Casual - Demo Sessions 12"

Dope Folks (2019)

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.

This weekend I'm going to go see Hieroglyphics play live for the first time.  Though I have seen Del The Funky Homosapien and Souls Of Mischief, I've never seen the whole crew together.  One of the main reasons I want to see this show so badly is to finally be able to see Casual live.  Casual's debut album, Fear Itself, is in my upper echelon of hip hops albums.  I'm always in search of anything that sounds like the early 90s Hieroglyphics sound, often to no avail.  But what better way to find sounds like that than from the people that made them originally.  

Dope Folks put out this EP a few years ago that has six Casual songs that predate Fear Itself.  While EPs are not my favorite way to consume songs (which I know is blasphemy in hip hop, but I just love listening to all length albums), there was no way that I wasn't going to pick this up.  Though like a lot of things I'm writing about lately, it's taken me years to get around to saying something on this site about it.  

Of the six songs, one of them is a remix of the Fear Itself standout, "Me-O-Mi-O."  I do love me an early 90s remix.  To this day I'll contend that the remixed version of Del The Funky Homosapien's "Wrongplace" is superior to the original and it's not the only song I feel that way about.  I don't really think this remix is better than the album version, but that one is an all timer and has been lodged in my head for over 30 years.  The remix is an interesting take on it, but is more of a novelty for me on this release.

The main events are the five previously unreleased tracks.  They vary in quality both from a sound quality standpoint (these are demos after all) and song quality.  Some of the slower tracks like "Fear No Evil" and "Gotta Lotta" don't hit as hard for me.  The production and beats are OK, but they don't really service Casual's flow in the way that much of his classic material does. 

That isn't the case at all with side two of this EP.  "Where They At," Can You Feel It?" and "Rippers" all hit it out of the park.  The beats are more uptempo than what you'll find on the first side and this lets Casual uncork his rapid fire lyrical madness.  He's got an effortless flow that veers from freestyles to battle raps to punchlines, sometimes all in the same bar.  He's one of the most overlooked MCs out there and the fact that he was cranking out songs like this when he was still in high school (which is also when I was in high school) flabbergasts me.

Casual - Demo Sessions 12":

https://soundcloud.com/dope-folks-records/casual-fear-no-evil-demo-sessions-ep-coming-soon?in=dope-folks-records/sets/df0094-casual-demo-sessions-ep#t=0:00

Short Dogs Grow - Quit While You're Young 12"

 
Lil' Hunka Gold (2025)

Short Dogs Grow sent me this 12" of theirs which is the first release that the band has done since the late 1980s.  They were/are based out of San Francisco and put out a couple of LPs on Rough Trade once upon a time.  This new EP has two of the four original members, Tom Pitts and Carmela Thompson, joined by a new drummer.  

I wasn't super familiar with the band's original work, so I checked out a few songs and they were pretty fast, kind of fuzzy guitar rock that isn't really out of place in the mid to late 80s Bay Area scene.  This new EP leans on a lot more of an rootsy rock and roll sound, with songs that don't have the same sort of mph as the older ones I listened to.  These are decidedly mid tempo and while they lean towards that alt country sound a bit, have a little more aggression and punk influence.

Main singer Tom Pitts' vocals are definitely an acquired taste, and thus far, I have not acquired that taste.  They've got a warble to them that really jumps out from the music in a way that I personally find distracting, though others may find to be the highlight of the group.  I know a fair amount of people who can't get into Leatherface because they don't like Frankie Stubbs' vocals, yet for me, they are one of the main reasons I love that band so much.

This isn't bad, it's a solid EP with well written songs.  If you like some root in your music, might be up your alley more than mine.

Short Dogs Grow - Quit While You're Young:
https://shortdogsgrow.bandcamp.com/album/quit-while-youre-young

The Mr. T Experience - The Miracle of Shame 12" - Pink Vinyl

Sounds Rad (2024, Reissue)

Until this 12" reissue came out at the end of last year, I don't think I've listened to this five song Mr. T Experience EP aside from one time right when it came out back in the year 2000.  I didn't like it then, so I didn't listen to it again and it just ended up in my CD rack with the rest.  Now it's back with its first ever release on vinyl.  I commend Sounds Rad for finally getting this out there, but I do feel there are other Mr. T Experience reissues that I would have preferred be tackled first.

As much as Alcatraz was a departure from Revenge Is Sweet and So Are You, The Miracle Of Shame is so different from the rest of the MTX catalog up to that point that 25 years later, I still don't really know what to make of it.  For the kind of music that it is, it's well done and Frank's lyrics are as sharp as ever.  But it's very unlike most of what came before it.

