Showing posts with label David Axelrod. Show all posts
Showing posts with label David Axelrod. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Five On It: September 2009's Essentials



Welcome to our September installment of Five On It, the most essential five breaks and sample sources of the past month compiled in one easy to access section.

This month began with a classic in our look at Organized Konfusion's self titled debut album, the breakdance anthem 'The Mexican' from Babe Ruth's first album 'First Base'. In our second look at 'Organized Konfusion', we mentioned the huge drum break at the start of Herbie Hancock's famous 'Chameleon' from 1973's 'Headhunters'. Check out the link to 'Chameleon' - I don't think you'll find a cheaper download for the full album length track anywhere else! The David Axelrod produced album 'Release of an Oath' by the Electric Prunes covered here has the other-worldly 'General Confessional', which made its rounds as a digger's dream find in the 90s. From their 1968 debut album, Kool and the Gang's 'Give It Up' has been used numerous times in hip-hop sampling, sampled by Dr. Dre among others. Finally, during our producer profile of Mark the 45 King, we mentioned his use of the cut 'Soul Power 74' by Maceo and the Macks - a stirring J.B. inspired cut with a notable heavy sax solo that has seen its fair share of sampling in the past.


The Lowdown:
Babe Ruth 'The Mexican'
from 'First Base' (1972) (MP3/Import CD)
Herbie Hancock 'Chameleon'
from 'Headhunters' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Electric Prunes 'General Confessional'
from 'Release of an Oath' (1968) (MP3/CD)
Kool and the Gang 'Give it Up'
from 'Kool and the Gang' (1969) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Maceo and the Macks 'Soul Power 74'
from 'Us!' (1974) (MP3 not available/Import CD)

Bonus Cuts:
Babe Ruth's 'The Mexican' was a building block for b-boy sets in the early days of hip-hop, but it was also a building block for one of hip-hop's earliest crossover hits: 'Planet Rock' by Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force. Many people instantly think of Kraftwerk when 'Planet Rock' is mentioned, but a lengthy instrumental riff is lifted from 'The Mexican' as well. Another bonus download link: the 'Planet Rock' instrumental version!

Monday, September 7, 2009

Source Material: The Electric Prunes 'Release of an Oath'



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)

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Rewind: Lil Wayne 'Tha Carter III'



Maybe it's me, but it does not at all feel like 'Tha Carter III' was released on this date last year - Lil Wayne has easily given the American consciousness three years worth of crazy in just the last 12 months since his album finally dropped. This post will cover the sample material used by Wayne and his production cohorts for 2008's massive album 'Tha Carter III'.

The album's undeniable cut is the throbbing smash single 'A Milli' produced by Bangladesh. The song contains a sample from Norman Cook's remix of 'I Left My Wallet in El Segundo' from A Tribe Called Quest's 1989 UK version of the single. The Kanye produced track 'Comfortable' that posts Lil Wayne up with Babyface (uh?) includes a sample from another Kanye West produced track: 'You Don't Know My Name' from Alicia Keys' 2003 album 'The Diary of Alicia Keys'. As previously covered on this blog, Swizz Beatz produces a very un-Swizz sounding beat for Lil Wayne's 'Dr. Carter' by looping fragments of David Axelrod's 'Holy Thursday' bass and drum breakdown.


Kanye West also produced the song 'Let the Beat Build' on 'Tha Carter III' using a sample from ex-Temptation Eddie Kendricks' 'Day by Day' from the 1972 album 'People... Hold On'. Probably the most well known use of another song on the album is Wayne's vocal interpolation of the Rolling Stones' 'Play with Fire' on his own track 'Playing with Fire' produced by StreetRunner. Since the interpolation was never licensed, the track has been removed from newer copies of 'Tha Carter III' and undoubtedly there is some kind of cash settlement (lesson: clear those samples). Finally, Rodnae and Moussa produce a scorcher for Lil Wayne, the nearly ten minute 'DontGetIt', by sampling Nina Simone's 1964 cover of 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood' from her classic album 'Broadway - Blues - Ballads'.

