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Crate Creator has had a long fruitful run and we covered a lot of information in the past 214 posts, but I feel it's time to take a break and re-tool the blog a little bit to make it more informative and more useful for crate diggers around the world. I will hopefully be returning in the near future with a new layout that will make finding those dusty breaks easier and I plan to de-emphasize the rappers who sampled recordings and try to focus more on the production aspect. Thank you to everyone who read and wrote me during this blog's first run. Big shout out to Dana Axelrod for the kind words at a time when I didn't know if I was going to push forward with writing post after post. I hope everything got sorted with that malicious story in the papers, man!

See you all soon,
Cosby.

Rewind: Massive Attack 'Protection'

Any band would be hard-pressed to follow up an acclaimed debut album, much less one that started a new genre in England, but Massive Attack did just that in style in 1994 when they released their sophomore album 'Protection'. This blog post will look at the sample sources of Massive Attack's second album.

The sped up guitar pangs that lead the album's single 'Protection' along are sampled from one of the coldest 7 minutes in funk history: James Brown's 'Payback' from his 1973 album of the same title. On 'Weather Storm', Massive Attack sample the jazz-fusion group Peices of a Dream's 'It's Time for Love' from their 1983 album 'Imagine This'. Horace Andy accompanies Massive Attack on 'Spying Glass' which utilizes a sample from Joe Gibbs and the Professional's famous dub cut 'Chapter 3'. JB gets sampled again on the album, this time Massive Attack use his 1972 cut 'Never Can Say Goodbye' from 'There It Is' on the track 'Better Things'. The title of the single 'Sly' alludes to its sample source: Sly Stone of course with 'Africa Talks to You (The Asphalt Jungle)' from Sly and the Family Stone's 1971 album 'There's a Riot Goin' On'. Finally, on the hidden live track 'Light My Fire', a cover of the Doors, Massive Attack sample another cover of the same song: Young-Holt Unlimited's cover of 'Light My Fire' from thier album 'Just a Melody'.

The Lowdown:
Massive Attack 'Protection', 'Weather Storm', 'Spying Glass', 'Better Things', 'Sly', and 'Light My Fire'
from 'Protection' (1994) (MP3/CD)
James Brown 'Payback'
from 'Payback' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Pieces of a Dream 'It's Time for Love'
from 'Imagine This' (1983) (MP3/CD)
Joe Gibbs and the Professionals 'Chapter 3'
from 'African Dub All-Mighty Chapter 3' (1978) (MP3 not available/CD)
James Brown 'Never Can Say Goodbye'
from 'There it Is' (1972) (MP3/CD not available)
Sly and the Family Stone 'Africa Talks to You (The Asphalt Jungle)'
from 'There's a Riot Goin' On' (1971) (MP3/CD)
Young-Holt Unlimited 'Light My Fire'
from 'Just a Melody' (1969) (MP3 not available/CD not available)

The Breaks: 'Get Out of My Life Woman' Covers (Part 2)

Welcome to our second look at covers of Allen Toussaint's 'Get Out of My Life Woman', popularized by Lee Dorsey, and the artists and producers who sampled the covers.

In addition to famously shouting out Lee Dorsey, the Beastie Boys sampled a cover of 'Get Out of My Life Woman' on their song 'The Move' from 1998's 'Hello Nasty'. The version they sampled is the 1968 rock version of 'Get Out of My Life Woman' from Iron Butterfly's album 'Heavy'. I don't know why more people haven't sampled this version! Tellingly from the album's title, 'The Grass is Greener', 'Get Out of My Life Woman' by Grasella Oliphant attracted the eye of Cypress Hill producer DJ Muggs who used the track on 'What Go Around Comes Around, Kid' from 1993's 'Black Sunday'.