There's the breezy, jangle of "Spy vs Spy" and "Leave The Thinking To The Smart People."  Things go a little more power pop on "Mr. Ramones."  The distortion kicks in more fully on "Stephanies Of The World Unite," but it's got a vaguely psychedelic vibe and a wacky fuzzed out outro.  The EP wraps up with the acoustic "Don’t Know Where Dan Treacy Lives."  All of these are good songs, but they're not really what I personally want from the Mr. T Experience.  It's a curveball in their discography that my peabrain still isn't able to process correctly, as it wants something faster and louder.

That said, the reissue is lovingly done as usual, with the five songs occupying the A side of the 12" and an etching of the cover art on the B side.  I'll also always support more CD only albums getting the vinyl treatment.  I picked it up because I will pick up all of these reissues.  I like Mr. T Experience more than enough to give up the money and shelf space required to have this record in the collection to keep it complete.

The Mr. T Experience - The Miracle of Shame:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kZA6E82qSeWJNFlIRFIM2XL4uM-Pygez4

Legion Of D.U.M.E. – '94 D.U.M.E. EP

Dope Folks (2011, reissue)

On Wednesdays, 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 twenty-five 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.

One of the things that I've been doing over the last couple of years has been buying old issues of The Source, a magazine that was essentially my bible when I got into hip hop in the early 90s.  I've been able to acquire all of the issues from 1990-1994 (those pre-1990 issues are impossible to find) and I've been reading them in order.  I've been paying extra close attention to the Unsigned Hype columns as I go through them, doing some internet sluthing to see if anything got released by any of the ones that didn't know of.

And that's how I found Legion Of D.U.M.E., who were featured in an Unsigned Hype column in 1992.  From digging around it looks like the group had self released a two song single in 1994 and then couple of the guys splintered off into a group called Darc Mind that had a few releases.  The only thing that really surfaced from Legion Of D.U.M.E. is this eight song 12" released by Dope Folks in 2011.  It's an eight song, 40 minute long 12" so while I guess it's technically an EP, it's a much more satisfying listen to me than a lot of those 4-6 songs ones that never feel like they settle into a groove before they end.  

Legion Of D.U.M.E. is a multi MC crew rapping over the perfect sort of beats that I love from this era.  Thick bass lines, cuts in the hooks and hard hitting snare drum cracks.  Perfect.  The lyrics that these guys are throwing around are also quite nice.  I think that if they had gotten a break back then, they'd be more fondly remembered by fans of the era.  I know that had I heard this in 1994, I would have absolutely loved it.  I love it now too and just wish there was more of it.

These songs make up a 1994 demo, but I can't help but wonder what songs were given to The Source in 1992?  There most be more unreleased songs out there or different versions at the very least because the article references two song names that aren't on this 12".  I for one would really like to get my hands on those and hope that someone out there can cobble together another Legion Of D.U.M.E. release.

Bad Idea - Breakout 12" - Red Vinyl

Self Released (2024)

I wrote about Bad Idea's full length, Sonic Hellride, last year.  This year, they followed it up with a five song, 12" EP.  I'll throw in my obligatory complaint that I really don't like EPs as I prefer a full length or a single if you want to get less than a full course meal out into the world.  It just always seems like a waste to press up an LP but not put an LPs worth of music on it.  But that's far from a complaint unique to Bad Idea, they're just the record in front of me right now.

Like their album from last year, this EP has songs very much in the straight up punk rock space, occasionally leaning towards a more hardcore sound and sometimes having a garage-y sort of vibe.  In general this sort of thing is fine for me, but it's also not the kind of music that typically fits neatly into my wheelhouse.  I'm usually into a poppier sound...

Which the band is obviously capable of after one listen to the best song on here "Too Good To Die."  Does that main chord progression sound kind of familiar, of course, but they band still gets milage out of it by putting their own spin on things.  And as I mentioned last time I wrote about the band, they have a really great singer which helps them stand head and shoulders above other bands with similar sounds, who always seem to have uniquely shitty singers.

I think folks that are into meat and potatoes punk rock more than I am will get more milage out of this EP than I do.  It wouldn't surprise me for someone to listen to this and have the exact opposite opinion as me and think "Too Good To Die" stands out in a less than positive way from the others.  But I think we'd all agree that Bad Idea is very good at whatever they are doing.