In a year when record sales were few and far between, Wayne managed to do the unthinkable: go platinum in one week (I'm going to date myself, but I remember when 'Doggystyle' did the same thing, and it was a HUGE deal - and that was when people actually bought CDs). So far, the album is three times platinum and Lil Wayne is showing no signs of slowing down with more albums planned and mixtapes released.


The Lowdown:
Lil Wayne 'A Milli', 'Comfortable', 'Dr. Carter', 'Let the Beat Build', 'Playing with Fire', and 'DontGetIt'.
from 'Tha Carter III' (2008) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edits: 'A Milli', 'Comfortable', 'Dr. Carter', 'Let the Beat Build', and 'DontGetIt'.
A Tribe Called Quest 'I Left My Wallet in El Segundo' (Vampire Mix)
from 'I Left My Wallet in El Segundo' (1989) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Alicia Keys 'You Don't Know My Name'
from 'The Diary of Alicia Keys' (2003) (MP3/CD)
David Axelrod 'Holy Thursday'
from 'Songs of Innocence' (1968) (MP3/CD not available)
Eddie Kendricks 'Day By Day'
from 'People... Hold On' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
The Rolling Stones 'Play with Fire'
from 'Out of Our Heads' (1965) (MP3/CD)
Nina Simone 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood'
from 'Broadway - Blues - Ballads' (1964) (MP3/CD)

Related Posts:
Producer Profile: David Axelrod (Part 2, 1968-1969)

Monday, May 18, 2009

Producer Profile: David Axelrod (Part 4, 1972-1977)



Through the 70s, David Axelrod continued to record a series of albums and continued producing albums for Cannoball Adderley until his untimely death in 1975. This fourth look at Axelrod's career will cover his work with Adderley in the final part of his life, his work with Funk Inc., his solo work, and - as always - the artists who have sampled the songs from this era.

Cannonball Adderley's albums from 1972 are crate digger fantasies: the difficult to track down 'Soul of the Bible' and 'Soul Zodiac' yielded producers with ample samplable music. Biz Markie used a sample from Adderley's 'Soul of the Bible' track 'Make Your Own Temple' for his 'Groovin'' from 1993's 'All Samples Cleared'. RZA sampled Adderley's 'Aries' from 'Soul Zodiac' for Genius/GZA's epic 'Gold' from the previously reviewed hip-hop classic 'Liquid Swords'.

Following three jazz-funk albums in the early 70s overseen by Rudy Van Gelder, Funk Inc. turned to David Axelrod to produce their fourth album titled 'Superfunk' (which has recently been re-released by the fantastic BGP label, link below). 'Superfunk' is a source for Eric B. and Rakim's 'Keep 'Em Eager to Listen' which samples Funk Inc.'s cover of 'Message from the Meters'. Brand Nubian samples 'Goodbye, So Long' from 'Superfunk' for their single 'Hold On' from the 1994 album 'Everything is Everything'. Funk Inc. recorded one more album in 1974 with David Axelrod, the currently unavailable 'Priced to Sell', whose 'God Only Knows' was sampled by Black Sheep on their 'A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing' track 'La Menage' with Q-Tip. Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Busta Rhymes, and Redman all appear on A Tribe Called Quest's 'Steppin' It Up' produced by Jay Dee which samples another Axelrod produced track: Cannonball Adderley's 'Leo: Rosebud' from his 1974 album 'Love, Sex and the Zodiac'.

David Axelrod's out of print 1977 album 'Strange Ladies' is also a highly coveted piece of vinyl that's been sampled by hip-hop's finest. Lauryn Hill's 'Every Ghetto, Every City' from her 1998 album 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill' samples Axelrod's 'Tony Poem'. Two years later, Inspectah Deck sampled 'Terri's Tune' for Ghostface Killah's 'Stay True' from 'Supreme Clientele'.

Axelrod recorded three more albums following 'Strange Ladies' as his acclaim quietly grew in hip-hop production circles leading to a high profile release on Mo' Wax Records in 2001 and rediscovery of his work by a new audience. Look for further posts about Axelrod, his production work, and his sample credits on this blog.


