Masters Of Ceremony – Dynamite LP

Traffic (2005, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

The first and only Masters of Ceremony album, Dynamite, came out in 1988.  Slightly before I started digging into the world of hip hop and a year that was so full of absolute classics that some of the other albums released that year faded into obscurity.  I never heard of Masters of Ceremony back in the 90s, but had I know that they were the first group that Grand Puba was in before Brand Nubian, I'm sure I would have went out of my way to track down a copy.

And that's exactly why I tracked down a copy many, many years later.  I've always been a big fan of prime era Grand Puba.  His work on the Brand Nubian debut, his first solo record and the myriad of guest appearances he made in the early 90s was a hell of a run.  It's interesting to go back a few years before that to see how he came up.

In no way is Dynamite anywhere near as good as any of Puba's early 90s work.  It's from 1988, so it has an older school feel, especially production-wise.  Most of the beats are OK though.  While the production certainly sounds dated compared to other golden era releases, even those that came out in 1988, Masters are definitely taking advantage of some of the new tricks and techniques that were starting up.  Yes, a lot of it sounds a little hokey, but the bulk of it just sounds like good, early hip hop.  Aside from the song "Redder Posse."  That song is just straight nonsense.  The group comes off like a bunch of sappy R&B clowns with horrible synth and the worst crooning in the hooks.  Luckily, this song is an anomaly.

Lyrically Puba shares his time with another MC called Dr. Who.  They do a lot of the Run DMC style of passing the mic back and forth, even mid sentence.  Puba isn't rapping at the level he'd hit in a few years, but he is quite a bit better than Dr. Who.  Again, none of this is bad, it's just a little simplistic compared to where hip hop and Grand Puba would end up in just a couple of years.  This probably isn't the sort of record I would listen to as part of my regular rotation, but it's a decent enough change of pace when I'm looking to indulge in some of hip hop's earlier times.

Masters Of Ceremony – Dynamite:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3DTua2OfNY&ab_

The Stools - Live At Outer Limits 12-28-19 LP - White Vinyl

Big Neck (2024)

I'm never going to be a big fan of live albums.  Even the live albums that I like aren't records that I play very frequently.  For me, it's always just been one of those things where the experience of being at the show will always dwarf anything that gets recorded.  Despite not being at this Stools show, or being super familiar with them in general, I have to think the folks who were at that show had a significantly different experience than the one that I have listening to the record.

Starting off with the positives, I really like the music and in particular the guitar playing that The Stools are bringing to the table (yes, that's sort of a joke about stools and tables, all apologies).  There's a lot of blues riffs played at warp speed that makes me thing of that first Black-Eyed Snakes album, but with less of a Doo Rag feeling.  The pounding rhythm section just further highlights this riff-a-polooza and I imagine watching it live was pretty incredible.

Where this album dips down for me a bit is the vocals.  They're a little screamier than I usually like, but I think the main issue is this is where the fidelity of the live recording breaks down.  It's all very muffled, particularly compared to the instruments and more than anything, it makes me feel like this is the recording of someone with a tape player in their pocket.  I imagine that's not the case, but for me it's tough to get into the record when the vocals are so muted.

The Stools - Live At Outer Limits 12-28-19:
https://bigneckrecords1.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-outer-limits

Unwound – A Single History 1991-2001 2xLP - Black w/ Splatter Vinyl

Numero (2024, Reissue)

I wrote a lot about Unwound on this website many years ago as I picked up the various Numero box sets that came out.  I love those records and they are the epitome of completeness and a well done retrospective.  That said, there are so many great Unwound songs that are sprinkled throughout those boxes, which makes listening a little scattershot when you're looking at non-album tracks.  Numero makes it easy for dummies like me and have put out a reworked version of the A Single History compilation.

This was originally called A Single History 1994 - 1997, was a single LP and came out on Kill Rock Stars.  Obviously it didn't contain the entirety of Unwound's singles, but gathered up most of the early 7" songs.  Numero took that ball and ran with it farther than a very far thing.  This version is called A Single History 1994 - 2001.  It boasts 23 songs as compared to the original's 16 and is a double LP set.

They also fixed one of the things I find most annoying on singles comps.  The Numero version has all of the songs in chronological order and keeps all of the songs that were on a single together in the track listing.  It's always been a pet peeve of mine when tracks aren't in order on singles comps and to me, this is a much more satisfying listening experience.

There's a ton of great Unwound songs here like "Mkultra," "Corpse Pose" and "Negated."  All hits.  Plus it has my very favorite Unwound song of all time, "Broken E Strings" from the Jabberjaw compilation.  While my friend from high school Pat was super instrumental in making me pay attention to Unwound even before that Jabberjaw comp came out, that song is the one that really grabbed me and made me a fan for life.  This is a great compilation and despite owning these songs on those Unwound box sets, I'm excited to have the easy listening experience of a proper Unwound singles comp.

Unwound – A Single History 1991-2001:
https://unwound.bandcamp.com/album/a-single-history-1991-2001

Tha Alkaholiks – Coast II Coast 2xLP - Blue Vinyl (/500)

HHV (2018, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

As I mentioned when I wrote about the first Alkaholiks' record, 21 & Over, I hadn't listened to them back in the 90s when they were first coming up.  They flew under my radar and it wasn't until many years later that I took a chance on them.  After really enjoying their debut, I decided to hunt down their second LP that originally came out in 1995.  As frequent readers of this nonsense may remember, 1995 is typically where hip hop fell off a cliff for me.  1994 is the definitive end of my golden era.

That said, for a 1995 release this is pretty solid stuff.  I don't think Coast II Coast is anywhere near as good as Tha Alkaholiks' debut was, but in comparison to most releases of 1995 it's a good listen.  As with most hip hop after 1994, the main issue I have with the record is the beats.  They just are not as innovative as what was being done on 21 & Over and they feel slower.  The upside of that is that the slower beats seem to give the Liks a little more room to grow as lyricists.

I think the rhyming is much improved on this outing.  Before, they were totally fine - I can't say anything negative about any of those songs.  That said, the growth to this second album is considerable with more complicated rhyme structures and just what feels like a lot more words per minute.  If the beats were a little bit more in line with the sort of thing I like better, this would be a killer record.  With how it stands, it's still good and a fun listen, but I like 12 & Over better.

Tha Alkaholiks – Coast II Coast:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lTxSE3V0satyB2fWTe_9AZ3UoreZdJbbo

Ultimate Fakebook – This Will Be Laughing Week LP - Coke Bottle Green Vinyl (/250)

Rocket Heart (2024, Reissue)

In 1999 I was the music director of a college radio station in New Jersey.  Every day we'd get packages in the mail of CDs that labels and promotions companies wanted us to play.  It should come as no surprise that the vast, vast majority of these were completely terrible.  Particularly when it came to bands you probably never heard of before.

Back in my music director days I had a very strict formula to try to get through all of the albums that were arriving every day.  I had to make quick decisions about what should get played and what should go in the garbage.  There just wasn't time to listen to every note of every CD.  That amount of time was only given to ones that were definitely going into rotation - which were reviewed, scanned for curses and had recommended tracks picked.  

How does an album end up in that pile?  By passing a test that originated hanging out with my buddy Alan at the record store.  You get the first 30-60 seconds of the first three songs.  If you don't show something interesting in that time, you were in the garbage pile.  

One day, in one of these constantly arriving packages, A CD from a band called Ultimate Fakebook appeared.  It had a roughly drawn cartoon monkey on the cover and lots of weird high school yearbook style artwork.  It seemed kind of charming, but I can't say I expected much of anything from the album.  I pressed play on the Ultimate Fakebook CD.  "She Don't Even Know My Name" came ripping through my speakers and knocked my socks off.  Holy crap, I was not expecting a perfect guitar pop band.  