One of the most sampled versions of this song, aside from the original, is also from 1968: Solomon Burke's version of 'Get Out of My Life Woman' from his album 'I Wish I Knew' has become a hip-hop sample building block. The track was sampled twice in 1992 by West Coast artists - one by Dr. Dre for the track 'The Chronic' from his album of the same name and once by DJ Muggs for Ice Cube's 'Now I Gotta Wet Cha' from 'The Predator'. In 1993, it was sourced by T-Ray for Funkdoobiest's 'I'm S---tin' on 'Em'. A year later, DJ Richie Rich would use the cut for 3rd Bass' deep album cut 'Daddy Rich in the Land of 1210' from the album 'Derelicts of Dialect'. The song was also sampled on the Wild Pitch staple 'Blue Cheese' by the UMC's - a favorite among breakers. In 2005, courtesy of production by John Legend and Kanye West, the song was again sampled by Keyshia Cole on the song 'I Changed My Mind' from 2005's 'The Way it Is'.

The Lowdown:
Iron Butterfly 'Get Out of My Life Woman'
from 'Heavy' (1968) (MP3/CD)
Beastie Boys 'The Move'
from 'Hello Nasty' (1998) (MP3/CD)
Grasella Oliphant 'Get Out of My Life Woman'
from 'The Grass is Greener' (1968) (MP3 not available/CD)
Cypress Hill 'What Go Around Comes Around, Kid'
from 'Black Sunday' (1993) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'What Go Around Comes Around, Kid'
Solomon Burke 'Get Out of My Life Woman'
from 'I Wish I Knew' (1968) (MP3/CD)
Dr. Dre 'The Chronic'
from 'The Chronic' (1992) (MP3/CD)
Ice Cube 'Now I Gotta Wet Cha'
from 'The Predator' (1992) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'Now I Gotta Wet Cha'
Funkdoobiest 'I'm S---tin' on 'Em'
from 'Which Doobie U B?' (1993) (MP3/CD not available)
3rd Bass 'Daddy Rich in the Land of 1210'
from 'Derelicts of Dialect' (1994) (MP3/CD not available)
The UMC's 'Blue Cheese'
from 'Wild Pitch Classics' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Keyshia Cole 'I Changed My Mind'
from 'The Way it Is' (2005) (MP3/CD)

The Breaks: 'Get Out of My Life Woman' Covers (Part 1)

Two months ago, we covered Lee Dorsey's break form his cover of Allen Toussaint's legendary 'Get Out My Life Woman' and the producers and artists who sampled it here and here. This month - a different take on the same song: we'll be looking at the producers and artists who sampled other covers of the song in a two part post arc.

Joe Williams has one of the earliest covers of the song with the slightly renamed 'Get Out of My Life' from his 1966 album 'Presenting Joe Williams with Thad Jones and the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra'. This song was sampled by Haas G and RNS for an album cut in the UMC's Wild Pitch album 'Fruits of Nature' on a track called 'Woman Be Out'. A year later, the Trackmasters used the same break on the much more notable single 'Ill Street Blues' by Kool G Rap and DJ Polo. In 1993, T-Ray sampled the break for Funkdoobiest's song 'I'm S---ting on 'Em' on the album 'Which Doobie U B?'. Another year later, Large Professor used the cut for Main Source and Large Professor's track on the 'Wild Pitch Classics' compilation titled 'How My Man Went Down in the Game'. In 2000, Jill Scott used the song on her track 'Brotha' produced by Keith Pelzer.

In 1966, the Mad Lads delivered 'Get Out of My Life' on their 'In Action' album. Nearly 3 decades later in 1995, DJ Ralph M would sample the song for Funkdoobiest's 'Superhoes' on the album 'Brothas Doobie'. One of the odder versions of 'Get Out of My Life Woman' comes courtesy of Bill Cosby. On his 1968 album 'Hooray for the Salvation Army Band', Cosby covers 'Get Out of My Life Woman'. Of course this one was sampled too! Chubb Rock and Howie Tee used it in 1991 for the cut 'The Big Man' while in the same year, DJ Muggs used the sample for Cypress Hill's 'Stoned is the Way of the Walk' from their self-titled debut album. In 1992, DJ Premier sampled Cosby for Gang Starr's 'The Illest Brother' from their essential album 'Daily Operation'. Finally, in 1994, the Digable Planets sampled the song on 'Jettin'' from their second and final album 'Blowout Comb'.

