Info → Exchange
Isaac Hayes, whose 1970 song “Our Day Will Come” was heavily sampled on Exchange.
UK Release: 26th September 1994 (Protection)
Track Duration: 05:06
Formats: CD, Vinyl, Cassette, Digital. View Discography Entry.
Written By: Andrew Vowles, Robert Del Naja, Grant Marshall, Adrian Thaws, Tim Norfolk and Bob Locke
Produced By: Andrew Vowles, Robert Del Naja, Grant Marshall and Nellee Hooper
Exchange is perhaps the song that most obviously references Mushroom’s talents and involvement than any other track on Mezzanine. The Isaac Hayes sample that Exchange is heavily based on, was once a popular choice for Mushroom to play as part of his DJ sets in the latter days of The Wild Bunch. When it came time however to get copyright clearance for the use of the sample for Exchange, Massive Attack would encounter a problem with obtaining the rights for the Isaac Hayes sample as the two original writers of the song, Mort Garson and Ben Hilliard were at that stage both dead and the wife of one them refused the sample’s clearance.
Euro Zero Zero was first featured on the compilation album “The Beautiful Game” in 1996, before being reused as a b-side 2 years later on the Teardrop single.
Luckily it was discovered afterwards that the sample that Mushroom had chosen from the Isaac Hayes song (which came specifically from its outro) was in fact written by Isaac Hayes and not the original writers. Isaac Hayes would then allow Massive Attack the use of his sample from the outro to the original song. This close call with running into sample clearance issues and possibly being heavily fined for copyright infringement was among the reasons (both artistic and financial) along with the whole Black Milk/Manfred Mann sample debacle which would turn Massive Attack away from using samples on their next album 100th Window.
The reprise of Exchange at the end of Mezzanine, (Exchange), ends with what seems to be vinyl scratching noise that slowly fades away into nothingness. Considering that Exchange was mostly Mushroom’s work this can be seen as a fittng end to Mushroom’s contribution to Massive Attack as his departure would soon be imminent within the next year after Mezzanine’s release.
The working title for Exchange was “Isaac”, obviously named after Isaac Hayes. This working title can be evidenced on this alternative earlier version of the Mezzanine album liner notes.
VARIATIONS/REMIXES
Mountain Steppers Dub – A typical dub style remix from the Mad Professor which was originally completed back in 1998, but sat unreleased on the shelf until 2019 when it was finally released as part of the 2XCD Mezzanine Remaster reissue and the Mezzanine Remix Tapes ’98 vinyl.
Exchange in its lyrical form i.e (Exchange) was performed during the second half of the 1998 tour at a few select dates with Horace Andy providing vocals.
Exchange being played live on the 2019 Mezzanine XXI tour.
The track would then remain unplayed live for over 20 years until the Mezzanine XXI tour of 2019 when as part of celebrating the Mezzanine albums’ 20th anniversary, the instrumental version of Exchange was played live usually around the halfway point of each show. Following this song, Horace Andy would come on stage and then launch into singing the original reggae version of his song, “You See A Man’s Face”, which is were the lyrics of Exchange are directly taken from.
Exchange uses a sample from the song “Our Day Will Come” by Isaac Hayes. It appears primarily on his 1970 release “… To Be Continued”. It is credited officially by Massive Attack.
Apart from this aforementioned sample, Exchange also uses a sample from the song “Summer In The City” by Quincy Jones. It appears primarily on his 1973 release “You’ve Got It Bad Girl”. It is not credited officially by Massive Attack.
3D on Exchange – “That’s one of Mushroom’s tracks. A drunken interlude. That feeling when you’re gambling when your drunk, all your money’s going and there’s nothing you can do.” [Vox Magazine – May 1998]
Mushroom on Exchange – “That was always one of the records I used to cut up with The Wild Bunch, so I had the label blacked out ‘cos I didn’t want biters to know what it was. We had to do a bit of research to see who the publisher was. Both the writers are dead now but the wife of one of them said we couldn’t use it. Luckily I’d sampled a bit that Isaac Hayes had written into the outro.” [Mojo Magazine – July 1998]
Horace Andy appears on (Exchange) only. Likewise the lyrics below only apply to (Exchange), the final track of Mezzanine.
Yeah yeah yeah ah. You see a man’s face. But you don’t see his heart. You see a man’s face. But you will never know his thoughts. Everywhere you go. There’s a man to say love. Never neither never neither. Take it to heart. For your heart is your heart. And your thoughts is your thoughts. Never mix love with hatred. You see a man’s face. You will never see his heart. You see a man’s face. But you will never know his thoughts. You see a man’s face. You will never know his thoughts. You see a man’s face…