Let's try the next song.  "Tell Me What You Want (I'll Be Anything)" comes on and it's another absolute hit.  Great chord progressions, killer drumming and the vocal melody is a total earworm.  At this point I already know that this record is going into rotation, but I'll move on to track three just because that's what I always do.  "Of Course We Will" isn't as immediate as the other two.  It has a slower pace but hits in a similar way as something like "Say It Ain't So" does.  Maybe not as angsty, but in the way that a slower song can fit into the context of an album and not drag things down, even ending up as a highlight.

After those first three minutes I was instantly an Ultimate Fakebook fan.  I played the CD to everyone I possibly could, trying to get DJs and friends to hear a band that was very obviously flying way too far under the radar at this time.  That record has been with me ever since, one of my favorites from that era and most likely the best new band I ever discovered during my time working as the music director of the radio station.

The band would go on and get picked up by Epic records, who would rerelease the album, but with different, slicker artwork.  It's that artwork that adorns the cover of the first vinyl pressing of this wonderful album.  And it's the only complaint about this release that I have.  I just wish they used the original monkey art, because that was the art on the copy that I fell in love with 25 years ago.  That's a minor complaint though, now that I finally, FINALLY have this record on vinyl.  It was one of a handful of CD only releases I had that was still waiting for an LP.  One down, a hundred or so more to go.

Ultimate Fakebook – This Will Be Laughing Week:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mhddJ5KECXwRAG3k0eEWstb0LEz9fcweY

King Tee – Tha Triflin' Album LP - Orange Vinyl

Taha / JTLM (2020, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

Although this record came out in 1993, which was probably the year I was most focused on hip hop and buying the most records during that ear, I literally never heard of King Tee or was aware of this album.  Despite the fact that it had guest appearances from Ice Cube and Tha Alkaholiks, it was not on my radar at all.  It wasn't until much later that I gave a few King Tee albums a chance.  Though the others never really grabbed me the same way that Tha Trflin' Album does.

The production is outstanding. It has a bass heavy feel that's smooth like West Coast style of the time, but still has enough hard hitting East Coast boom bap that it doesn't turn into the g-funk nonsense that bored me silly back then.  There's some real heavy hitters on the production side of this album,  The aforementioned Alkaholiks, Marly Marl, DJ Pooh, Bobcat and King Tee himself take turns mapping out the feel of Tha Triflin' Album.

Lyrically, King Tee does feel like a West Coast rapper.  It's no surprise that he was friendly with Cube Dr. Dre and folks like that.  He can tell stories just as well as he can battle and it's his voice that is the glue of the album able to take the work of so many different producers and have it still feel like a cohesive, and wonderfully diverse album.

King Tee – Tha Triflin' Album:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lTC4PyWZep2TIS0TS7X1G6Uen5AiP9PeU

Godfather Don - Hazardous 2xLP - Red Vinyl & Yellow Vinyl (/750)

90s Tapes (2022, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

My pile of records to write about is still pretty big and today I'm reaching back to a record I picked up two years ago:  Godfather Don's Hazardous.  I had first heard of Godfather Don due to his work the 1993 Ultramagnetic MC's masterpiece, The Four Horsemen.  Back when I first had that album, I don't think that I was aware that the Godfather was responsible for the production of several songs, I mostly knew him from his guest verse on "Raise It Up."  I never heard any more from Godfather Don at the time and was completely unaware that he had released his own LP two years earlier.

When I did discover the existence of Hazardous, it was long, long out of print and at the time was commanding crazy prices on Discogs and eBay in the multiple hundreds of dollars.  Luckily 90s Tapes came to the rescue with this, the definitive double LP version.  It looks amazing and sounds even better.  The odd part is it was reissued again a year later by Select Records.  That one's just a single LP, so I really recommend hunting down the 90s Tapes version, which is still surprisingly affordable on Discogs.

As far as the album goes, it's a pretty perfect slice of 1991.  It's heavy on breaks and samples, with the sort of full sounding production that was coming into vogue at the time.  It's sounds old, but it sounds classic more than it does dated.  And for 1991, it was pretty much on the cutting edge of hip hop production, while still hanging on to some of the 80s techniques.  It's a great album, that really bridges two schools of production style.

Lyrically, Don more than holds his own.  He's no Kool Keith or anything like that, but I'll put him up next to anyone putting out records in 1991 and Don is just as good as.  After many, many years of trying to find a copy of the record I could afford, I was thrilled to add this to the collection.  Sure, it took me a minute to finally write about it here, but I've certainly spent a good amount of time playing it these past two years.

Godfather Don - Hazardous:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k_B0nwoRM8Y2MH7yBy3wFx7r1qWftG99E

The Drolls / Gentlemen Rogues - Split 7" - White Vinyl (/100)

Snappy Little Numbers (2024)

What do you get when two of my favorite active bands and one of my favorite active record labels hatch a plot for world domination?  In my opinion, you get possibly the best split 7" of the last five years.  I have to go back to 2019's Chestnut Road/Navel split to find a release that has two bands I like this much on.  Both bands are in top form as well.  These aren't throwaway cuts or album rejects, these songs are all grade A rock.

The Drolls check in with two songs.  "Burned Out" is another top shelf song in their still burgeoning pantheon of great songs.  It's a mid tempo song that certainly has some similarities with the sort of thing that Denny was cranking out in Sicko's later days, with its bouncy chorus and excellent guitar riffage.    The second song, "Happy Hour," is a bit different, which it would be as it's a cover of a Housemartins song (which I am unfamiliar with).  It has a quicker pace, lots of lyrics and really nice backing vocals in the chorus.  I'm sure all three Drolls are probably tired of the constant Sicko references, but it's hard to ignore one of my all time favorite bands and the fact that two of that band's members are in The Drolls.  But The Drolls are more than standing on their own, away from the shadow of Sicko.  Two more hits that only make me want to hear more.  Give me LP 2!

Gentlemen Rogues are following up their stellar Surface Noise full length from earlier in the year.  I'm sure the Rogues are equally sick of me talking about the band Jill when I write about them, but it's impossible for me to hear Danny's voice without calling back to seeing Jill play in a garage in New Jersey in the 90s.  Once again, we've got two stellar songs, an original "Young 'Til We Die" and a Rolling Stones cover, "Connection."  While Danny's voice certainly makes my think of Jill, the music is definitely different.  I think I've mentioned before, but this is the grown up version of pop punk, with more similarities to Superdrag than to Zoinks.  Tons of vocal harmonies on songs that I just want to listen to over and over.

As has been my way for the last several years, I have been lamenting the lack of records coming out this year that are exciting to me.  If I could have a few dozen more that are as good as this split, I wouldn't have to do so much complaining.  This one everybody should go grab as quickly as their fingers and internet connection will allow.

The Drolls / Gentlemen Rogues - Split:
https://snappylittlenumbers.bandcamp.com/album/split-sln-250

Kool G Rap & DJ Polo - Live and Let Die 2xLP

Traffic (2012, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

Live and Let Die was the third and final Kool G Rap & DJ Polo release.  It originally came out in 1992, but I never had it back then.  Like with all of Kool G's records, they just didn't enter my world for whatever reason.  I feel like I have some memory of "Ill Street Blues," but only the name of the song, I don't remember hearing it back then on Yo! MTV Raps or anything.

Of the three albums the group released, this one is probably my least favorite, even though if you just look at if from it's technical execution, it's the strongest and most fully realized of the group.  I think I just like the roughness of Road to the Riches the best and tend to go back to that one the most often, but you can't argue how well done Live and Let Die is.

The bulk of the production on the album was handled by Ice Cube cohort Sir Jinx.  As such, it has a similar vibe to Death Certificate and The Predator, which were recorded around the same time.  There's an early, pre-Chronic west coast feel, with super low end bass lines and a laid back tempo.  That gives Kool G Rap the breathing room to really go all out with his lyrics, which lean much harder into the mafiosa gangter style that was starting to show itself more fully on Wanted: Dead or Alive.