Check back for more 'Get Out of My Life Woman' covers and more hip-hop cuts based on them.

The Lowdown:
Joe Williams 'Get Out of My Life'
from 'Presenting Joe Williams with Thad Jones and the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra' (1966) (MP3/CD not available)
The UMC's 'Woman Be Out'
from 'Fruits of Nature' (1991) (MP3/CD not available)
Kool G Rap and DJ Polo 'Ill Street Blues'
from 'Live and Let Die' (1992) (MP3/CD)
Funkdoobiest 'I'm S---tin' On 'Em'
from 'Which Doobie U B?' (1993) (MP3/CD not available)
Main Source and Large Professor 'How My Man Went Down in the Game'
from 'Wild Pitch Classics' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Jill Scott 'Brotha'
from 'Who is Jill Scott?' (2000) (MP3/CD)
Mad Lads 'Get Out of My Life'
from 'In Action' (1966) (MP3/CD)
Funkdoobiest 'Superhoes'
from 'Brothas Doobie' (1995) (MP3/CD not available)
Bill Cosby 'Get Out of My Life Woman'
from 'Hooray for the Salvation Army Band' (1968) (MP3/CD not available)
Chubb Rock 'The Big One'
from 'The One' (1991) (MP3/CD)
Cypress Hill 'Stoned is the Way of the Walk'
from 'Cypress Hill' (1991) (MP3/CD)
Gang Starr 'The Illest Brother'
from 'Daily Operation' (1992) (MP3/CD)
Digable Planets 'Jettin''
from 'Blowout Comb' (1994) (MP3/CD)

Bonus Cut:
Kool G Rap and DJ Polo 'Ill Street Blues' (Acapella)

Producer Profile: The Dust Brothers (part 1, 1988)

The content and choice of samples in the early work by the Dust Brothers may be questionable, but what cannot be argued was how far they were ahead of conventional sampling in the late 80s and how much effect their work would have on the future of hip-hop. Love them or hate them, they are an important link between then and now. This post will look at the early production credits of the Dust Brothers, including their first batch of pop hits.

The first hit produced by the Dust Brothers, Young MC's 1988 single 'Know How' contains some of hip-hop's most hallowed breaks: Isaac Hayes' 'Theme from Shaft' and the Incredible Bongo Band's 'Apache'. The song also samples the hit 'Skin Tight' by the Ohio Players from 1973's album of the same title. Their success with Young MC would be followed by two gigantic hits for Tone Loc from his 1988 album 'Loc-ed After Dark'. 'Funky Cold Medina' famously samples Free's MOR rock hit 'All Right Now' and Kiss's 'Christine Sixteen', but also samples Funkadelic's 1979 sample-classic 'Knot Just (Knee Deep)' from the album 'Uncle Jam Wants You'. When most people think of the Dust Brother's early brash style of sampling, they think of Tone Loc's other hit 'Wild Thing' which features rapid fire blips of Van Halen's hit 'Jamie's Cryin'' from their self titled 1978 album.

Check back for further looks into the crates of the Dust Brothers and other producers in the future of this blog.

The Lowdown:
Young MC 'Know How'
from 'Know How' 12" (1988) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Isaac Hayes 'Theme from Shaft'
from 'Shaft' (1971) (MP3/CD)
Incredible Bongo Band 'Apache'
from 'Bongo Rock' (1973) (MP3/Import CD)
The Ohio Players 'Skin Tight'
from 'Skin Tight' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Tone Loc 'Funky Cold Medina' and 'Wild Thing'
from 'Loc-ed After Dark' (1988) (MP3/CD)
Free 'All Right Now'
from 'Fire and Water' (1970) (MP3/CD)
Kiss 'Christine Sixteen'
from 'Love Gun' (1977) (MP3/CD)
Funkadelic 'Knot Just (Knee Deep)'
from 'Uncle Jam Wants You' (1979) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Van Halen 'Jamie's Cryin''
from 'Van Halen' (1978) (MP3/CD)