The Lowdown:
Cannonball Adderley 'Make Your Own Temple'
from 'Soul of the Bible' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Biz Markie 'Groovin''
from 'All Samples Cleared' (1993) (MP3/CD not available)
Cannonball Adderley 'Aries'
from 'Soul Zodiac' (1972) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Genius/GZA 'Gold'
from 'Liquid Swords' (1995) (MP3/CD)
Funk Inc. 'Message from the Meters' and 'Goodbye, So Long'
from 'Superfunk' (1973) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Eric B. and Rakim 'Keep 'em Eager to Listen'
from 'Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em' (1990) (MP3/CD)
Brand Nubian 'Hold On'
from 'Everything is Everything' (1994) (MP3/CD not available)
Clean Edit: 'Hold On'
Funk Inc. 'God Only Knows'
from 'Priced to Sell' (1974) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Black Sheep 'La Menage'
from 'A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Cannonball Adderley 'Leo: Rosebud'
from 'Love, Sex and the Zodiac' (1974) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
A Tribe Called Quest 'Steppin' it Up'
from 'The Love Movement' (1998) (MP3/CD)
David Axelrod 'Tony Poem' and 'Terri's Tune'
from 'Strange Ladies' (1977) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Lauryn Hill 'Every Ghetto, Every City'
from 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill' (1998) (MP3/CD)
Ghostface Killah 'Stay True'
from 'Supreme Clientele' (2000) (MP3/CD)

Bonus Beats:
Funk Inc.'s 'Message from the Meters' is, of course, a cover of 'Message from the Meters' by the Meters. The original Meters version is also a sampleworthy piece of 70s funk like much of the Meters discography: it was sampled by Matt Dike of the Dust Brothers and Michael Ross for Tone Loc's 'Loc'in on the Shaw' from 1989.

Related Posts:
Rewind: Genius/GZA 'Liquid Swords' (Part 1)
Rewind: Genius/GZA 'Liquid Swords' (Part 2)
Rewind: Ghostface Killah 'Supreme Clientele' (Part 1)
Rewind: Ghostface Killah 'Supreme Clientele' (Part 2)
Rewind: Ghostface Killah 'Supreme Clientele' (Part 3)

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Rewind: Mos Def 'Black on Both Sides' (Part 1)



Following the success of Talib Kweli and Mos Def's Black Star collaboration, Mos Def released his debut album 'Black on Both Sides' in 1998. This two part post will cover Both Sides' tracks and samples.

The album intro 'Fear Not of Man' samples legendary Nigerian multi-instrumentalist Fela Kuti's 'Fear Not for Man' from the 1977 album of the same title. Diamond D and Mos Def produced the beat for 'Hip Hop' using a sample from David Axelrod's 'The Warnings (Part 2)' from the 1970 album 'Earth Rot'.

The biggest hit from 'Black on Both Sides', still a party starter, is the Ayatollah produced single 'Ms. Fat Booty'. The fantastic beat incorporates loops from Aretha Franklin's early career single 'One Step Ahead'. 88-Keys sampled the Big Brother and the Holding Company song 'Promise Her Anything but Give Her Arpeggio' for the track 'Speed Law'.

Check back for part 2 of our look at 'Black on Both Sides'.


The Lowdown:
Mos Def 'Fear Not of Man', 'Hip Hop', 'Ms. Fat Booty', and 'Speed Law'
from 'Black on Both Sides' (1999) (MP3/CD)
Fela Kuti 'Fear Not for Man'
from 'Fear Not for Man' (1977) (MP3/CD)
David Axelrod 'The Warnings (Part 2)'
from 'Earth Rot' (1970) (MP3/CD)
Aretha Franklin 'One Step Ahead'
from 'One Step Ahead' 7" (1965) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Big Brother and the Holding Company 'Promise Her Anything but Give Her Arpeggio'
from 'How Hard It Is' (1971) (MP3/CD)

Bonus Cuts:
Fela Kuti is often referred to as the James Brown of Africa. He's the father of afrobeat and has recorded an amazing amount of music throughout the 70s and 80s. It's amazing that his music hasn't been sampled in hip-hop as much of his music is prime for funky beats. One of the few songs sampled by hip-hop producers is the track 'Colonial Mentality' from 'Sorrow Tears and Blood' which was sampled by Chief Xcel for Blackalicious' 'Smithzonian Institute of Rhymes' and by Timbaland for Missy Elliott's 'Watcha Gonna Do'.