Throughout the album, Kool G shows why he was one of the best during the earlier portion of the golden era.  He's not Rakim or KRS-One, but he's definitely at the level right below that as far as lyrics of that early time period go.  Again, no denying that this a great albu, but for whatever reason, I tend to gravitate towards their first album if I feel like spinning some Kool G Rap & DJ Polo.

Kool G Rap & DJ Polo - Live and Let Die:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rPTvGcdYjo&ab_channel=deal4real2000

Cloud Nothings – Final Summer - Blue Vinyl (/250)

Pure Noise (2024)

Would you believe that this is the seventh Cloud Nothings full length album I've written about for this website in the last ten years?  That seems kind of crazy and it made me think about this band for a while before writing this.  When I really put my mind to it and try to recall the prior six records, I can't.  And I realize that while every single one of them is a good record, inevitably I listen to each record for a month or two when it first comes out and then it gets filed away on the shelf and not listened to again.  The only one that I go back to repeatedly is Here and Nowhere Else.  I love that record and still play it a few times a year guaranteed.  The rest?  I'm not sure I've listened to any of them other than the year I first got them.

And that sort of sums up my feelings about the new Cloud Nothings album Final Summer.  It's a good record, with good songs - sure to please anyone that likes Cloud Nothings prior records.  And I like it, genuinely.  At the same time, it's kind of unremarkable.  I wouldn't say it's boring, necessarily, but there isn't any song on here that makes me sit up, take notice and say "this is great."  It's kind of the definition of a solid record.  It does what it's supposed to, but nothing more.  It fades into the background very easily and isn't the sort of thing that makes you want to keep going back to it.

The main reason I've listened to this album as many times as I have, is just so I could write about it.  Without that to do, I don't know that I would have been motivated to spin it more than a time or two.  Again, it's a good record.  If you like the other Cloud Nothings albums, you'll like this one.  But if you have other Cloud Nothings records, I'm not really sure you need this one.  The others get the same job done and none of them can really hold up to Here and Nowhere Else for me.

Cloud Nothings – Final Summer
https://cloudnothings.bandcamp.com/track/final-summer

Double XX Posse - Put Ya Boots On LP

Big Beat (1992)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

Double XX Posse is a group that I didn't listen to back in the 90s.  I don't remember seeing them on Yo! MTV Raps, but in rereading old issues of The Source, I certainly see that they were advertised pretty heavily there for a few months at least.  Not entirely sure why I didn't investigate further, but for whatever reason, limited money or limited knowledge, those ads just passed me by and I din't think about them at all until decades later.

When I finally got around to listening to Put Ya Boots On, I was instantly mesmerized by the booming East Coast production.  It's rough and while not as funk driven as EPMD, I certainly feel similarities in the way this album sounds when compared to Long Island royalty.  

Lyrically, for 1992, this is really strong stuff.  It's hard to tell exactly how many different people are rapping on this album, but I believe there are two main MCs responsible for the lion's share.  Whoever is on the mic on whatever song you decide to play on this record brings the goods.  The lyrics are not what I would call complicated, but they are layered with well constructed rhyme schemes and patterns.  The pacer is fast and you get a whole lot of words per minute.

There's nothing pop or crossover friendly here, this is early 90s underground East Coast boom bap.  If you like that sound, this is an album that you definitely need to check out, but if you need something a little smoother or catchier, there may not be as much for you here.  For me, this is the total sweet spot of the sort of hip hop that tends to resonate with me the most.  It's the sort of album just begging for an expanded double LP 90s Tapes reissue.

Double XX Posse - Put Ya Boots On:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mBu9rv8VX0z4wwZXP8-iMVIGKMJ1XiQ5Q

Superchunk – Misfits & Mistakes 4xLP

Merge (2023)

I have been a Superchunk fan for a really long time.  They played at one of the earliest shows I ever went to and have been a constant in my rock and roll life for 30 years.  They've been remarkably consistent over that time.  The records that I love, I really love.  The records that I don't love are still pretty good all things considered.  I wouldn't say there are any bad Superchunk records, just ones that I don't listen to as often as others.

Superchunk has had three previous singles comps.  The single LP Tossing Seeds in 1992.  The double LP Incidental Music in 1995.  The triple LP Cup of Sand in 2003.  And now, for their fourth singles comp, we have Misfits and Mistakes, clocking in at a staggering quadruple LP set.  FOUR LPs worth of Superchunk B sides and oddities.  I love me some Superchunk, but this is way, way, way too much.

Don't get me wrong, there are flat out great songs on this thing.  "February Punk," "Blinders (Fast Version)" as well as singles versions of some of the best songs from their last few albums.  The artwork and liner notes are also top tier.  I love reading about individual songs and seeing the art of all of the singles I bought leading up to this. But there's so much here to get through.  A billion covers. Fast songs.  Slow songs.  So many songs.  As much as I love Superchunk, four LPs worth of songs, clocking in at two and a half hours of music is  just too much.  

Had they broken this up into two double LPs released a year or so apart, that would have been better.  I'd probably be really psyched on that.  But this much Superchunk, the vast majority of which is not the cream of their crop, is just overwhelming and kind of difficult to get motivated to listen to.  It almost feels like a chore.  Could I just listen to one of LPs at a time, sure.  But there's something about that just seems weird.  If it wasn't meant to be listened to together, why did they release it together?  For whatever reason, this is too much and is destined to be one of those Superchunk records I don't play very often.

Superchunk – Misfits & Mistakes:
https://superchunk.bandcamp.com/album/misfits-mistakes-singles-b-sides-strays-2007-2023

Kool G Rap & DJ Polo – Wanted: Dead Or Alive 4xLP

Cold Chillin' / Traffic (2007, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

I said the same when I wrote about Road to the Riches a while back, but I didn't listen to Kool G Rap & DJ Polo when they were active back in the 90s.  I just don't remember seeing them on Yo! MTV Raps, though I definitely knew the name from reading The Source.  I think I mainly attribute it to the fact that this album, Wanted: Dead or Alive came out right as I was getting into hip hop, the same summer that Mama Said Knock You Out had come out and completely changed my musical worldview.  I wasn't immediately digging into the more underground sounds or the albums that came out before that moment, so they slipped through the cracks.  And I guess when their final record came out in 1992, it didn't make as big a splash in my world as others.

I eventually fell for Kool G Rap & DJ Polo when the Take It Personal Radio podcast did a show long feature on their music.  I had always been aware of G Rap's reputation on the mic, but I really wasn't prepared for the ferocity that he attacked his lyrical delivery.  Wanted: Dead or Alive is step up in that regard as compared to their debut.  The lyrical content is also cranked up a notch as the mafiosa style that he's reknown for really came into focus on this album.

Production-wise, things are a little darker this time out.  Gone out the bouncy pianos of "Road to the Riches," replaced by slinkier bass lines and pounding kick drums.  While I do actually prefer the first album, you can't argue with a crew of producers that includes Biz Markie, Eric B, Marley Marl and Large Professor.

The version of this album that I ended up hunting down is the quadruple LP reissue that came out in 2007.  In addition to the main album there's two extra LPs full of remixes. B sides and instrumentals.  Is it essential material?  Probably not for most people, but the B sides are great and some of the remixes shine just as strong as the originals.  For me it was worth it.

Kool G Rap & DJ Polo – Wanted: Dead Or Alive:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nzT1Vv7Fcm0AYJPVCR8PwKb6ZlqcS-1EI

Spells - Past Our Prime LP - White Vinyl (/300)

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Snappy Little Numbers / Big Neck / Rad Girlfriend / Keep It A Secret / Shield (2024)

Spells are back with their third LP, not counting their two excellent singles comps.  Past Our Prime has been a long time coming, and while I realize bands are not on the yearly album cycles of yesteryear, four years sure feels like a long time since their last full length.  I always wonder if the band is going to undergo any sort of major change or if they we still keep cranking out the tunes that I like.  In the case of Past Our Prime, it's kind of a bit of both.