Bad Idea - Breakout 12":
https://badideampls.bandcamp.com/album/breakout

Todd 1 Featuring Doctor Dre And Ed Lover – Down Wit' MTV 12"

Tommy Boy (1991) 

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.

This record is something that I've been hunting for ages, but I just never saw it come up on Discogs or eBay for whatever reason.  If you looks at Discogs sales history, it has popped up a few times over the last couple of years, but I just never saw it I guess.  But, a few months ago one popped up for $25 and I just went for it as I really have wanted it in the collection for a while.

That said, the record is kind of dumb.  Good dumb, but still dumb.  It's a parody of "O.P.P." by Naughty By Nature except now we're "Down Wit MTV."  I vividly remember when they used to play this video on Yo! MTV Raps.  Even then I recognized it as something kind of silly that just took time away from the other videos I wanted to see.  But as the years have gone by, I look back on it with warmer feelings than I had back then.

Todd 1 and Ed Lover are totally fine delivering their goofy lyrics about why MTV is fun and cool and what not.  Neither excel, but they don't embarrass themselves either.  the beat is essentially just lifted from "O.P.P.," but it's an iconic beat so I find it difficult to not get caught up in the silliness.  is this record the sort of thing I'll even play once a year?  Not a chance, but there's a comfort knowing it's on my record shelf and I *could* play it if I had that insatiable urge to hear the song again.

Todd 1 Featuring Doctor Dre And Ed Lover – Down Wit' MTV:
https://youtu.be/eTpiZwO8mgQ?si=PZ3vkUeEw_lYftss

Pinhead Gunpowder - Shoot The Moon 12" - Blue & White Split Vinyl

1-2-3-4 Go! (2022, Reissue)

This Pinhead Gunpowder reissue is another that I already had the original pressing of.  There's really no reason as to why I needed to pick up another version, mine's essentially immaculate.  But the lure of a reissued version on colored vinyl that's part of an overarching reissue campaign was something I just couldn't pass up.

This EP originally came out in 1999, when I was the music director of my college radio station.  I was really excited to have a new Pinhead Gunpowder release to put out for everyone to play.  The only complaint I had then is that it was just so damn short.  Seven songs in twelve minutes with only one breaking the two minute mark.  

This reissue helps that out a little bit by including two bonus tracks that were previously on the Recess version of Compulsive Disclosure.  I'm not sure why they were added here instead of kept there, but since the 1-2-3-4 Go! version of Compulsive Disclosure isn't out yet, I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Your Pest Band - Reflecting Board 12"

Dead Broke (2022)

I have a lot of records by Your Pest Band.  They've been putting out tunes since 2008 and the vast majority were on my favorite all time record label, Snuffy Smile.  Though these days Snuffy Smile isn't anywhere near as active as they used to be, and I've not been as enamored with their more recent offerings.  This Your Pest Band 12" was released on Dead Broke without any seeming involvement from Snuffy Smile, which seems a little odd.  It's not the first time a label has put out one of their records without it being a co-release, but it's certainly not a regular occurrence.

As the years have gone by, I've enjoyed Your Pest Band's evolution.  From more traditional Snuffy Smile punk rock, to garage leaning speed to the current iteration which has something of a psych/classic rock vibe.  Do I like this sort of thing as much as I like their earliest releases?  No, I don't.  I'm always going to be somewhat trapped in wanting to here some good old fashioned pop punk.  But that's not to say that Your Pest Band isn't still cranking out some great tunes, because they are.

This 12" has seven new songs.  There's a few mid tempo numbers like "Blind Lane" and "Strange Rings," the latter of which has some downright Petty-esque guitar riffs going on.  But I tend to gravitate towards the faster songs.  In particular, "Every Arithmetic" strikes a real chord with me as it has loud, crunchy guitars and a driving drum beat.  It also has less guitar and vocal reverb than anything else on here.  It's a fantastic song that's worth the price of admission on its own.  But the other songs are fun as well, they're just pretty different to what the band started out doing fourteen years ago.  Which makes sense, when you think about just how long ago that really was.

Your Pest Band - Reflecting Board:
https://deadbrokerekerds.bandcamp.com/album/reflecting-board

despAIR jordan - Before Your Wings Gave Out 12" - Gray Vinyl

Snappy Little Numbers (2022)

despAIR jordan (did they think people might not get the joke if they didn't capitalize AIR?) is a Denver based band, like so many others that are part of the Snappy Little Numbers universe.  They also sound completely different than pretty much any other band on SNL which is part of the reason that I'm always interested to see what the label will do next.  Though admittedly, I tend to like the pop punk sounding stuff the best.

despAIR jordan is not pop punk.  They have a late 80s, early 90s shoegaze alternative sound that makes me think of bands like The Cure or Depeche Mode, particularly in regards to the vocals.  The songs are pretty slow, deliberate and long.  there are six songs on the vinyl, though the download comes with four extras.  I'm not sure if it was a timing reason that those songs weren't on the vinyl or if it's because it would have been too long to fit everything.

