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Following the Electric Prunes' third album, 'Mass in F Minor', which featured mostly studio musicians filling in for the band members, the band released 'Release of an Oath' in 1968, again recorded by studio musicians with the Prunes only submitting vocals. This album may only have been a footnote in history, a cash-in recording for a band that had all but broken up, if it weren't for the songwriting and production prowess of one David Axelrod. 'Release of an Oath' is less of an Electric Prunes album than it is a David Axelrod album. With it's open drums, jazz influence, and funky basslines; the album became a sought after treasure for beat diggers the world over. Thankfully, within the last decade, the album has been easier to find due to re-releases (and now, MP3s). This post will cover the producers and artists who have sampled the Axelrod produced fourth album by the Electric Prunes.One of the album's stand out tracks is 'Holy are You', which is a favorite of beat heads and psych rock listeners alike. The track was sampled by Joe Fatal for Fat Joe and Raekwon's team up 'Respect Mine' on his 1995 album 'Jealous One's Envy'. Five years later, the same track was sampled by Madlib on his Quasimoto album 'The Unseen' for the cut 'Return of the Loop Digga'. The album's funkiest cut is the bouncy bass-heavy 'General Confessional', which has become the most sampled cut on this release. In 1997, the Beatnuts sampled 'General Confessional' for 'N----z Know' on 'Stone Crazy' while DJ Scratch sampled the cut for Rampage and Busta Rhymes' single 'Flipmode iz da Squad'. In 2000, Madlib sampled this track as well for his song 'B.S.' from the Quasimoto single 'Basic Instinct' while the RZA sampled the song for 'The Monument' which finds Busta Rhymes cameoing again on the beat alongside the Wu-Tang Clan. 'The Adoration' from 'Release of an Oath' was also plundered by the Beatnuts for the song 'World's Famous' from their 1993 release 'The Intoxicated Demons'.
At the end of 'Release of an Oath', the Electric Prunes were almost done. The band, by name only and featuring none of the original members, released a fifth album that made no waves. Axelrod, however, was just at the beginning of his solo career. 1968 saw the release of his debut solo album, 'Song of Innocence', which led to a decade of beat digger coveted albums.The Lowdown:
The Electric Prunes 'Holy Are You', 'General Confessional', and 'The Adoration'
from 'Release of an Oath' (1968) (MP3/CD)
Fat Joe 'Respect Mine'
from 'Jealous One's Envy' (1995) (MP3 not available/CD)
Quasimoto 'Return of the Loop Digga'
from 'The Unseen' (2000) (MP3/CD)
The Beatnuts 'N----z Know'
from 'Stone Crazy' (1997) (MP3 not available/CD)
Rampage 'Flipmode iz da Squad'
from 'Scouts Honor By Way of Blood' (1997) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Quasimoto 'B.S.'
from 'Basic Instinct' (2000) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Wu-Tang Clan 'The Monument'
from 'The W' (2000) (MP3 not available/CD)
The Beatnuts 'World's Famous'
from 'The Intoxicated Demons' (1993) (MP3 not available/CD)
Bonus Cut:
The Verve's Richard Ashcroft, a fan of Axelrod's work with the Electric Prunes, recorded an excellent live version of 'Holy Are You' with Axelrod conducting a symphony.
Related Posts:
Producer Profile: David Axelrod (Part 2, 1968-1969)
Rewind: Quasimoto 'The Unseen' (Part 1)
Rewind: Quasimoto 'The Unseen' (Part 2)
Rewind: Quasimoto 'The Unseen' (Part 3)
After early work with the group All in Together Now Crew (with the GZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard) and one single with Tommy Boy under the alias Prince Rakeem, Robert Diggs (aka the RZA) formed the Wu-Tang Clan with 8 other members in 1992. The most noteworthy single from their debut 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)' is the classic cut 'C.R.E.A.M.' which this year was finally certified as a gold single having sold 500,000 copies on its own. The song samples 'As Long As I've Got You', a Stax single from the Charmels.To cash in on the success of the Wu-Tang Clan, Cold Chillin' re-released the debut GZA album under the alias the Genius as well as released the RZA produced track 'Pass the Bone' as a single (RZA production is credited as Prince Rakeem). 'Pass the Bone' samples the heavily used Wu breakbeat 'Impeach the President' by the Honey Drippers and 'Smokin' Cheeba Cheeba' by the Harlem Underground Band produced by Paul Winley and famously featuring George Benson. The year also saw the release of Method Man's debut album 'Tical' which featured the single 'Release Yo' Delf' that interpolates the hook from Gloria Gaynor's 'I Will Survive' as well as samples Herb Alpert's 'Treasure of San Miguel' and Graham Central Station's 'The Jam'.Finally, in 1994, RZA contributed production work and rhymes to the horrorcore all-star outfit the Gravediggaz's debut album '6 Feet Deep'. Their first single, 'Diary of a Madman', produced by the RZA, RNS and Prince Paul and featuring a guest verse from the Wu's Killah Priest, samples two cuts from crooner Johnny Mathis to extremely creepy results: 'No Love (But Your Love)' and 'Warm and Tender'.