One of the key selling points of Spells for me is just how so many songs sounded like a party.  Huge energy, catchy riffs and singalong choruses.  While I would never say that this album is lacking in energy, riffs or singalongs, the vibe in general feels more serious to me.  The songs feel a little slower and at times lean into a darker territory, with churning bass and pounding drums.

What this album also has is a huge old pile of gang vocals.  Do you like gang vocals?  My friend, do I have an album for you.  Essentially every song has a thunderous chorus with what feels like the entire world singing along.  Even outside of the choruses, there's a ton of dueling vocals and combo vocals between Stevie and Dusk.  That's not really a surprise when a band has two dedicated vocalists, but it really stands out on this album.

So what does this all mean at the end of the day?  Past Our Prime does feel different than past Spells albums to me.  I don't get the same sort of Rocket From The Crypt leanings or upbeat-ness (unsure that's a word, but let's go with it).  But what I do hear is a band that is coalescing into something bigger than their back catalog.  Every member moves in lockstep with each other, you can hear just how ridiculously tight and on point everything is.  The album is massive sounding and everything has a feeling of being more important than it used to be.  It's an extremely well done and great sounding album.  As I've said, I always felt like Spells was a party band.  They still are, but there's a chance you might get punched in the face at this party.

Spells - Past Our Prime:
https://snappylittlenumbers.bandcamp.com/album/past-our-prime

Casual - Fear Itself LP (Black Vinyl, UK Version) & 2xLP (Black & Red Swirl, RSD Version)

 

Jive (1994, UK Pressing)
Get On Down (2024, RSD Pressing)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

Wrapping up the fifth and final Record Store Day purchase for 2024 is Casual.  But as an added little bonus, I'm also including the 1994 UK pressing of the album, which until this year was the only version that had a picture sleeve.  I picked up the UK version quite a while ago, maybe close to two years?  But it had remained in the 'to write about' pile as I had already written about the non-picture sleeve US version on this site at the beginning of the Ed Lover Dance Day project.  That made it not as big a priority to get to, but we can add it here for a two for one deal.

The picture sleeve is the only selling point of the 1994 UK version.  As a single LP, the album is crammed onto two sides of vinyl and does the dynamics no favors.  It doesn't sound bad or anything, but it definitely doesn't compare to either of the double LP versions.  I wasn't sure Fear Itself would ever get the proper reissue treatment, but it was important to me to have a copy with artwork.

The new double LP Record Store Day version on colored vinyl looks pretty good and sounds pretty great.  The bass sounds low and full on my stereo, and that's always been one of the real selling points of this record for me.  The colored vinyl matches the art well enough, but the black in it isn't really dark enough.  The inclusion of the obi strip covers up most of Casual's face on the art when everything is in a plastic sleeve, so I wouldn't say that's a bonus, but it is nice to have the bolder spine when it's sitting on the shelf.  I personally would have made the bulk of the obi also be based around that portion of the album art.  I've seen it enough times to know it's a thing and I'm not sure why they didn't go that route.

The album itself is among the very best.  If I'm ranking my favorite hip hop records of all time, this is my number two on the list, only behind Del's No Need For Alarm.  It's a nearly perfect record showcasing everything I love about that era's production.  Casual's rhyming has always been more straightforward that the rest of the Hiero crew, but that doesn't make him a lesser MC.  In fact, because his flow is a bit more straightforward, it sort of forces his to really show his command of rhyming and building complicated, but easy to follow patterns.  He can tell stories when he needs to and battles better than all but the absolute most elite rappers on the planet.

Can't say enough good things about the album and this new Get On Down pressing is the definitive version of it.  Even though it's a Record Store Day release, I still see it readily available on many online stores.  If you like 90s era hip hop and didn't catch this one first time around, I can't recommend adding a record to your collection more strongly than this one

Casual - Fear Itself:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m61K-0X-SVBBfbt_K3FmNlIs8uu6DMgcw

Night Court / The Dumpies - The Shit Split Part Duh 7"

Hovercraft (2024)

I feel like the split 7" is really an endangered species at this point, so I am always happy to see a new one get released.  Having that 7" include one band that I really like and one I'm not at all familiar with is exactly what I want out of a split.  A sure thing that I know I'll like and an opportunity to hear something new.

Night Court is back with four songs of ramshackle fuzz pop songs.  They are all pretty short as they would need to be to fid that many on one side of a 7".  As with everything they've released so far, I enjoy this immensely.  There's enough punk energy to keep things upbeat and exciting, the right amount of pop hooks to keep my brain singing along and just enough oddball chaos to keep things interesting.

My first impression of The Dumpies is that they are similar in spirit with The Marked Men.  Fast guitars with a mix of fuzz and jangle, distorted vocals, but an unwavering commitment to catchy melodies.  They're not quite as polished as The Marked Men just yet, but really who is.  I went into this 7" as a Night Court fan, but I'm leaving it being really interested in The Dumpies as well.  Though I will say that I wish all of their songs weren't quite so short.

Night Court / The Dumpies - The Shit Split Part Duh:

https://nightcourtpunk.bandcamp.com/album/shit-split-part-duh

https://thedumpies.bandcamp.com/album/shit-split-part-duh

Boogie Down Productions - Edutainment 2xLP - Yellow & Black Swirl (/2500)

Get On Down (20245, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

The fourth album I picked up on Record Store Day this year was the double LP reissue of the fourth Boogie Down Productions record, Edutainment.  I was really excited about this one as this was the most recent Boogie Down Productions album that had been released when I first started listening to them.  I've had the CD for decades and I have a mediocre single LP pressing that I picked up a few years ago, but there's a whole lot of songs crammed on to each side of that record.

This reissue is the first ever double LP pressing of Edutainment to be released.  Now, it wouldn't be truthful if I didn't mention that I'm bummed that this new reissue didn't include the two bonus tracks from the CD, "7 Dee Jays" and "30 Cops Or More."  Not that either is anywhere near the stongest song on the album, but for completist purposes, it would be nice.  I'm sure the nine minute run time of "7 Dee Jays" was the main culprit that probably would have pushed it to a triple LP.

That said, just having the vinyl version spread out over two LPs is a massive improvement over the original pressing.  Plus there is one extra bonus track, the remix version of "You Know The Rules."    Now there has finally been a high quality rerelease of every Boogie Down Productions full length (and the first KRS-One solo album).  It would be nice if someone tackled Live Hardcore Worldwide, but I don't think it's super important in the grand scheme of things.  The main album run is all out there and reasonably affordable (by today's vinyl price standards anyway).  And what a run of albums it was.

Boogie Down Productions - Edutainment:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kA9-4nMh9LtkMuoYvf2ZmIk12rdNpYFo4

Public Enemy - Revolverlution Tour '03 3xLP

Culture Factory (2024)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

Number three in my 2024 Record Store Day pickups is this Public Enemy live album.  I’ve gone on record many times (including just two weeks ago) as not being a big fan of live albums.  This wasn’t even on my shopping list for the day, but when I was looking through things day of, I scanned the track list of this and thought that there were enough hits present that it was worth picking up.  Plus as a triple LP, it was fairly reasonably priced in comparison to some others.  The clincher was I had a gift card from selling some old posters to the store a few months ago, so I added it to the pile. 

I’ve never had the chance to see Public Enemy live, something I absolutely intend to correct next time they are playing anywhere near me.  I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, especially after the Ultramagnetic live album.  What I discovered when I put this guy on the turntable is that this album is Public Enemy backed by a live band.  There’s still a DJ and some of the classic production pops up here and there, but for the most part it’s Chuck and Flavor in front of a rock band. They still play the hits, and the vast majority of the tracks are from the group’s first four albums.  The band is very tight and Chuck and Flavor are super energetic frontmen.  

In general I like the album, but there’s definitely a little bit of weirdness scattered throughout.  The one thing that really jumped out at me is that it seems like they are rapping over a vocal track sometimes.  It’s particularly prominent on Flavor Flav songs, but every so often you hear it for Chuck D as well.  I can’t really figure out what’s going on with Chuck, it’s possible he picked a couple of random times to use a vocal track, though it may be just as likely that he just has a particularly energetic additional hype man that creates the feeling of a double vocal track.  I’m not sure, but luckily it only happens in a few places. 