I can't say this is my favorite record I've heard lately.  I like my rock a bit crunchier and/or more upbeat and these songs kind of just feel like downers to me.  That said, they do as good a job as anyone with this style of music.  The musicianship is strong and the production is great.  It's just that for me, this kind of thing just tends to fade into the background when I listen to it.

despAIR jordan - Before Your Wings Gave Out:
https://snappylittlenumbers.bandcamp.com/album/before-your-wings-gave-out-deluxe-digital-with-hell-year-ep

Casual / Souls of Mischief / Extra Prolific - A Low Down Dirty Shame 12"

Jive (1994)

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 twenty-five 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 last of the Casual singles from the golden era is this three-way split EP that also features fellow Hieroglyphics acts Souls of Mischief and Extra Prolific.  It features songs from the soundtrack of a movie called A Low Down Dirty Shame, which I've never seen despite it starring Keenon Ivory Waynes and me being a huge a huge fan of I'm Gonna Git You Sucka.  Maybe I need to check it out one day.

As far as this single goes, we get two versions of an exclusive Casual song called "Later On."  The LP version features a laid back, storytelling vibe with a a jazzy drum vibe, some keyboards in the hook and some atmospheric chatter in the background.  It's not my favorite Casual song from this era as I prefer Casual when he's hitting a little harder, but lyrically there's good stuff here.  The remix of this is far superior in my opinion.  It has a completely different vocal take and some new lyrics over a beat that is still slower in tempo, but hits much harder than the LP version.

Souls of Mischief contribute "Get The Girl, Grab The Money and Run." The LP version probably isn't as strong as anything on their 93 'Til Infinity album that was released the previous year, but it's still a strong offering.  Hiero was operating at a level so much higher than most at this time, even their lesser tracks can hang with the best of the era.  The Souls remix has a beat that's a bit more minimalistic than the LP version.  It's good, but in this instance I think the one the put on the album was better.

Lastly we have the Extra Prolific track "In Front of the Kids."  Nothing really to see here as this is also on the Like It Should Be full length, so nothing exclusive here.  It's not even one of the better songs on that album.  This EP should be a perfect bridge from writing about Casual singles to writing about Souls of Mischief singles, but those Souls singles are expensive and I don't have them all yet.  Hopefully one day.

Casual - "Later On":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEZjTN-k15M&ab_channel=Casual-Topic

Souls of Mischief - "Get The Girl, Grab The Money and Run":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRzuTjbIqco&ab_channel=SoulsOfMischiefVEVO

 

Casual - Me-O-Mi-O 12"

 Jive (1994)

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 twenty-five 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.

This was Casual's third single from Fear Itself, but if I was in charge of the release I would have had "Me-O-Mi-O" the lead single.  I think that of all of the incredible songs on the full length, this is the one that would have the most opportunity for mass appeal in 1994.  The rumbling bass along with killer lyrics and an easily digestible sing along hook should have been a smash hit.  Why it wasn't I'll never know, but it's a true highlight on an album that is packed with high points.

We've got a bunch of extra tracks on the 12" version.  We have "Me-O-Mi-O (It'd A Me Thang)," which isn't a remix at all, but a new track with different production and different lyrics.  Aside from sort of referencing the original's hook in its own hook, I'm not sure why the two are connected at all.  The beat is a little sparser and more dark than you'd think for a Hiero cut from this era, but as usual, Casual is on point and turns in some great verses.

There's also an exclusive song called "Rock On" that features Pep Love.  This one is built off a jazzy brass loop with some great scratching and laid back performances from Cas and Pep.  It's a little on the slow side, but really everything these guys touched during this era was pretty flawless.  Lastly, we have the Disseshowedo remix of "That's How It Is."  Since that song is already on the That's How It Is 12", I'm not really sure why it makes another appearance here.