Check back for our next look at the RZA's production discography.The Lowdown:
Wu-Tang Clan 'C.R.E.A.M.'
from 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)' (1993) (MP3/CD)
The Charmels 'As Long As I've Got You'
from 'As Long As I've Got You' 7" (1967) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
The Genius 'Pass the Bone'
from 'Pass the Bone' 12" (1994) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
The Honey Drippers 'Impeach the President'
from 'Impeach the President' 7" (1973) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Harlem Underground Band 'Smokin' Cheeba Cheeba'
from 'Harlem Underground' (1976) (MP3/CD not available)
Method Man 'Release Yo' Delf'
from 'Tical' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Gloria Gaynor 'I Will Survive'
from 'Love Tracks' (1978) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass 'Treasure of San Miguel'
from 'Sounds Like' (1967) (MP3/CD)
Graham Central Station 'The Jam'
from 'Ain't No Bout-a-Doubt It' (1975) (MP3/CD)
Gravediggaz 'Diary of a Madman'
from '6 Feet Deep' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Johnny Mathis 'No Love (But Your Love)'
from 'No Love (But Your Love)' 7" (1957) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Johnny Mathis 'Warm and Tender'
from 'Warm and Tender' 7" (1957) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Related Posts:
Rewind: Wu-Tang Clan 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)' (Part 1)
Rewind: Wu-Tang Clan 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)' (Part 2)
Welcome to part 2 of our look at 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)'.
'Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta F--- Wit' may not be an A-side single, but its one of Wu-Tang's most endearing and well known tracks. The track, produced by the RZA and Method Man, samples the break from Lafayette Afro Rock Band's 'Hihache', the opening break from the Honey Drippers' 'Impeach the President', and elements of Biz Markie's 'Nobody Beats the Biz'. The biggest single from 'Enter the Wu-Tang', maybe the biggest single of the Wu's career, is 'C.R.E.A.M.'. This classic uses a sample of the Stax single 'As Long as I've Got You' by the Charmels, written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter. Don't sleep on that download link, this track has never been easy to come by! |
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Method Man takes on a track solo for 'Method Man' which samples 'Sport' by Lightnin' Rod (featuring instrumentation by an early Earth, Wind and Fire), 'Sundown' by Gordon Lightfoot, and re-interpolates Hall and Oates' 'Method of Modern Love' from 1984's 'Big Bam Boom'. The Wu's first single, originally released independently but redone for the album, was 'protect Ya Neck' which contains samples of Lowell Fulsom's 'Tramp' and Albert King's 'Cold Feet'. Finally, 'Tearz' samples another Stax 7": Wendy Rene's 'After Laughter (Comes Tears)'.
Wu-Tang Clan, following the release of their debut, became a legacy with more albums as a group and dozens of solo releases from the Wu members. Look for more Wu-Tang Clan associated posts in the future of this blog.The Lowdown:
Wu-Tang Clan 'Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta F--- Wit', 'C.R.E.A.M.', 'Method Man', 'Protect Ya Neck', and 'Tearz'
from 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)' (1993) (MP3/CD)
Lafayette Afro Rock Band 'Hihache'
from 'Soul Makossa' (1972) (MP3/CD not available)
The Honey Drippers 'Impeach the President'
from 'Impeach the President' 7" (1973) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Biz Markie 'Nobody Beats the Biz'
from 'Goin' Off' (1988) (MP3/CD)
The Charmels 'As Long As I've Got You'
from 'As Long As I've Got You' 7" (1967) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Lightnin' Rod 'Sport'
from 'Hustler's Convention' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD)
Gordon Lightfoot 'Sundown'
from 'Sundown' (1974) (MP3 not available/CD)
Hall and Oates 'Method of Modern Love'
from 'Big Bam Boom' (1984) (MP3/CD)
Lowell Fulsom 'Tramp'
from 'Tramp' (1967) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Albert King 'Cold Feet'
from 'King of the Blues Guitar' (1969) (MP3/CD)
Wendy Rene 'After Laughter (Comes Tears)'
from 'After Laughter (Comes Tears)' 7" (1964) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Bonus Cuts:
Wu-Tang Clan 'C.R.E.A.M.' (Acapella)
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Welcome to the final post in our three part look at Ghostface Killah's 2000 album 'Supreme Clientele'.