The other bit of oddness is for pretty much an entire side of the third LP, Chuck and Flavor vanish and some other people play some other rap/rock songs that I’m not at all familiar with.  I like that it seems this is a full, uncut show, but I don’t listen to a Public Enemy record to hear other people who I don’t think are in Public Enemy.  Again, just a little odd.  

As far as my usual ambivalence to live albums, I’m not sure this one changes my mind too much.  It’s a cool listen and absolutely makes me want to see them live even more than I did before, but it’s not the sort of thing I see myself listening to all that often.  But if you were on the fence on picking it up, it’s pretty cheap on Discogs right now, so it’s not an expensive chance to take if you are thinking about taking the plunge. 

Custody - 3 LP - Orange Vinyl (/179)

Brassneck / My Ruin / Combat Rock / Shield / Sell The Heart (2024)

I have such fondness for Custody.  In addition to being PopKid alumni (We still have a few copies of their incredible Blistered Soul 7" in the PopKid Webstore & Bandcamp) they are also perhaps the most consistent and reliable melodic punk band going. With two prior LPs and a half dozen singles under their belt, it's no surprise to me that their third full length, appropriately called 3, is another triumph.

After writing about so many of their records, it's difficult to describe their sound without repeating myself a bit.  My go to comparisons are the melodic hooks of Samiam mixed with the dynamic guitar work of Leatherface.  That's not the be all end all of what they sound like, but it's certainly as good a starting point as any.  And if it's not obvious, comparing Custody to two absolute pillars of punk rock is no accident.  If you like Samiam or Leatherface, I just can't fathom you not being able to find something to love about Custody as well.

Compared to their prior albums, 3 shows Custody once again being as great as ever.  They aren't reinventing the wheel here.  Instead they're refining their songs that one step further to perfect them, rather than change what they are doing for the sake of it.  The ten tracks on this latest album are as good as anything they've done previously.  Searing guitar work, gigantic hooks and the sort of impassioned vocals that you just can't help but sing along to if you happened to be driving around listening to the album in your car at an unreasonable volume (or so I've heard).

Every Custody record is incredible and every Custody release is bittersweet for me.  They are a band that I wish I could have just kept putting everything out on PopKid.  They'd be quite the flag bearers, but I'm happy for all of the other labels involved as they've been able to add another classic to their catalogs.

Custody - 3:
https://custody.bandcamp.com/album/3

Nas - Illmatic Remixes & Rarities LP

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

The second Record Store Day release I'm going to write a little bit about in the Nas Illmatic Remixes & Rarities LP.  I am not a Nas devotee the way a lot of folks my age are.  Illmatic came out in 1994, as my interest in hip hop was starting to wane in favor of punk and indie rock.  The hype for Illmatic completely passed me by as by 1994 I had a car and a job, which meant my viewings of Yo! MTV Raps were becoming less frequent every day.  I wasn't aware of the famed Five Mic review in The Source.  I can't say how I missed something quite so big, but I did and it wasn't until many, many years later that I gave Illmatic a shot.

And it's a good record.  I still don't think it's anywhere near as incredible as a lot of folks do.  Lyrically, it's very good.  Production-wise, it's a mix of some of the best producers of all time, but the sound is that of a record caught in the middle of a transition in hip hop production.  Still very good, but starting to drift into territory that didn't connect with me.  But again, it's a good record and I like it enough that it made sense to pick up this remixes record for Record Store Day.

There's only one proper new song that isn't on Illmatic, "I'm a Villain."  There's also a really cool live 'freestyle' from the Stretch & Bobbito show.  Everything else is remixes of album tracks that originally appeared as b sides on singles from the album.  Maybe we don't need three versions of "It's Hard To Tell" on one album, but all of the remixes are good enough where it's fun having them all in one place for easy access.  Is it essential? Probably not, but it's very good and was not that expensive compared to the other RSD records I got taken for this year.

Zonaea - Zonaea LP - Pink Vinyl (/75)

Self Released (2024)

Zonaea hail from South Carolina and have already won the award for the band name I mistype the most while trying to write something (it's the 'aea' at the end that keeps throwing me).  The band reached out to me to send me an album to check out.  While I don't imagine it'll end up being the sort of thing that I listen to repeatedly, it does check a very specific checkbox of a style of music that I do enjoy listening to from time to time.

Despite being from the southeast, it's really the pacific northwest that comes to mind when I listen to this album.  It's brings me back to the mid 90s when I was checking out bands like godheadSilo, Karp and Unwound.  While those aren't bands I listen to every day, they are bands that trigger a very specific nostalgia for a time where I was a bit lost and trying to figure out what I wanted to listen to.

The pounding, angular guitar riffs coupled with the slightly more gentle breakdowns is what reminds me the most of Unwound.  The vocals are a tad bit shoutier than I usually prefer, but they're not so over the top to where there's no melody being conveyed.  I tend to prefer the songs that are the closest to having conventional hooks.  "Ditch" being a song that stands out in that regard.  Though there's something to be said about the punishing guitar work in album opener "3's Become 4's."  End of the day, it's a totally solid record that has moments where I get really drawn into what's going on.  Again, not an everyday listen sort of thing, but certainly something I'd get out from time to time.

Zonaea - Zonaea:
https://zonaea.bandcamp.com/album/zonaea

J. Robbins - Basilisk LP

Dischord (2024)

I was later to the J. Robbins party than most.  I never listened to Jawbox in the 90s or Burning Airlines in the early 2000s.  It was my wife who eventually showed me the error of my ways and put all of this incredible music in front of me.  I've been trying to devour as much of it as possible since then and have been adding his various bands' records to our collection over the years.

Basilisk is the second J. Robbins solo record, following up on 2019's Un-Becoming.  Chances are that if you've been following J. Robbins career and have enjoyed the various other bands he's been a part of (Jawbox, Burning Airlines, Channels, Office of Future Plans) there's probably a pretty good chance you will also like this new album of his.

Not that I have the most discerning ears in the world, but for my money these J. Robbins solo records are right up their with any of the other releases he's been a part of.  It's the same sort of angular, but familiar guitar work that constantly sneaks incredible hooks into songs that don't seem like the sort to house that sort of thing.  

There's keyboard and synth usage here and there, but it's so well done and isn't chasing any 80s pop throwback bullshit.  They actually enhance the songs, rather than work as a gimmicky sound effect thrown in just for the sake of it.  The vocals always have melodies that carry the songs and always seem to get lodged in my head after a few listens.  Basilisk is such a satisfying listen.  I think I appreciate J. Robbins much more now that I'm older and this is another record that sits right in the pocket of the sort of thing I want to listen to these days.

J. Robbins - Basilisk:
https://jrobbins.bandcamp.com/album/basilisk

Ultramagnetic MC's - The Ultra's Live in Brixton LP - Red Vinyl (/1500)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

Record Store Day 2024 might as well have happened on Ed Lover Dance Day this year as every record that I bought was a hip hop release this time out.  The costs of these records were ludicrous, partly because the Record Store Day release tax is still a thing and everything is already priced high to begin with, but also because the store I go to seems to have marked stuff up another five to ten dollars per release after poking around online after the fact.  The flip side of that annoyance being that the store always has what I need and I don't have to camp out over night to get it.  That said, maybe I just hunt for leftovers the next day next time.  We'll see, there is a nice dopamine hit getting the records in hand day of.

On to the record for today.  Ultramagnetic MC's is one of my favorite hip hop groups and even though I'm not really a live album guy, I just couldn't pass up a live recording of these guys recorded in 1990.  I should have listened to my inner monologue and left it on the shelf.  I'm not going to sugar coat this at all, this record is awful.