Casual - "Me-O-Mi-O" 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAO2CxOHlgA&ab_channel=UPROXXVideo

Casual - "Me-O-Mi-O (It's A Me Thang)" 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S79WRo8zUdQ&ab_channel=charlesshmickens

Casual - "Rock On" 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QurUOCM2pV4&ab_channel=grantp33

Casual - I Didn't Mean To 12"

Jive (1993)

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 twenty-five 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 much as I love the Casual album Fear Itself (and I do love it so very much), "I Didn't Mean To" was never one of my favorite songs on it.  It's a really good song, but considering how much of the album is next-level great, it doesn't stand out to me quite as much.  It's particularly weird to me that it was chosen as the second single off of the album with a video and the 12" treatment.

The highlight of the album version of the song is its excellent, slinky beat.  Lyrically, I'm not as into the ladies man vibe, though the storytelling is a unique taker on the subject.  I just enjoy Casual the most when he's unleashing battle raps and self aggrandizing lyrics.  That's where he really shines.

The 12" also comes with a remix of the main track.  It uses the same vocal take, but has a beat that's a little punchier and has a nice baseline.  I don't like it as much as the album version, but it's a fun listen.  In addition to instrumentals of the LP version and the remix, we also have one exclusive track, "That's How It Is Part II."  I'm not sure why it's considered part two, as the beat is new and really it's a brand new song featuring a verse by A-Plus of Souls of Mischief.  It's an awesome track and it is kind of a shame it's relegated to B side status and has been somewhat forgotten as it is as strong as anything on Fear Itself.

Casual - "I Didn't Mean To (Album Version)":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMOJ9rqwuKg&ab_channel=489seven

Casual - "I Didn't Mean To (Remix)":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8cvB6xVZJY&ab_channel=RAWflava

Casual - "That's How It Is Part II":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Odk2qHqu9jQ&ab_channel=boothe

Casual - That's How It Is 12"

Jive (1993)

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 twenty-five 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.

Fear Itself by Casual is my second favorite hip hop album of all time, only No Need For Alarm by Del has had more spins throughout my life.  Much like I did with Del, I decided that it was time to gather up all of the accompanying Casual singles of that era.  I'm starting off with "That's How It Is," this first single from Fear Itself.

I did always think it was a little odd that this was the first song picked as a single.  Not that it isn't great, because it is, but it seemed a little too intense for a new listener.  Over a deliberate, rumbling bass line, Casual unleashes punishing battle raps with intricate rhyme schemes and bars for days.  It's one of the things Casual is best at, but I can't help but wonder if a song like "Me-O-Mi-O" or "Lose In The End" wouldn't have been just a little more digestible to the average Yo MTV Raps fan.

This single has several extra tracks, but most aren't particularly exciting.  There's the instrumental and an a capella version of "That's How It Is" as well as an appearance by another track from Fear Itself, "Thoughts Of The Thoughtful."  Again, another great track, but it is also on the full LP.  The only real exclusive is the Disseshowedo Mix remix of "That's How It Is."  It's more than a remix as there's a completely different vocal take as well with some new rhyme schemes and a completely different cadence.  It's really great and the beat is pretty incredible.  It's almost like a new song and I'm definitely into it.

Casual - "That's How It Is (LP Version)":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV74MHNrUpI

Casual - "That's How It Is (Disseshowedo Mix)":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCc6b1ODww4

Brain Bagz / Blood Bags - Split 12"

Big Neck (2020)

This is another album that got lost in the shuffle, so I'm getting to it way later than I would have expected.  This is a split 12" by two bands that have Bags(z) as part of their name.  The artwork is done in a clever way so that it looks like either band could be the first one, you have to flip the cover over entirely as the artwork is upside down.  This means the sleeve opening is always to the right of the artwork, regardless of what side you are looking at.  The only thing they should have done to make this even better is they should have written the spin information in both directions as well.  So I'm taking my cues from the spine and am listing Brain Bagz first.

Brain Bagz sound like a chaotic mess.  I don't even necessarily mean that in a bad way, but their songs are full of echo, fuzz and are generally pretty noisy, bordering on psychedelic at times.  I feel like they probably could have a home on a label like Trouble In Mind, although their sound is much more in-your-face than anything TIM put out.  I don't love it, but I don't hate it either.  If you dig some psych, this might be more up your alley.

Blood Bags have an aggressive, punishing sound.  It feels like everyone in the band is just pounding on their instruments, leaving all songs with a primitive, thumping feel.  I like some of the riffs they brandish during their 6 song romp.  I don't really care for the vocals as they are pretty unpolished.  I get that they do fit with the overall atheistic that the band has going, but I think if there was a little less shouting and a little more singing, I'd probably like this more than I do.