Related Posts:
Producer Profile: David Axelrod (Part 3, 1970-1972)

Monday, January 26, 2009

Producer Profile: David Axelrod (Part 3, 1970-1972)



After two of his most sought after albums, 'Song of Innocence' and 'Songs of Experience', David Axelrod released his final solo album for Capitol records in 1970: 'Earth Rot'. Like much of his output, this album is highly sought after by beat diggers and has been sampled by hip-hop's finest. This post will cover 'Earth Rot', as well as some of his production credits for Cannonball Adderley.

'Earth Rot' is divided into two concept album sides and is not as widely known for its beats. In 1994, No I.D. sampled Axelrod's 'The Signs (Part 2)' on the title track single to Common's sophomore album 'Resurrection'. The same track would be sampled by Madlib among many others (including other Axelrod tracks) on 'Return of the Loop Digga' as Quasimoto, whose album 'The Unseen' is reviewed in depth here, here, and here. In 1999, Diamond D and Mos Def would use another sample from 'Earth Rot', 'The Warnings (Part 2)' for the track 'Hip Hop' from Mos Def's breakthrough album 'Black on Both Sides' (which will be reviewed in depth soon in a future post on this blog).


In addition to producing his own material, Axelrod continued his role as producer on much of Cannonball Adderley's 70s output. Among the many Adderley albums that have been sampled is 1970's 'The Price You Pay to Be Free' whose song 'Exquisition' was sampled for the Pharcyde's 'Pack the Pipe' produced by J-Swift. 'Soul Virgo' from the same album is one of the samples used by A Tribe Called Quest on 'Bonita Applebum' from their debut 'Peoples' Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm'. Six years later, Tribe would sample another Cannonball Adderley track. An untitled track from Adderley's 'Black Messiah' album was sampled by Jay Dee (J Dilla) and the Ummah for Tribe's '1nce Again' from 'Beats, Rhymes, and Life'.

Check back for our next look at David Axelrod's production career.


The Lowdown:
David Axelrod 'The Signs (Part 2)' and 'The Warnings (Part 2)'
from 'Earth Rot' (1970) (MP3/CD)
Common 'Resurrection'
from 'Resurrection' (1994) (MP3/CD)
Quasimoto 'Return of the Loop Digga'
from 'The Unseen' (2000) (MP3/CD)
Mos Def 'Hip Hop'
from 'Black on Both Sides' (1999) (MP3/CD)
Cannonball Adderley 'Exquisition' and 'Soul Virgo'
from 'The Price You Pay to Be Free' (1970) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
The Pharcyde 'Pack the Pipe'
from 'Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde' (1991) (MP3/CD)
A Tribe Called Quest 'Bonita Applebum'
from 'Peoples' Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm' (1990) (MP3/CD)
Cannonball Adderley 'Untitled'
from 'Black Messiah' (1972) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
A Tribe Called Quest '1nce Again'
from 'Beats, Rhymes, and Life' (1996) (MP3/CD)

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Rewind: Ghostface Killah 'Supreme Clientele' (Part 2)



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)

Friday, January 16, 2009

Producer Profile: David Axelrod (Part 2, 1968-1969) UPDATED



This may seem like a rehash of a previous post, but it's much more than that. Amazon is now offering downloads of David Axelrod's difficult to find albums 'Song of Innocence' and 'Songs of Experience'. When I found out that these are now available, I decided to reboot this entire post with new up-to-date links so all you beat heads could get your hands on two of Axelrod's most influential works. The following is the original post with two new bonus cuts. Enjoy the newly updated part 2 of Axelrod's producer profile.