There are a few tracks on here that are alright.  All of which are freestyles or DJ interludes.  But whenever the Ultras do an album track, they are rapping over the actual album being played.  So you can hear the vocals on the record, and then hear a second set of muffled vocals on top of that.  It sounds so bad and I can't believe that anyone would have ever played a show doing this.  

Maybe they didn't have instrumental versions available at the time, which would be forgivable - but most of their singles did have instrumental versions on them, so who knows what happened there.  But the bigger issue is I'm shocked that anyone would think it was a good idea to release a recording of this and then charge over 40 bucks for it.  Even the cover picture is kind of crappy and blurry.  

A regrettable purchase that, based on Discogs prices, I probably couldn't unload if I wanted to.  It'll probably just sit on the shelf next to all of my other Ultramagnetic MC's records.  While I play those others all the time, I can't fathom ever spinning this one again.

Moron's Morons - Go Pop! 7" - Orange Vinyl (/300)

Big Neck (2023)

There's something about the bold colors and the vaguely 60s retro aesthetic that made me pretty sure I was going to like this 7".  There's a lot that can be said about book/cover judgments, and a lot of those judgments can be wrong, but I think there's often a success rate that isn't discussed that much.  Can I tell that a record is good by looking at it?  No, but I can usually make an educated guess that's probably right more often than it's wrong.  And if it's wrong, I tend to find it's because the record is better than the cover suggests, not the other way around.

I'll say right of the bat that Poland's Moron's Morons do not have my favorite vocals in the world.  There's a bit of blown out moicrophone fuzz on them and they definitely lean towards a gararge-y snarl.  But they work in the context of the songs and the songs are quite good.  

I would never say these are straight up pop songs, but there's enough pop sensibilities to their stripped down rock and roll sound that they do hold my attention.  Maybe the hooks aren't the biggest, but there is an inherent catchiness to the guitar riffing that goes a long way with me.  If you like the poppier moments of the 90s Estrus catalog, there's probably a pretty good chance you'll be able to get down with Morno's Morons as well.

Moron's Morons - Go Pop! 7":
https://bigneckrecords1.bandcamp.com/album/go-pop

China Drum - XXX LP - White with Black Splatter Vinyl

Mad Butcher (2024)

I haven't really had a chance to write very much about China Drum on this site, despite them being one of my very favorite bands.  That's largely because the records I have of theirs have been in my collection for quite some time, aside from some CD singles I acquired when a buddy was purging many of his CDs a few years ago.  But the vinyl has been on my shelves for ages.

For the (sort of) thirtieth anniversary of three and a half releases, XXX captures tracks from China Drum's earliest output.  There's the Simple CD single, originally self released and then later reissued by Bitzcore.  And then we have the Great Fire 10"/CD EP and the Barrier 10"/CD EP, both originally put out on Fluffy Bunny.  As a bonus we have their cover of "Wuthering Heights" from the China Drum / Flying Medallions split 7".

These are some of the greatest China Drum songs that lead up to their first LP Goosefair.  There's an energy and a songcraft present on these songs that is really in the upper echelon of melodic punk rock.  The only thing I will say that's even remotely unflattering about this release is that when you play the three songs from the Simple EP right next to the rest of these, it's super apparent that the fidelity of those songs is kind of sub par.  Not the songs themselves, but the recording quality is noticeably worse than the rest.  But that can't be surprising when you're talking about some self released tunes from 1993.

It's really great to have all of these songs on one LP.  In addition to getting all of the Simple songs together on vinyl finally, it's a treat to be able to listen to all of these back to back and only having to flip one record once instead of flipping four records six times (I think that math checks out if you count a record switch out as a flip).  There is at lease another LP worth of songs from the singles and B sides that came out during the Goosefair era.  I would absolutely love it if there was a way to compile all of those onto a handy LP next, but those are all from their days on Mantra and I wonder if getting the rights to those are more complicated.

China Drum - XXX
https://chinadrum1.bandcamp.com/album/30-xxx

Ugly Duckling - Journey to Anywhere 2xLP

XL / 1500 (2000)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

When this album came out in that futuristic year 2000, I probably couldn't have been less interested in hip hop.  It had been years since anything came out that I liked and I had just about stopped looking by that point.  I didn't pay any attention to the indie rap boom of the late 90s, and I still think it's a little over celebrated if I'm being honest.  To me, very little released then holds up to the Golden Era classics I grew up with.

So I was very surprised when I was interning at the music promotion company and someone threw this album on.  I was immediately struck by the production and beats.  Hey, this sounds like the hip hop that I like.  The stuff from when I was a kid.  Which was only six years ago at that point, but it feels like a lifetime when you're only 23.  Ugly Duckling was maybe the first group since the Golden Era than made me sit up, take notice and think that maybe there was still hip hop out there that I could like.

In those years, I have listened to this album a ton.  In additional to the incredible, classic production throughout the album, the lyrics are just so much fun.  There's no fake posturing or overblown stories.  What you have hear are a bunch of self deprecating, hip hop heads that wanted to make an album that sounded like what they grew up on.  Maybe Pharcyde is a decent jumping off point if you want to compare their lyrics to someone else, but the production is a lot more bass heavy, upbeat and bouncier.

It took forever to find this on vinyl at a good price.  My CD copy has seen a lot of spins over the past 24 years, I'm glad it can have a break not that I can finally put this one on the turntable.

Ugly Duckling - Journey to Anywhere:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nunxWd7NFOo8yYCO5K0Rh2AjzF6Hm4rq4

Swami and the Bed of Nails - How Are You Peeling? 7"

Swami (2024)

Following up on Monday's Shock and Awe 7", this one is the one that is being sold exclusively at Swami and the Bed of Nails shows.  I picked it up last week when I saw the band play in Philadelphia at a venue that I have never been to before, but one that was in a part of town where it seems to have car shaped statues lining their streets that don't move or offer any opportunities to park a car that you happen to be driving.  We found a spot eventually, got to see a great show and pick up this record.

Like the  Shock and Awe 7", the A side on this one, "How Are You Peeling?," is slated to be part of the upcoming Bed of Nails full length.  This song has some big, Swami style riffage to it and, to me, sounds very familiar in a Night Marchers sort of way.  If there was a third Night Marchers record, I wouldn't have a hard time seeing this song slide into that track list.

The B side on this 7" is exclusive to this release and won't be on the full length.  It's called "Honesty" and while it also gives me some Night Marchers vibes, it's a very different beast than "How Are You Peeling?"  "Honesty" feels a bit more epic, with piano being a big part of the overall song structure.  There are guitar chords that ring out and a catchy, chorus that certainly lends it self to a bit of singing along.  It kind of makes me think of the song "Panthers in Crime" a little bit, but only because it has a slightly similar feel.  It doesn't sound like that song at all and it's not as slow, tempo-wise, but there's something about it that makes me feel like the two songs are kindred spirits to an extent.

Two great songs, four if you count the other 7", that are making me very anxious to hear this new Bed of Nails record.  I'm hopeful that 2024 will feature a deluge of Swami related material as I'm also eagerly awaiting the second Plosivs record that had been discussed a couple of years ago.

Charizma & Peanut Butter Wolf – Circa 1990-1993 4xLP Box Set

Stones Throw Records (2014)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

Charizma & Peanut Butter Wolf were a duo that was active in the early 90s.  They were briefly signed to Hollywood Basic, but left the label before anything other than a split promo tape with Lifers Group was released.  While plotting their next steps, Charizma was tragically killed in a mugging.  Eventually Peanut Butter Wolf went on to found the indie record label, Stones Throw.  It was through Stones Throw records that I first came across Charizma in the early 2000s.

When I worked in radio promo back then, I would often trade CDs with other radio promoters that worked for other companies.  One of those places I traded CDs with did the bulk of promotion for labels like Stones Throw and Def Jux.  In one of these trades in 2003 I received the Charizma & Peanut Butter Wolf album Big Shots.  I didn't really know anything about its history or that it was a record recorded in the 90s, but I remember liking it enough to keep instead of selling it to the local used CD laundering store, but I also never listened to it much.  Eventually I ended up selling it as part of a purge.