Brain Bagz / Blood Bags - Split 12":

https://bigneckrecords1.bandcamp.com/album/brain-bagz-blood-bags-split-lp

Snuff - The Wrath of Thoth 12" - 3 New Vinyl Colors

10 Past 12 / Unless You Try (2020)

Several weeks ago I received an email from the Snuff mailing list alerting the world that they had pressed 2 more color variants of the Wrath of Thoth 12".  I will admit that I swore a little.  Having already purchased 6 different versions of the LP, I was not really up for buying more right at that moment in time.  But, as I read through the email, my concerns dissipated a bit. There was a note acknowledging that some people were buying all of the versions and it wasn't their goal to get these duplicate sales when they repressed the records.  So the deal was this, if you had all six prior versions and you took a picture of them and sent them in, they would send the two newest variants for free to the first six responders.

Very luckily, I was one of the six.  To my surprise, I actually received three new records.  I have the new splatter variant (/295) and the silver/white split color variant (/105) and these both look great.  Split color vinyl is my person favorite color way and it's always nice to add more of those to the collection.  In addition to those two that were advertised, I also received one on orange vinyl.   This orange is darker than the orange one I have from the first pressing, so I'm not really sure of the story with this one.  I'll have to dig around and see what I can sleuth out.  It may just be a transitional color, but maybe not.

As far as the music goes, I wrote more about that in my write up of the other six colors here.  The songs on here are great and it makes me eager for another Snuff full length, even though they did just put one out last year.  Snuff is an all time favorite band and I love buying their records, but I will definitely be content if the variants for this release end here.

Snuff - The Wrath Of Thoth (This is a link to one of those link tree things that take you to a bunch of places you can stream the record, but really you should just go buy the vinyl, shouldn't you?) https://ditto.fm/the-wrath-of-throf

Del The Funky Homosapien - Wrong Place 12"

Elektra (1993)

 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 twenty-five 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.

If you've been reading any of my Wednesday posts, you've definitely read mention of Del The Funky Homosapien. He & his Hieroglyphics crew are responsible for my favorite releases in the history of hip hop. I had decided that I needed to get my hands on the various golden era singles from those groups as the B sides and remixes were sorely missing from my collection on vinyl.

This is the last of my Del 12" singles.  He had released others, but my main focus was tracking down everything trough the No Need For Alarm era.  I have it in mind to gather some of the others eventually, but I'm still trying to fill some of the holes in my vinyl collection of his full length albums before I move to the singles.  Even though I have been going through these single chronologically, I still managed to save the best one for last.

I did have the cassingle version of this when I was in high school.  Specifically, I had the Maxi-Single version.  This version had two extremely important non album tracks.  One of them is the song "Undisputed Champs."  It was a non album track that was exclusive to this single and it featured Del, Pep Love and Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest.  In 1993, having Del and Q-Tip on the same track was a completely mind blowing thought as they were responsible for some of my favorite records of this era.  The song does not disappoint wither as both are in top form for their verses.  I feel like this could have been a "Scenario" level event if the song had been highlighted on an album or if it had ended up being made into a video, but instead it ends up being something of a lost classic.

As good as "Undisputed Champs" is, that wasn't even my favorite song on this single.  The Casual remix of "Wrongplace" is unbelievable.  I can't go so far as to say it's the version that should have been on the album as the original version fits into that record so flawlessly, but as a standalone track, you could make the argument that this is a superior version. It's not just the production that is different.  This version has an alternate vocal take as well.  The slow grooving bass provides a foundation for Del to essentially go a little crazier than usual.  The structure of his rapping is more out there than the album version, with emphasis on different syllables and rhymes built out differently.  I really love it.

These songs along with the non album tracks from the other singles I've written about over the past few weeks were eventually compiled onto an Elektra 'greatest hits' CD.  But that one never came out on vinyl so I knew I had to hunt down these singles and I'm psyched I have them all now (Aside from version of "Mistadobolina" that just has different artwork, but yeah I'm still looking for that one too).

Del The Funky Homosapien - "Undisputed Champs":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErPZAfz9-Rc&ab_channel=DelThaFunkeeHomosapien-Topic

Del The Funky Homosapien - "Wrong Place" (Casual Remix):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsUsLPOVtHQ&ab_channel=DelThaFunkeeHomosapien-Topic

The Mr. T Experience - ...And The Women Who Love Them LP - Silver Vinyl

Sounds Rad (2020, Reissue)

When I wrote about the red vinyl version of the first Mr. T Experience album a few weeks ago, I said that one of the reasons I liked having it in my collection as it was a building block for a band that would become one of my all time favorites.  Everybody's Entitled to their Own Opinion was an album I tracked down after I had been listening to the band for a bit.  The most recent Mr. T Experience record that was available when I heard them for the first time was this EP, ...And The Women Who Love Them.