Carlos Broady produced the beat for the album track 'We Made It', which samples Syl Johnson's 1973 track 'I Hate I Walked Away' from his album 'Back for a Taste of Your Love'. Another highlight on 'Supreme Clientele' is the non-single track 'Malcolm'. 'Malcolm', along with samples of a speech my Malcolm X, uses the beat from Isaac Hayes' 'Going in Circles' from his 1973 double album 'Black Moses'. One of my personal favorite tracks on this album is the RZA produced track 'Child's Play' which perfectly flips the drum and electric piano intro from George Jackson's 1972 single 'Aretha, Sing One for Me'. Additionally, RZA uses the highly samplable intro to Mountain's 'Long Red', a b-boy essential. The album's biggest charting single (hitting 98 on the Billboard 100) is 'Cherchez LaGhost' which reinterpolates Dr. Buzzard's single 'Cherchez LaFemme' from their 1975 album 'Dr.Buzzard's Original Savannah Band'.
'Supreme Clientele', though not a huge seller, is seen as one of the best hip-hop albums from the 90s and still is acclaimed critically. Ghostface followed with 2001's 'Bulletproof Wallets' (not nearly as bad as people make it out to be), breaking with Epic, and resigning with Def Jam. Look out for more posts about Ghostface's other albums in the future of this blog.The Lowdown:
Ghostface Killah 'We Made It', 'Malcolm', 'Child's Play', and 'Cherchez LaGhost'
from 'Supreme Clientele' (2000) (MP3/CD)
Syl Johnson 'I Hate I Walked Away'
from 'Back for a Taste of Your Love' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Isaac Hayes 'Going in Circles'
from 'Black Moses' (1973) (MP3/CD)
George Jackson 'Aretha, Sing One for Me'
from 'Aretha, Sing One for Me' 7" (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Mountain 'Long Red'
from 'Mountain Live' (1972) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Dr. Buzzard 'Cherchez LaFemme'
from 'Dr.Buzzard's Original Savannah Band' (1975) (MP3/CD)
BONUS CUT:
It sucks that I can't offer a download for George Jackson's AWESOME 'Aretha, Sing One for Me', but I did find a download for Cat Power's recent cover of 'Aretha, Sing One for Me'. What an unusual song to decide to cover for a major label, check it out.
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Welcome to part 2 of our 3 part look at 'Supreme Clientele' by Ghostface Killah.
'Supreme Clientele''s RZA produced Wu posse cut is 'Buck 50', which I presume is one of the album's 50 Cent disses. RZA samples the Curtis Mayfield produced 'Hard Times' by Baby Huey from his lone, posthumous album 'The Living Legend' from 1970. Mathematics produced the beat for Ghost's 'Mighty Healthy', which samples 'Wish That I Could Talk to You' from the Sylver's self titled 1972 album as well as James Brown's 'Funky President' from 1975's 'Reality'. Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' 'Hope That We Can Be Together Soon' plays behind the skit titled 'Woodrow the Basshead' (sorry, no download for this one - you'll have to buy the full album to hear it) to excellent effect. Finally, Inspectah Deck samples David Axelrod's 'Strange Ladies'-era song 'Terri's Tune' for Ghostface's 'Stay True (Deck's Beat)'. Inspectah is digging in the crates for that one!
Check back for the third and final part of our look at 'Supreme Clientele'.The Lowdown:
Ghostface Killah 'Buck 50', 'Mighty Healthy', 'Woodrow the Basshead', and 'Stay True (Deck's Beat)'
from 'Supreme Clientele' (2000) (MP3/CD)
Baby Huey 'Hard Times'
from 'The Living Legend' (1970) (MP3/CD)
The Sylvers 'Wish That I Could Talk to You'
from 'The Sylvers' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
James Brown 'Funky President (People It's Bad)'
from 'Reality' (1975) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes 'Hope That We Can Be Together Soon'
from 'To Be True' (1975) (MP3/CD not available)
David Axelrod 'Terri's Tune'
from 'Strange Ladies' (1977) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
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Often seen as one of the best Wu-Tang solo efforts, 2000's 'Supreme Clientele' is bursting with rugged street rhymes mixed with soulful production. This blog's three part arc will cover the samples used in 'Supreme Clientele'.