It wasn't until many years later that I learned more about the history of Charizma, what had happened and when those songs were recorded that I gave them another chance.  Really paying attention to the songs and not just having it be background noise made me sit up and take notice.  At the exact moment I got back into them a few years ago, the LP had been out of print for a little bit.  I also found out that this 40 song box set had been released in 2014 and checked out some of those songs.  That's when I decided this box set was the thing to pick up.  It took a while to find a copy at a good price, but I did finally track one down.

All of the songs from the Big Shots album are also included in this box set with the one major difference being that the version of "Gatha Round" on the box set is an earlier, demo version.  Aside from that, all of those songs are on this set, so this is the one that ended up in the collection.  It's really great and I'm now realizing that I've already written quite a bit here without mentioning the music much.

These tracks are classic golden era tunes with Native Tongue-esque, east coast style production mixed in with west coast style MCing, that had way more in common with Pharcyde or Souls of Mischief than Dr. Dre or G Funk style west coast gangsta rapping.  Is every one of these 40 songs perfect?  No, there's some tracks that are obviously sketches and maybe early or unfinished versions of songs, but it's still a super enjoyable listen and there's some real gold sprinkled throughout the set.

While Big Shots is an easier and slightly more cohesive listen than trying to digest 40 songs in one shot, there's so much good stuff here that's not on the album.  Right now it seems that both that album and this box set are out of print.  For reasons I cannot really understand, both are now going for nearly the same price on Discogs or other secondary markets, mostly because the price of Big Shots has increased quite a bit lately.  If it's me, I would advise plunking down a bit more money for the version with 40 songs over the one with 15. 

Charizma & Peanut Butter Wolf – Circa 1990-1993:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lS2addeyawlsrKzTVPhnqDpxNPfEhyzgQ

Swami and the Bed of Nails - Shock and Awe 7"

Swami (2024)

Last week I had the pleasure of seeing Swami and the Bed of Nails for the first time.  Made up of John Reis of every great band that has existed fame and other luminaries, they ripped through a set of songs from the last Swami John Reis album, new tunes from a forthcoming Swami and the Bed of Nails album, a Sultans song and a Night Marchers song for good measure,  They also were selling a tour only 7", but that's not this one.

This 7" went for sale on the Swami Records website a few weeks ago.  It sold out pretty quick and is the first official salvo from the Bed of Nails moniker.  The A side, "Shock and Awe," is billed as being from the upcoming full length.  It's a piano heavy rocker with an acoustic guitar foundation and a big, shout along chorus.  It wouldn't have been out of place on the last Swami LP, but also feels like it takes the musicianship up a notch.

The B side, "I Don't Hate Everything," is said to be exclusive to this fine 7".  It's more of straight up rocker and is built off a riff that has a lot in common with "Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones.  For me, everything John touches tends to be gold.  I like some of his bands more than others, if I'm raking them, but in general I like everything.  Hell, I just preordered a Me First and the Gimme Gimmes record because hes on it and that's not something I was ever expecting to do.  Point is, Swami and the Bed of Nails is just another in a fine line of bands that I can always get down with.  They were great live, and I dig this 7" a lot too.  

I'll post a bit about the tour only 7" on Friday.

The Shirks - Talk to Action: Singles and Unreleased 2008​-​2013 LP - Blue Vinyl

Big Neck (2023)

This is one that lingered in the pile to write about longer than I would have liked it to, but until I'm able to sell this website to a conglomerate and cash out, I'm going to fall behind sometimes while trying to balance other things.  The Shirks didn't deserve to linger for so long as this is pretty fun record full of fast paced punk rock.

These songs could have easily broken the wrong way for me.  There's a fine line between playing fast and energetic and playing dumb, meathead punk.  Luckily The Shirks are on the right side of that line for me.  They remind me a lot of some of the poppier bands that Ptrash Records used to release.  

There's definitely a snotty, sneer to these songs, but they're catchy in a way that's probably in a somewhat similar wheelhouse to The Marked Men.  There aren't any choruses or hooks quite as obvious as the boys from Denton, but there's a similar vibe that I'm latching on to.

The Shirks - Talk to Action: Singles and Unreleased 2008​-​2013:
https://bigneckrecords1.bandcamp.com/album/the-shirks-talk-to-action-singles-and-unreleased-2008-2013

Rakim - The 18th Letter 2xLP - Grape Vinyl

Motown (2023, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

I figured that the best follow up to the Eric B & Rakim box set would be to write a little bit about Rakim's recently rereleased solo debut, The 18th Letter.  This album came out in 1997, five years after Don't Sweat The Technique.  I'm not particularly well versed in why Eric B & Rakim split up or why Rakim took so long to come back with another record, but it always struck me as off that he vanished off the face of the earth when hip hop production was at its apex in 93 and 94 (at least in my opinion).

Production in 1997 wasn't anything I was particularly interest in, if I'm being honest.  By that time, the sounds that were most pleasing to my ears were no longer in style and had been replaced by flimsy beats or cheesy samples.  It's why I had moved on to other things by that time.  However, listening to The 18th Letter, I'm reminded once again that there were exceptions to this that I had unfairly ignored back then.

Now I'm not saying the production on The 18th Letter is great, it's not.  It doesn't hold a candle to any of the Eric B & Rakim albums or most records released from 88-94.  But, in comparison to what was par for the course in 1997, it's significantly better than the bulk of releases coming out at that time.  The beats are fine and the samples are OK.  There's nothing blow away, but nothing is bad either.

Lyrically, Rakim is pretty much in a steady state.  Maybe on cruise control a bit.  Every track is strong, spinning stories with fairly intricate rhyme structures.  Nothing on here sounds as groundbreaking as his early work, but he kind of already broke that ground and had established his template at that point.  All in all, this is a good record, even if the artwork might have you wondering what was going on.  It's miles better than most of what came out in the world of hip hop after 1994, but never quite reaching the heights of Rakim's classic run of albums with Eric B. 

Rakim - The 18th Letter:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nqpTMYEXjOL1KCZN6UTEI35oKtoeOd_ss

the 'tone - Wide Eyes and Nonsense LP

Broken Rekids (1999)

It's a little wild that this record is finally getting into my collection in the year 2024, which for the math majors out there is a staggering 25 years after it was released.  The reasons it took so long are pretty simple.  I had all of the 7"s that make up this compilation of 'tone songs and I also have the CD version of this comp.  Problem is that I don't really listen to my 7"s all that much (this is mostly due to storage issues, so if anyone is in NJ and wants to help build a bunch of drawers for/with me, please let me know) and I also don't play my CDs all that often, to be honest.  So it seemed like I needed to finally get this on LP for maximum stereo enjoyment.

These songs are all so much fun on this record, with the band taking nods from The Jam, The Clash and The Specials in songs across the album.  It's almost all upbeat and fast paced with just a hint of ska energy bleeding in every so often.  The lyrics are great and the guitar riffs are top notch.  If you can listen to album opener "This is a High" and not smile and bob your head, you very well may just be dead inside.

It's tough to describe just how enjoyable it is to listen to this record.  I don't see how it couldn't lift your spirits while it's playing and that is a mark of a well written record to me.  Does anything on here reinvent the wheel?  Nope, and if it tried to it wouldn't be anywhere near as great as it is.

the 'tone - Wide Eyes and Nonsense:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mnDNIZRiw6d1DJMznrYUNH2EJOvEVIvvQ

Eric B. & Rakim – The Remixes 1987 - 1992 2xCD - (From The Complete Collection 1986-1992 Box Set)

Geffen / 4th & Broadway / UNI / MCA (2018, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

For the next few Ed Lover Wednesdays, I'm going to go through each of the records in this Eric B & Rakim box set.  I only had the album Don't Sweat The Technique in my vinyl collection when I decided I needed to get the others.  When I started poking around, it just made more sense to buy this box set as opposed to the other records individually.