The first time I heard the Mr. T Experience was on the 1995 Slice of Lemon compilation.  They did a cover of the Schoolhouse Rock song "Adjectives" and that's what made me go look for more of their music.  I wonder how many people discovered them from that compilation.  I'm guessing it probably wasn't many.

I am not totally positive ATWWLT was the very first Mr. T Experience album I bought.  I picked up this one, Our Bodies Ourselves and Making Things With Light all around the same time.  They are the three MTX records I've known the longest and in a lot of ways they will always be fighting each other for the top spot of being my favorite (Along with Love As Dead, which would come out the following year in 1996).

What I can say for sure is that I just loved this EP.  "Tapin' Up My Heart" was immediately a song that jumped out at me and I went crazy for the blown out guitar fuzz lead, start/stop verse and of course the incredibly well constructed lyrics.  The rest of the CD's six other tracks were equally great tackling relationship highs and lows with a sharp wit and even sharper hooks.  Then there was the secret hidden song.

The 7" version of the release had "Tapin' Up My Heart" and "My Stupid Life" from the CD, but it also had an unlisted acoustic song which I now know is called "How'd The Date End?"  When I used to put this song on mix tapes, I titled it myself as being called "Love Connection."  In the early 2000s, Lookout put out the ...And The Women Who Love Them - Special Addition CD.  When they did, they included "How'd The Date End?" but it was a different recording that had a few extra lines.  I hated it.  I felt like it was lacking the urgency of the version from my 7" and I didn't think the extra lyrics were worth sacrificing that energy.  Oomph goes a long way with me and the original version had the Oomph I was looking for.  I got a lot angrier about stupid things twenty years ago than I do now.

With this new vinyl version, the seven songs from the CD are present along with the original version of "How'd The Date End?"  All eight songs in one place and even better yet all finally on vinyl.  To say this record sounds great is the understatement of the year.  None of these songs have ever sounded as good as they do on this record.  I can't believe the fullness of everything that is just not present on my old CD version.

Also, I think I lucked out with my copy.  I put in dibs for the record as soon as it was an option from Sounds Rad, but the people who bought the MTX Forever compilation had first dibs on the dibs.  I didn't buy that comp because I already have those songs.  I'm on board for reissues of full albums that sound better, but I didn't need a Mr. T Experience best-of that wasn't a list of the songs I actually thought were the best.  So, by the time I got to place dibs, I was number seven on the overflow list.  Sadly no spot ever opened up and I was relegated to the second pressing that wasn't on 180g vinyl.  But let me tell you, the version they sent me is pretty damn heavy.  I don't have a scale that weighs in grams, but I think that maybe they had some leftover 180g versions and I still managed to get one even though I missed out.  Regardless which version I have, it sounds incredible.

I have no idea how this write up got so long.  In summary, all that you really need to know is that this is pretty much a perfect slice of mid 90s pop punk, presented as an incredible sounding version and finally compiling all of the tracks from the recording in one place.  You would be a fool not to have this in your collection.

The Mr. T Experience - ...And The Women Who Love Them (YouTube Music full album playlistL
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lw4lASdWJVaKOg60udq5uTkSWO4LcHg_8

Del The Funky Homosapien - Made In America 12"

Elektra (1993)

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 twenty-five 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.

If you've been reading any of my Wednesday posts, you've definitely read mention of Del The Funky Homosapien. He & his Hieroglyphics crew are responsible for my favorite releases in the history of hip hop. I had decided that I needed to get my hands on the various golden era singles from those groups as the B sides and remixes were sorely missing from my collection on vinyl.

Made and America is essentially a standalone single that came out in 1993.  It was after I Wish My Brother George Was Here, but before No Need For Alarm was released in November of that year.  The song originated on the soundtrack for the film of the same name starring Ted Danson and Whoopi Goldberg.  Had I not Googled the name of the movie, I wouldn't have known that.  Never heard of the film and it's pretty odd that one, Del is on this soundtrack and two, his song got a single and a video when Gloria Estefan and DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince also have songs on it.