After Axelrod's success as a producer for others, he was encouraged to produce his own instrumental albums. In 1968, he released his first album 'Song of Innocence', an concept album that was loosely based on the writings of 18th century artist William Blake. The album would also contain some of the most sought-after beats by crate diggers worldwide. 'Holy Thursday' was one of the many samples used by Madlib on the Quasimoto track 'Return of the Loop Digga', but most recently it emerged (to my astonishment) as the backing to Lil Wayne's 'Dr. Carter' from the hugely popular 'Tha Carter III'. Swizz Beatz delivered Weezy with an unusually simple looped up 'Holy Thursday' bassline - it's a step out of the norm for both the artist and the producer. 'The Mental Traveller' from 'Song of Innocence' was used by Ras Kass on 'Soul on Ice' from his 1996 debut album also titled 'Soul on Ice'.



Axelrod followed 'Song of Innocence' with another Blake themed album, the instrumental 'Songs of Experience'. Axelrod's 'The Human Abstract' would be sampled heavily for DJ Shadow's moody single 'Midnight in a Perfect World' from his outstanding debut album 'Endtroducing...'. Kool G Rap would sample the 'Songs of Experience' track 'A Divine Image' on his track 'Take 'em to War' from his first solo album '4, 5, 6'. 'A Divine Image' was sampled again three years later by DJ Muggs on Cypress Hill's '16 Men Till There's No Men Left'.

Axelrod would only release one more album through Capitol, 1970's 'Earth Rot', before splitting with the label. Through the 70s, he recorded several more albums for RCA, Decca, Polydor, and MCA.


The Lowdown:
David Axelrod 'Holy Thursday' and 'The Mental Traveler'
from 'Song of Innocence' (1968) (MP3/CD not available)
Quasimoto 'Return of the Loop Digga'
from 'The Unseen' (2000) (MP3/CD)
Lil Wayne 'Dr. Carter'
from 'Tha Carter III' (2008) (MP3/CD)
Ras Kass 'Soul On Ice'
from 'Soul on Ice' (1996) (MP3/CD not available)
David Axelrod 'The Human Abstract' and 'A Divine Image'
from 'Songs of Experience' (1969) (MP3/CD)
DJ Shadow 'Midnight in a Perfect World'
from 'Endtroducing...' (1996) (MP3/CD)
Kool G Rap 'Take 'em to War'
from '4, 5, 6' (1995) (MP3/CD)
Cypress Hill '16 Men 'til There's No Men Left'
from 'Cypress Hill IV' (1998) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: '16 Men 'til There's No Men Left'

BONUS CUTS:
Now that I can offer a download of it, here is another 'Song of Innocence' cut that got sampled. The album's opening cut 'Urizen' was sampled for the Jurassic 5 / Big Daddy Kane posse cut 'A Day at the Races' produced by Cut Chemist.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Rewind: The Pharcyde 'Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde' (Part 3)



Welcome to the final part of our 3 part arc look at the sample sources of the Pharcyde's 1992 breakthrough album 'Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde', released on this day in 1992.

The Pharcyde's most memorable single is the classic 'Passin' Me By' which samples the melody of Quincy Jones' cover of 'Summer in the City'. The track also samples 'It's a New Day' by Skull Snaps (breaks don't get more essential than this one, it's unbelievable that over 70 posts into this blog, this is the first mention of 'It's a New Day' - whoa), 'Are You Experienced?' by Jimi Hendrix, Weather Report's '125th Street Congress', and 'The Third Eye' by Roy Ayers from 1976's 'Everyone Loves the Sunshine'. The only track from 'Bizarre Ride' not produced by J-Swift is the single 'Otha Fish', produced by L.A. Jay and SlimKid 3. The track samples Herbie Mann's 'Today' and Marvin Gaye's 'I Want You'-era album track 'Since I had You'. Herbie Mann is sampled again on the Pharcyde's cult favorite 'Pack the Pipe' which uses 'Bijou' from his 'Latin Mann' album. Two other jazz joints lend samples to the track: John Coltrane's 'Autumn Serenade' and the Cannonball Adderley Quintet's 'Exquisition' from the David Axelrod produced album 'The Price You Got to Pay to Be Free' from 1970.