The first proper track (after the intro) is 'Nutmeg' produced by Black Moses-Art. The track samples 'It's Over' from Eddie Holman's 1977 album 'A Night to Remember'. One of the album's standout tracks is 'One', though it was never properly released as a single. Juju samples 'You Roam When You Don't Get it at Home' by the Sweet Inspirations for 'One''s beat. 'Supreme Clientele''s lead single is the Hassan produced 'Apollo Kids', a classic Ghost and Raekwon track. Hassan samples 'Cool Breeze' by Solomon Burke from the 1972 soundtrack to the movie 'Cool Breeze'. One of the RZA's four beats on the album is the beat for 'The Grain', a track where he also has a guest verse. 'The Grain' samples Stax legend Rufus Thomas and his dance single 'Do the Funky Chicken' from 1973's 'The Crown Prince of Dance'.
Check back for part 2 of our look at 'Supreme Clientele'.The Lowdown:
Ghostface Killah 'Nutmeg', 'One', 'Apollo Kids', and 'The Grain'
from 'Supreme Clientele' (2000) (MP3/CD)
Eddie Holman 'It's Over'
from 'A Night to Remember' (1977) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Sweet Inspirations 'You Roam When You Don't Get it at Home'
from 'Estell, Myrna, and Sylvia' (1968) (MP3 not available/CD)
Solomon Burke 'Cool Breeze'
from 'Cool Breeze' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Rufus Thomas 'Do the Funky Chicken'
from 'The Crown Prince of Dance' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
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One of my favorite breaks of all time is the bombastic opening drum break to Isaac Hayes' cover of 'Walk On By'. The song was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and was first sung by Dionne Warwick who made 'Walk on By' a hit. Hayes turns the song into a 10+ minute monster with giant buildups and breakdowns, completely reimagined segments, and classic Stax fire.
Of course the break has been used numerous times in the realm of hip-hop. On the 1992 album 'Music to Driveby', CMW used the break on the track 'Hood Took Me Under'. Two year later, Easy Mo Bee crafted a classic beat for a classic album: 'Warning' by the Notorious B.I.G. from 'Ready to Die'. Recently, the beat has been slowed down (instead of sped up) for Method Man's 'Walk On' produced by Versatile, Erick Sermon, and the RZA.
The break was also highly influential for the shortlived 90s genre trip-hop (whose influences included both Bacharach and Hayes). Hooverphonic's debut single '2wicky' incorporated 'Walk on By' heavily and the Martin Virgo produced track 'Silicone' by Mono featured use of the break as well.
This track is a necessity for aspiring producers and is one of the great tracks from Hayes' catalog.The Lowdown:
Isaac Hayes 'Walk on By' (Radio Edit)
from 'Hot Buttered Soul' (1968) (MP3/CD)
Dionne Warwick 'Walk on By'
from 'Make Way for Dionne Warwick' (1964) (MP3/CD)
CMW 'Hood Took Me Under'
from 'Music to Driveby' (1992) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'Hood Took Me Under'
The Notorious B.I.G. 'Warning'
from 'Ready To Die' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'Warning'
Method Man 'Walk On'
from '4:21... The Day After' (2006) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'Walk On'
Hooverphonic '2wicky'
from 'A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular' (1997) (MP3 not available/CD)
Mono 'Silicone'
from 'Formica Blues' (1996) (MP3 not available/CD)
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Welcome to part 3 of our three-part look at the Notorious B.I.G.'s album 'Life After Death'.
Puff Daddy, Steven Jordan, and the Hitmen sample the late Delfonics single 'Hey! Love' from their fourth album 'Tell Me This is a Dream' for Biggie's album track 'Playa Hater'. The same production team sampled Liquid Liquid's NYC breakbeat anthem 'Cavern' (previously covered in depth on this blog) for the hit single 'Nasty Boy', complete with one of hip-hop's nastiest intros. Biggie's 'The World is Filled...' with Too Short and Carl Thomas features the use of one of my favorite, unusual breaks: Asha Puthli's 'Space Talk' (not so easy to find, so I'm surprised you can download it from Amazon) from her 1978 album 'The Devil is Loose'. The track's production is credited to D-Dot and Puff Daddy. The Wu's RZA makes a late album production appearance on the track 'Long Kiss Goodnight' and samples Wu-stand by Al Green's excellent 'Green is Blues'-era cover of 'The Letter'.