While I do not remember ever seeing the video played on Yo MTV Raps, I do remember the cassingle of this popping up in 1993 at some point.  It's a fun single that has three different versions of the song.  The main one is Whoopi's Mix and that's the one that appears on the actual soundtrack and is the version the video was made for.  Solid song for sure and I dig the percolating bassline that the track is built on.  Del's lyrics are sort of in an in between stage as well, he's not delving into the more complicated rhymes that would become the calling card of No Need For Alarm, but he's definitely upped the ante when compared to some of the songs from his debut.

The other two remixes, one by the SD50s and the other helmed by Del, are also good takes on this song.  I think I probably like Del's version the best of the three as the beat us upbeat and the bass riff is a head nodder.  While I wouldn't rank any of these versions if I were to list the very best Del tracks, that's not a knock on these.  Del's discography is pretty much the best one in the history of hip hop, in my humble opinion.  These tracks float around in the middle of the pack, but it's mostly due to how incredible his body of work is.

Del The Funky Homosapien - Made In America (Whoopi's Mix):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2DL6l9EvQk&ab_channel=UPROXXVideo

Del The Funky Homosapien - Made In America (Del's Mix):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QP1L4Q0-PY

Del The Funky Homosapien - Dr. Bombay 12"

1992 (Elektra)

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 twenty-five 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.

 If you've been reading any of my Wednesday posts, you've definitely read mention of Del The Funky Homosapien. He & his Hieroglyphics crew are responsible for my favorite releases in the history of hip hop. I had decided that I needed to get my hands on the various golden era singles from those groups as the B sides and remixes were sorely missing from my collection on vinyl. This one is the third and it's the final single from Del's first album.

The album version of "Dr. Bombay" is definitely one of the highlight's of Del's debut.  It didn't get the same sort of airplay that "Mistadobolina" received, but unlike "Sleepin' on My Couch," I do remember it being on Yo MTV Raps at least a couple of times.  For the remix on this single, the beat is not as layered as the album version, and the stripped down production really puts the emphasis on the lyrics.  In a lot of ways it sounds more in line with the styles Del would be known for in a couple of years.

The other remix is of "Hoodz Come in Dozens," this one tackled by the SD50s.  While good, I don't see it being the huge departure from the original the same way that the "Dr. Bombay" is.  The last track on this 12" is the previously unreleased "Eye Examination."  This one was produced by Del and again is a glimpse into what Del was going to unleash into the world when No Need For Alarm came out in 1993.  The beat has hints of Tribe Called Quest, but is still filtered though that bay area funk sound.  Del uses this canvas to put down the type of lyrics and rhyme structures that it seems only he can do.  Killer song and it's a shame that it's not one of his more well known tracks.

Del The Funky Homosapien - "Dr. Bombay (Remix)":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J4mx5_fJBM&ab_channel=DelThaFunkeeHomosapien-Topic

Del The Funky Homosapien - "Eye Examination":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgJ8DqOfZBo&ab&ab_channel=DelThaFunkeeHomosapien-Topic

Del The Funky Homosapien - Mistadobolina 12"

Elektra (1991)

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 twenty-five 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.

If you've been reading any of my Wednesday posts, you've definitely read mention of Del The Funky Homosapien.  He & his Hieroglyphics crew are responsible for my favorite releases in the history of hip hop.  I had decided that I needed to get my hands on the various golden era singles from those groups as the B sides and remixes were sorely missing from my collection on vinyl.  The first one up is the very first Del single, "Mistadobolina."

The album version of this song is the one that got me hooked on Del when I was in eighth grade in 1991.  That video playing on Yo MTV Raps would end up being so profoundly important in my musical education and the album version fo the song appears on this 12" along with a remix.  The remix is solid and has a good beat to it, but it doesn't really compare to the much more well known original.  The other album track that makes an appearance is "Ahonetwo, Ahonetwo."  Again, a great album track along with a really fun remix.  I think that it's better than the "Mistadobolina" remix, but it's still not as strong as the original album version.

The real highlight of this single is the exclusive track "Burnt."  This is a Hieroglyphics posse cut and marks the very first time Casual and members of Souls of Mischief would appear on wax.  This is a fantastic song and really showcases the sound that Hieroglyphics would go on to cultivate and in many ways perfect over the next few years.  It's not dripping with P-funk the way Del's full length is, but instead it showcases the collective's homegrown sound. Listening to it now and realizing it came out in 1991 is pretty nuts.  It feels way ahead of its time, both in production and in the lyrical dexterity that the crew would soon become known for.

Del The Funky Homosapien ft. Hieroglyphics - "Burnt":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVsrIeveDAI

Del The Funky Homosapien - "Mistadobalina (Remix)":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVLGYREn4-s