Following the success of their debut album, the Pharcyde began to fall apart. Before the album's completion, J-Swift quarreled with members of the group over production credits and compensation. By their second and final album with their classic lineup, the Pharcyde split with J-Swift altogether opting to work with new producers. After drug problems, Fatlip left the Pharcyde, although they went on to release two more albums in the 2000s without him. In 2008, the group reunited for the Rock the Bells tour.


The Lowdown:
The Pharcyde 'Passin' Me By', 'Otha Fish', and 'Pack the Pipe'
from 'Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde' (1992) (MP3/CD)
Quincy Jones 'Summer in the City'
from 'You Got it Bad Girl' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Skull Snaps 'It's a New Day'
from 'Skull Snaps' (1973) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Jimi Hendrix 'Are You Experienced?'
from 'Are You Experienced' (1967) (MP3/CD)
Weather Report '125th Street Congress'
from 'Sweetnighter' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Roy Ayers 'The Third Eye'
'Everybody Loves the Sunshine' (1976) (MP3/CD)
Herbie Mann 'Today'
from 'Today!' (1966) (MP3/CD)
Marvin Gaye 'Since I Had You'
from 'I Want You' (1976) (MP3/CD)
Herbie Mann 'Bijou'
from 'Latin Mann' (1966) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
John Coltrane 'Autumn Serenade'
from 'John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman' (1963) (MP3/CD)
Cannonball Adderley Quintet 'Exquisition'
from 'The Price You Got to Pay to Be Free' (1970) (MP3 not available/CD not available)


BONUS CUTS:
Sorry that I don't have a download for Quincy Jones' excellent cover of 'Summer in the City' (very different than 'Summer in the City' by the Lovin' Spoonful, also a floor killer), but I can offer Nightmares on Wax's excellent 'Summer' sampling track 'Nights Interlude'. Get your blend on!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Rewind: Lootpack 'Soundpieces: Da Antidote' (Part 1)



After forming in the early 90s, the Lootpack's first big break with their production and guest verse contribution to the Alkaholik's '21 & Over' album cut 'Turn tha Party Out' in 1993. Six years later, the Lootpack (made up of Madlib, Wildchild, and DJ Romes), released their first (and to date, only) album titled 'Soundpieces: Da Antidote'. This two part arc will cover the sample sources for this early Madlib production credit.

The album's single 'Whenimondamic' samples B.T. Express' 'Do it ('Til Your Satisfied)' album track 'If It Don't Turn You On (You Outta Leave It Alone)'. The album track 'Crate Diggin'', as the name implies, digs a little deeper for Vanilla Fudge's cover of the Beatles' 'Eleanor Rigby' and David Axelrod's 'Merlin's Prophecy' from his 1968 debut album 'Song of Innocence'. On 'Frenz Vs Endz', Madlib samples Miles Davis' classic album 'Bitches Brew' by plucking bits from 'Miles Tuns the Voodoo Down'.

Check back for the second part of our look at 'Soundpieces: Da Antidote'.


The Lowdown:
Lootpack 'Whenimondamic', 'Crate Diggin'', and 'Frenz vs Endz'
from 'Soundpieces: Da Antidote' (1999) (MP3/CD not available)
B.T. Express 'If It Don't Turn You On (You Outta Leave It Alone)'
from 'Do it ('Til Your Satisfied)' (1974) (MP3/CD)
Vanilla Fudge 'Eleanor Rigby'
from 'Vanilla Fudge' (1966) (MP3/CD)
David Axelrod 'Merlin's Prophecy'
from 'Song of Innocence' (1968) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Miles Davis 'Miles Tuns the Voodoo Down'
from 'Bitches Brew' (1969) (MP3/CD)