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: Sly and the Family Stone 'Dance to the Music'

As is easily seen on this blog, Sly and the Family Stone are known for their endearing breaks in addition to their endearing run of fantastic albums through the late 60s and early 70s. One of the breaks that has become a staple for hip-hop and dance producers is the pounding intro to their hit single 'Dance to the Music' from their 1968 album of the same title. This post will explore the artists who've used 'Dance to the Music' through the years.

Upon its release, the single was a psych funk hit and become an instant classic. Sly and the Family Stone themselves expanded on 'Dance to the Music' with the excellent 12 minute 'Dance to the Medley', also on the album 'Dance to the Music', which utilizes the same drum pattern with some very samplable fills throughout. One year after the release of 'Dance to the Music', Stax staple the Bar-Kays covered 'Dance to the Music' for their album 'Gotta Groove'.

Twenty years later, as hip-hop gained the use of samplers, 'Dance to the Music' was revived as a prime drum source for producers. Notably, Dr. Dre and Yella uses the break for N.W.A.'s L.A. dance club homage 'Something 2 Dance 2' from 1988's 'Straight Outta Compton'. In 1992, Beastie Boys and Mario Caldato Jr. sampled the break for the Beasties track 'Finger Lickin' Good' on their third album 'Check Your Head'.

In 1994, two indie bands sampled the break for their projects. Japanese band Pizzicato Five sampled Sly on 'Sweet Soul Revue' for their 'Made in USA' compilation for Matador Records and England's Primal Scream sampled Sly on their hit single 'Rocks' from fourth their album 'Give Out But Don't Give Up'.

The Lowdown:
Sly and the Family Stone 'Dance to the Music' and 'Dance to the Medley'
from 'Dance to the Music' (1968) (MP3/CD)
Bar-Kays 'Dance to the Music'
from 'Gotta Groove' (1969) (MP3/CD)
N.W.A. 'Something 2 Dance 2'
from 'Straight Outta Compton' (1988) (MP3/CD)
Beastie Boys 'Finger Lickin' Good'
from 'Check Your Head' (1992) (MP3/CD)
Pizzicato Five 'Sweet Soul Revue'
from 'Made in USA' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Primal Scream 'Rocks'
from 'Give Out But Don't Give Up' (1994) (MP3/CD)

Related Posts:
Source Material: Sly and the Family Stone 'There's a Riot Goin' On'

Source Material: Sly and the Family Stone 'There's a Riot Goin' On'

Collapsing under the pressure of hit albums, number one singles, and rampant drug use, Sly Stone delivered his 1971 album 'There's a Riot Goin' On' to anxious label executives. Though billed as Sly and the Family Stone, the album was produced almost entirely by Sly Stone himself who played many of the instruments on the album himself in overdub sessions and, mythically, recorded some of the album vocals from his bed. The dark sound of 'Riot' matched the gleeful optimism of the late 60s fading into the harsh realities of the early 70s. The lead single, 'Family Affair', would be Sly and the Family Stone's final number one record and the density of 'Riot' surprised fans and critics upon it's release. Through the album's audible turmoil, it has become one of the most highly acclaimed and heavily sampled albums in funk history.

Both 'Brave and Strong' and 'Poet' were used as sample sources for the Dust Brothers produced Beastie Boys sample-laced sophomore album 'Paul's Botique' on '3 Minute Rule'. The drum machine darkness of 'Family Affair' was stripped away for the early Black Eyed Peas party jam single 'Weekends' with Esthero. The ominous sound was added back to Ghostface Killah's 'Fishscale' Pete Rock produced album track 'Dogs of War' featuring, as the sample title would imply, Ghostface's son Sun God. 'Riot''s second single 'Runnin' Away' is famously the source for A Tribe Called Quest's 'Description of a Fool' from their 1990 debut album 'People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm'.

Increasing drug-fueled paranoia, overblown egos, money matters, and a possible murder-for-hire plot broke the band apart in 1972. Although Sly and the Family Stone would ever reach the heights of success beyond 'Riot', they would release six more albums which provide a salvo for samplers worldwide.

The Lowdown:
Sly and the Family Stone 'Poet', 'Family Affair', 'Brave and Strong', and 'Runnin' Away'
from 'There's a Riot Goin' On' (1971) (MP3/CD not available)
Beastie Boys '3 Minute Rule'
from 'Paul's Boutique' (1989) (MP3/CD)
Black Eyed Peas 'Weekends'
from 'Bridging the Gap' (2000) (MP3/CD)
Ghostface Killah 'Dogs of War'
from 'Fishscale' (2006) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'Dogs of War'
A Tribe Called Quest 'Description of a Fool'
from 'People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm' (1990) (MP3 unavailable/CD)

BONUS CUT:
Between the recording of the albums 'Stand!' and 'There's a Riot Goin' On', Sly Stone formed the short lived Stone Flower label under the Atlantic umbrella and produced the label's lone four singles. During this time, he produced two top 10 hits for Little Sister, 'Somebody's Watching You' and 'You're the One'. The third and final song by Little Sister (who, maybe not surprisingly, is Sly Stone's actual sister) is the a-side to 'Somebody's Watching You', the not-often heard 'Stanga'.

Source Material: Curtis Mayfield 'Superfly'

June 3rd would've marked the 66th birthday of the late Curtis Mayfield, a legendary soul artist with a wide range of work, from his beginnings with the Impressions to his stark social commentary during the 1970s. Though Mayfield had many achievements, none of his other works are as heavily cited (and sampled) as his soundtrack for the 1972 Gordon Parks, Jr. film 'Super Fly'. Both 'Superfly' and 'Freddie's Dead' were hit songs (#8 and #4 respecitvely) and had an indelible effect on the future of hip-hop; not only in it's sound, but also it's view of the drug trade.

No other song sampling the album makes this link more evident than Ice-T's 1988 single 'I'm Your Pusher / Pusherman' that samples Mayfield's similarly titled and themed 'Pusherman'. In 1989, the Beastie Boys and the Dust Brothers lifted the familiar bassline and opening percussion from 'Superfly' for the odd ball 'Egg Man' on the sample boundary pushing album 'Paul's Boutique'. Four years later, the Digable Planets would lift a sample from 'Give Me Your Love' for the third, overlooked single from their 'Reachin'' album: 'Nickel Bags'.

In 1997, Rhino released a 25th anniversary edition of the album, including a disc of previously unreleased alternate takes and instrumentals from the album - a beat maker's dream. One of the highlights of the disc is an instrumental version of 'Freddie's Dead'.

Without a doubt, more of Mayfield's discography will be analyzed in future posts. Be sure that you sit back with a few tunes from 'Superfly' tomorrow in celebration of his work. If you are Snoop Dogg, you may even take a listen to Mayfield in the bathtub.

The Lowdown:
Curtis Mayfield 'Superfly', 'Freddie's Dead', 'Pusherman', and 'Give Me Your Love'
all from 'Superfly' (1972) (MP3/CD)
Curtis Mayfield 'Freddie's Dead' (Instrumental)
from 'Superfly: Deluxe 25th Anniversay Collection' (MP3/CD out of print)
Ice-T 'I'm Your Pusher / Pusherman'
from 'Power' (1988) (MP3/CD)
Beastie Boys 'Egg Man'
from 'Paul's Boutique' (1989) (MP3/CD)
Digable Planets 'Nickel Bags'
from 'Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space)' (1993) (MP3/CD)

BONUS CUT:
Junior Murvin (under the name Junior Soul) was one of the many artists to cover 'Give Me Your Love'. This reggae version is among the best covers of Mayfield's unfadeable love jam.
Junior Murvin 'Give Me Your Love'