When I was originally looking at this box set, I was happy that it included all of the remixes and B-sides from the myriad of 12"s Eric B. & Rakim put out during their run.  But I was also annoyed that they were on CD and not vinyl like the rest of the albums.  Having listened to these CDs a few times, I'm actually fine that they are on CD.

Two main reasons for this.  One, I don't really like most of the remixes.  Some are pretty good, and the later ones are more interesting than most of the earlier ones, but in general I prefer the album versions of pretty much all of these songs.  The second reason is because these songs are all so long - six, seven, even eight minute long remixes.  It would have taken many LPs to fit all of this and I just can't see myself sitting down in front of my turntable for that length of time and flipping through the number of records it would take.  Having them of CD is fine.  I can pick out the ones I like and listen to them and they packaged them in a way that fits in nicely with the rest of the box set. 

The set as a whole is great.  The accompanying book is gigantic and full of incredible pictures from ever era of Eric B. & Rakim.  The box itself is nice and sturdy and also looks the business for sure.  My one gripe is that they did the thing where the spine of the box itself is printed in a way where you have to flip the set upside down if you want to display it on your shelf, rather than display the open side with the individual album spines.  A very minor complaint about a box set that's really just incredible.  I'd love to see some more sets like this for other hip hop luminaries.

Eric B. & Rakim – The Remixes 1987 - 1992:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nyWbr502gnRK5OjcsSdrWw8NbnUWM4io4

The Pretty Flowers - Police Me Flexi

Self Released (2024)

You may have noticed that The Pretty Flowers put out my favorite record of last year.  If you did notice that, I'm sure you're not surprised at all that I immediately got my hands on the band's new flexi 7" the moment it was made available.  While I'm generally not a huge fan of flexis or lathe cuts due to their fragility and lower fidelity vs. a traditional 7" record, I will always still collect and support them when it's a band I dig.  I understand the costs of putting out vinyl and am totally fine with other ways to get music out there.  Especially when it's not on cassette!

There's just the one song on this flexi, "Police Me."  Unsurprisingly it's a fantastic song and could have easily been a part of either Pretty Flowers album.  It's got that vague Built To Spill sort of pop sound, but with warmer, crunchier guitars and less ostentatious guitar soloing.  It's a quick song that maybe wraps up a little faster than I would have liked, but if my major complaint is that I wish there was more of the song I'm listening to, you get the idea that this one's a keeper.

The flexi itself sounds pretty good for what it is.  Not as good as a vinyl 7", but we've come a long way with flexi technology since the McDonald's Menu Song one came out.  When's someone going to cover that song?

The Pretty Flowers - "Police Me":
https://theprettyflowers.bandcamp.com/track/police-me

Eric B. & Rakim – Don't Sweat The Technique 2xLP - (From The Complete Collection 1986-1992 Box Set)

Geffen / 4th & Broadway / UNI / MCA (2018, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

For the next few Ed Lover Wednesdays, I'm going to go through each of the records in this Eric B & Rakim box set.  I only had the album Don't Sweat The Technique in my vinyl collection when I decided I needed to get the others.  When I started poking around, it just made more sense to buy this box set as opposed to the other records individually.

Don't Sweat The Technique is the Eric B. & Rakim record I have always been the most familiar with as it's the one that came out in my hip hop heyday.  It's also the only one I had on vinyl prior to picking up this box set, so it's a bit of a double dip as I've already written about it before on this site.  But I'm happy to talk a bit more about it again.  I've mentioned before that "Know The Ledge" from the Juice soundtrack was my first introduction to Eric B. & Rakim.  To this day that's still my favorite song.  It was also the song that taught me to not buy hip hop soundtracks as those songs ALWAYS ended up on the next full length album of whatever group or rapper contributed it.

Weirdly, the opening track, "What's On Your Mind?," is pretty awful.  The production is sappy and smooth in an R&B influenced way that feels like a reach towards crossing over.  It first showed up on the House Party II soundtrack, and it really could have stayed there in my opinion.  But after that rare misstep, the rest of the album is flawless.

The production holds up so well and is on par with any golden era release that came out in 1992.  For me, it's the one that sounds current and modern, or at least whatever was current and modern in 1992, a year that I was just devouring any hip hop I could get my hands on.  Every song is incredible and Rakim once again showed why he was just next level in that era.  This was the last Eric B. & Rakim record and the last time we'd hear from Rakim for five years, but it was a hell of a way to go out.

Eric B. & Rakim – Don't Sweat The Technique:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_l-GjbNZ7R2ORynPapp800gTpmXuLxTl98

The Foreign Correspondents - Lovin' You Ain't Easy 7" - Brown Vinyl

Outer Battery (2024)

The Foreign Correspondents are a group made up of various indie rock luminaries.  We've got Ted Leo from Chisel and /Pharmacists, Brendan Canty from Fugazi, Michael Hampton from Fake Names and Sohrab Habibion from The Obits.  They got together to cover a couple of songs from Michel Pagliaro, an artist that I'm not familiar with, but was primarily active during the 70s.  They released this 7" with four different covers on four different colors of vinyl and in another time of my life I would have absolutely bought all four.  These days, I'm trying to be better about that sort of thing, so I just picked out the one I liked best.

I have no real context for the original versions of these songs and how the two covers on this 7" compare, but I can tell you that I really like both songs.  Ted Leo takes vocals on both of them and we start off with the A side, "Lovin' You Ain't Easy."This song has a decidedly Pharmacists feel to it, with shimmering, jangly guitar work, upbeat bass lines and a catchy chorus with singalong backing vocals.

On the B side we have "We're Dancin' 'Til It Blows Over."  This one has a bit more of a glammy feel to it, with fuzzy, 70s style guitar riffs.  I can't say I like it quite as much as the A side, but it's still a solid song and it takes advantage of Ted's vocal range.  It's definitely a fun 7" overall and I think my lack of familiarity with the source material actually makes it more enjoyable for me.  For me, it's just two news songs put together by artists with a real track record for putting out good stuff.

The Foreign Correspondents - Lovin' You Ain't Easy:
https://theforeigncorrespondentsdc.bandcamp.com/album/lovin-you-aint-easy

Overwhelming Colorfast - Two Words 2xLP - Purple Vinyl & Green Vinyl

Beihai Park (2024, Reissue)

While it's still not quite at the level I would like it to be at, the fact that we're starting to see a lot of 90s era CD only releases finally coming out on vinyl is one of the best trends of the last few years.  There are still so many I would like to see that aren't out yet, but when something as wonderful as this Overwhelming Colorfast album gets released, it gives me hope that other favorites may be in the future as well.

Two Words was the second Overwhelming Colorfast album and it originally came out in 1994 on Relativity records (also home to the mighty Alligator Gun).  Even though the first, self titled Overwhelming Colorfast album was truly great, they stepped things up big time on Two Words.  The production is gigantic, with huge, warm guitar sounds and perfectly mixed vocals.  It also pulls off the incredible trick of sounding slick, without losing the energy and 'rough-around-the-edges' feel that I love so much from albums of that era.  You can still feel the punk energy, but in a way where you can hear everything that's going on with a clarity that you might not get on other albums.

Additionally, this LP contains the four songs from the promo only Bender EP that haven't been released previously.  I remember trying to find a copy of that elusive CD and it was Davey Tiltwheel that ended up giving me his copy for my collection in the late 90s.  These songs fit in perfectly with the ones from Two Words and having everything in a double LP package is the best.

I could not be happier with this stellar release from Beihai Park, who are really stepping up and helping to get vinyl versions of some incredible albums into the world.  I've already preordered their Tanner reissue they've got going right now and can only hope that the third, and my favorite, Overwhelming Colorfast album, Moonlight & Castenets, ends up on their release schedule one of these days.

Overwhelming Colorfast - Two Words
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nMRJwy7MgTL4A3P0b64qHavGAVbTY8stc