Track Listing

1. Flipside
2. Knee Deepen
3. Blink
4. Stylophone
5. Downsized
6. Sorry
7. Sing It Back
8. Pretty Bridges
9. Be Like You
10. Caught In A Whisper
11. Dr Zee
12. ID
13. Tatty Narja
14. Over My Head
15. Should've Been Could've Been

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #78344 in Music
• Released on: 1998-08-24
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
After the success of their 1996 debut Do You Like My Tight Sweater, this follow-up from Sheffield-based duo Moloko received rather a muted response--a shame, as it consolidated the principles they'd already established the first time round. That is, until the summer-1999 dance-remix release of "Sing it Back", which proved to be a huge hit, both in the Ibiza clubs and at home in the UK (unfortunately, that mix is not to be found on this CD). Existentially quirky and shiftless, it was another reproach to the increasingly homogenous mass of electro-pop out there, snagging on the cardigan of chart conformity. Mark Brydon's angular collage of samples, squelching Moog synthesisers, and lopsided rhythms tangled up perfectly with singer Roisin Murphy's schizoid vocals and spontaneous wordplay, particularly on the Pere Ubu-influenced "The Flipside." However, Murphy's bizarre, robotic onstage antics and vocal mannerisms annoyed some, while others lazily marked Moloko down as a novelty trip-hop band. Consequently, I Am Not A Doctor never received the fair hearing it deserved. The last track reads almost like an appropriate epitaph: "Should've Been, Could've Been". --David Stubbs

Customer Reviews

The peak of flippant trip-hoppery!
Could the mountainous landscape on the cover of this album be a subliminal image chosen by the band because this is the record where they subconsciously reach their musical peak?

Most likely not, but visual coincidences aside, this is easily my most favourite of all of Moloko's albums. My interest in the band started when a friend of mine bought Do You Like My Tight Sweater? mainly based on its quirky title and bizarre sleeve as spotted in miniature somewhere in the pages of a Britannia catalogue. But where I found that album a great, if patchy, mix of happily unclassifiable, cross-genre electro-trip-ditties, I Am Not A Doctor is a complete record with not a stinker on it.

Sing It Back appears in its true, haunting form instead of the blandified pop-club version, though is not the stand-out track in this truly versatile mix. My favourites are probably Over My Head for its tongue-twistingness and Should've Been... for its never-wanting-to-end-ness a la Desolation Row, for alas it signals the finish.

Why this album is so overlooked beats me, but then why aren't Saint Etienne permanently at no.1? I'm glad Moloko decided to branch out and try different things for their subsequent albums, but I really don't think they'll ever top this monolith of manic, multi-style, flippant trip-hoppery.

Misunderstood work of art
It's a great shame that I Am Not a Doctor received such unfair treatment by nearly all critics. The album is packed with brilliant and original songs, a deep and harmonic sound with surprising moves making it exciting and never dull. Its cool yet warm expression makes it perfect for winter night playing. The brilliant house mix of Sing It Back differ a lot from the original on I Am Not a Doctor and is not included. You should buy this as well and you soon realize why the song stands alone! The mood is totally different.

The album is a refreshing breeze of pop loyal to its electric roots without any unsuitable rock blend. I have no doubt when handing over the 5 stars it deserves.

Unique doesn't necessarily mean fantastic. But it does here
Looking beyond the remixes of 'Sing it Back' and 'The Time is Now', Moloko are producing some of the most exciting and fresh music on the scene today. Fusing together trip hop, jazz, rock, pop and funk, the result is a totally unique and fantastical blend of brilliance. Buy this album and listen to Dr Zee or Caught in a Whisper or... well, listen to the whole album to see what I mean.