Released only a few weeks after the Notorious B.I.G.'s murder, the double album debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts and amassed a string of hits. Some verses from Biggie would appear later that year on Puff Daddy's solo outing 'No Way Out' and in the decade proceeding Biggie's death, no less than two terrible cash-in projects were released with unearthed verses and guest vocalists (1999's 'Born Again' and 2005's 'Duets: The Final Chapter'... lets hope it's the final chapter). Despite additional albums produced after his death, the Notorious B.I.G.'s legacy is complete with his two studio albums - two of hip-hop's most endearing works.The Lowdown:
The Notorious B.I.G. 'Playa Hater', 'Nasty Boy', 'The World is Filled...', and 'Long Kiss Goodnight'
from 'Life After Death' (1997) (MP3/CD)
The Delfonics 'Hey! Love'
from 'Tell Me This is a Dream' (1971) (MP3 not available/CD)
Liquid Liquid 'Cavern'
from 'Optimo' (1982) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Asha Puthli 'Space Talk'
from 'The Devil is Loose' (1978) (MP3/CD not available)
Al Green 'The Letter'
from 'Green is Blues' (1972) (MP3/CD)
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Welcome to the second part of our look at 'Liquid Swords' by GZA/Genius, released on this day in 1995.
'Liquid Swords''s second single was the RZA produced 'Cold World' and features a fantastic use of the Dramatics' ballad 'In the Rain'. The track also samples Stevie Wonder's 'Hotter than July' album cut 'Rocket Love'. GZA's 'Shadowboxin'', the album's final single, samples Ann Peebles' 'Trouble, Heartaches, and Sadness'. A sample of Three Dog Night appears on GZA's 'Investigatve Reports' by way of their 1974 album 'Hard Labor' and the track 'I'd Be So Happy'. The album's closing track and the only track not produced by the RZA (this track was produced by Wu associate 4th Disciple) is 'B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)' which samples an early Ohio Players track titled 'Our Love Has Died' on their pre-breakthrough album 'Pleasure'.
'Liquid Swords' has, in time, become a platinum selling album and is often cited as being one of the best hip-hop albums of all time and is the high water mark for albums released by Wu-Tang members.The Lowdown:
GZA/Genius 'Cold World', 'Shadowboxin'', 'Investigatve Reports', and 'B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)'
from 'Liquid Swords' (1995) (MP3/CD)
The Dramatics 'In the Rain'
from 'Whatcha See is Whatcha Get' (1971) (MP3/CD)
Stevie Wonder 'Rocket Love'
from 'Hotter than July' (1980) (MP3/CD)
Ann Peebles 'Trouble, Heartaches, and Sadness'
from 'Straight from the Heart' (1971) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Three Dog Night 'I'd Be So Happy'
from 'Hard Labor' (1974) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
The Ohio Players 'Out Love Has Died'
from 'Pleasure' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD)
After gaining underground cred with the rap group All in Together Now with his cousins and later Wu-Tang collaborators RZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard, Gary Grice signed a record deal with Cold Chillin' Records and debuted with 1990's 'Words from the Genius' as the Genius. Three years later, the Genius broke out as the GZA on the debut album by the Wu-Tang Clan, 1993's triumphant 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)'. GZA's second album would follow in 1995 and would become a hip-hop classic. This two part post will uncover the sample sources of GZA's album 'Liquid Swords'.The album's lead track and highest charting single (breaking only halfway up the Billboard 100) is 'Liquid Swords'. The RZA produced monster heavily samples Willie Mitchell's 'Groovin'' (as well as 'Mercy Mercy Mercy') and also nicks Al Green's 'That's the Way it Is' from his 1976 album 'Full of Fire'. 'Duel of the Iron Mic' samples 'I'm Afraid the Masquerade is Over' from David Porter's concept album 'Victim of the Joke?' released in 1971 on Stax. 'Living in the World Today' samples an early Bar-Kays track called 'In the Hole' from their album 'Gotta Groove'.
Check back for the second part of our look at 'Liquid Swords'.The Lowdown:
GZA/Genius 'Liquid Swords', 'Duel of the Iron Mic', and 'Living in the World Today'
from 'Liquid Swords' (1995) (MP3/CD)
Willie Mitchell 'Groovin'' and 'Mercy Mercy Mercy'
from 'Solid Soul' (1969) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Al Green 'That's the Way it is'
from 'Full of Fire' (1976) (MP3/CD)
David Porter 'I'm Afraid the Masquerade is Over'
from 'Victim of the Joke?' (1971) (MP3 not available/ CD)
Bar-Kays 'In the Hole'
from 'Gotta Groove' (1969) (MP3/CD)
BONUS CUT:
It's a new day in America this morning. Good looking Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida. Lee Dorsey 'Yes We Can'.
