Grammy Award-winning English musician, best known as the lead singer of the band Jamiroquai...
) – 6:21 - "Space CowboySpace Cowboy (song)"Space Cowboy" is the lead single from British band Jamiroquai's second studio album, The Return of the Space Cowboy. The single reached #17 in the UK Singles Chart and was their first #1 on the U.S...
" (Jason KayJason KayJason "Jay Kay" Luís Cheetham , is a Grammy Award-winning English musician, best known as the lead singer of the band Jamiroquai...
) – 6:25
- Japanese Bonus Track
- 12. "Space CowboySpace Cowboy (song)"Space Cowboy" is the lead single from British band Jamiroquai's second studio album, The Return of the Space Cowboy. The single reached #17 in the UK Singles Chart and was their first #1 on the U.S...
" (Stoned Again Mix) - 7:58
- American Bonus Track
- 12. "Light YearsLight Years (Jamiroquai song)"Light Years" is the fourth single from British Acid Jazz band Jamiroquai's second studio album, The Return of the Space Cowboy. The song peaked at #36 on the UK Singles Chart due to poor promotion of the track. In the US, the song hit #6 on the U.S. Dance Chart. The American version of the single...
" (Live At The Theatre Du Moulin, Marseille, December 1994) – 5:53
- French Bonus Track
- 12. "Space CowboySpace Cowboy (song)"Space Cowboy" is the lead single from British band Jamiroquai's second studio album, The Return of the Space Cowboy. The single reached #17 in the UK Singles Chart and was their first #1 on the U.S...
" (David Morales Mix) - 4:59
Note: The running time of "Stilness In Time" on the LP release of the album is 6:13.
Outtakes
- "Do That Dance" - An original track performed several times during live performances in 1993
- "Life Goes On" - A original track which was later merged together with "Do That Dance" to create "Scam"
- "Let Me Believe" - An original version of "Manifest Destiny", performed live in MilanMilanMilan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
in December 1993 - "The Kids Got Funky Soul" - An outtake from the band's debut album, adapted to create "The Kids"
Singles
- "The Kids" - March 21, 1994
- "Space Cowboy" - September 26, 1994
- "Half the Man" - November 7, 1994
- "Stillness In Time" - June 19, 1995
- "Light Years" - September 6, 1995
- "Morning Glory" - was originally intended to be a single, but the release was cancelled for unknown reasons. The only trace of the cancelled release lies in the promo release of the single. The release itself is the holy grailHoly GrailThe Holy Grail is a sacred object figuring in literature and certain Christian traditions, most often identified with the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper and said to possess miraculous powers...
of Jamiroquai releases for many fans, since two more tracks aside from the album version appear on the promo. The tracklisting of the promo is:
- Morning Glory (Edit) - 4:18
- Morning Glory (Instrumental) - 4:25
- Stillness In Time (Edit) - 4:14