Five On It: August 2008's Essentials

Five on It #3 - another month, another five essential breaks you need to have in your collection.

This month's top five begins with the Philly soul stomper 'Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)' by the Delfonics which appeared in part 1 of our look at 'The Score' by Fugees. On this blog's first post covering the tracks produced by Large Professor, Average White Band's drum heavy 'School Boy Crush' was mentioned (and it will undoubtedly show up in the future). Marlena Shaw's 'California Soul' and David Axelrod's 'Holy Thursday' were both featured in the coverage of Quasimoto's 'The Unseen' album (in parts 2 and parts 3 respectively). Finally this month, the baddest of all bad mutha tracks - James Brown's 'The Payback' as used by Pete Rock. One unbelievable part of the mythology of 'The Payback' is it was turned down for inclusion in the movie 'Hell Up in Harlem' for not being funky enough. What could be funkier?

The Lowdown:
The Delfonics 'Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)'
from 'The Sound of Sexy Soul' (1968) (MP3/CD)
Average White Band 'School Boy Crush'
from 'Cut the Cake' (1975) (MP3/CD)
Marlena Shaw 'California Soul'
from 'The Spice of Life' (1968) (MP3/CD)
David Axelrod 'Holy Thursday'
from 'Songs of Innocence' (1968) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
James Brown 'The Payback'
from 'The Payback' (1974) (MP3/CD)

BONUS CUT:
'Ready or Not Here I Come' is interpolated by the Fugees on their hit 'Ready or Not', but the opening of the song is actually sampled by Timbaland on Missy Elliott and Da Brat's 1997 hit 'Sock it 2 Me'.

Rewind: Fugees 'The Score' (Part 2)

Welcome to part 2 of this blogs in depth look at Fugee's 1996 album 'The Score'. The album's biggest hit by far was the inescapable 'Killing Me Softly', an update of Roberta Flack's ballad 'Killing Me Softly with His Song'. The Fugees hit peaked at #2 on the Billboard charts and was a #1 R&B hit. The song also featured samples from 'Memory Band' by Rotary Connection and 'Fool Yourself' from Little Feat's 1962 album 'Dixie Chicken'. Talk about a diverse set of sources for a gigantic (and minimalist) pop hit!


One of my all time favorite songs is referenced in the chorus on the album cut 'Cowboys'; perhaps it is a regional classic, but the Intruder's Philly soul monster 'Cowboys to Girls' is an essential summer / spring / fall / whenever jam. 'Cowboys' also includes a sample of 'Something 'Bout Love' by Main Ingredient. 'The Score's final single was 'No Woman, No Cry', a cover (or, mostly a cover) of Bob Marley and the Wailers' 'No Woman, No Cry' from 'Natty Dread'.

To date, 'The Score' has sold over 6 million copies in the U.S. alone and peaked at #1 on the Billboard album charts. Though there have been rumors, movie appearances, and one terribly underwhelming single (2005's 'Take it Easy'); it seems 'The Score' will likely be the Fugees swan song.

The Lowdown:
Fugees 'Killing Me Softly', 'Cowboys', and 'No Woman, No Cry'
from 'The Score' (1996) (MP3/CD)
Roberta Flack 'Killing Me Softly with His Song'
from 'Killing Me Softly' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD)
Rotary Connection 'Memory Band'
from 'Rotary Connection' (1967) (MP3 Not available / CD not available)
Little Feat 'Fool Yourself'
from 'Dixie Chicken' (1962) (MP3/CD)
The Intruders 'Cowboys to Girls'
from 'Cowboys to Girls' (1968) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Main Ingredient 'Something 'Bout Love'
from 'Afrodisiac' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD)
Bob Marley and the Wailers 'No Woman, No Cry'
from 'Natty Dread' (1974) (MP3/CD)

BONUS CUTS:
'Killing Me Softly with His Song' was a Grammy Award winning hit for Roberta Flack, but was actually written two years earlier by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel based on a poem by Lori Lieberman about Don McLean (that's right, the 'American Pie' dude is the dude who is killing girls softly with his song, which is funny as 'American Pie' seems to kill me slowly every time I hear it). Lauryn Hill delivered our generation's most noted cover of the song, but many other artists covered the song as well. John Holt's reggae version titled 'Killing Me Softly with Her Song' is a stellar example of reggae artists covering famous American soul hits. And how is this for digging DEEP: Inger Lise Rypdal covered 'Killing Me Softly' in Norwegian on 'Sangen Han Sang Var Min Egen'. This begs the question, is there a nationally recognized Norwegian pie?

Rewind: Fugees 'The Score' (Part 1)

One of 1996's most widely acclaimed and commercially successful albums is also one of the most densely produced albums of the year. Fugees' sophomore album, 'The Score', led with three charting smash hits, repainted the landscape of pop and hip-hop with dark atmospheric beats that feel like a humid, murky swamp.

'Ready or Not' was the third single from the album, and though not as big of a hit at the time, the track is now one of the album's classic cuts. The chorus is an interpolation of the Delfonics classic 'Ready of Not, Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)', an essential slice of Philly soul. 'Ready or Not' also includes samples from 'Django' by the Modern Jazz Quartet, 'God Made Me Funky' by the Headhunters, and most strangely 'Boadicea' from Enya's new age feel good album 'The Celts'. Like whoa.


The tense deep album track 'Zealots' has a quick vocal interpolation of 'I Only Have Eyes for You' by the Flamingos. The album's first single, the Salaam Remi produced 'Fu-Gee-La' features an interpolation (anyone see a pattern?) of Teena Marie's 1988 single 'Ooo La La La' from her album 'Naked to the World'. The song additionally samples Ramsey Lewis' hit '(If Loving You is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right'.

Check back for part 2 of 'The Score'.

The Lowdown:
Fugees 'Ready or Not', 'Zealots', and 'Fu-Gee-La'
from 'The Score' (1996) (MP3/CD)
The Delfonics 'Ready or Not, Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)'
from 'The Sound of Sexy Soul' (1968) (MP3/CD)
Modern Jazz Quartet 'Django'
from 'Pyramid' (1959) (MP3/CD)
Headhunters 'God Made Me Funky'
from 'Survival of the Fittest' (1975) (MP3/CD)
Enya 'Boadecia'
from 'The Celts' (1986) (MP3/CD)
The Flamingos 'I Only Have Eyes for You'
from 'Flamingo Serenade' (1959) (MP3 not available/CD)
Teena Marie 'Ooo La La La'
from 'Naked to the World' (1988) (MP3/CD not available)
Ramsey Lewis '(If Loving You is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right'
from 'Funky Serenity' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD)

BONUS CUTS:
Here are two cuts to diversify your Fugees medley at the clubs: Sly and Robbie's remix of 'Fu-Gee-La' (which is the only reason to own the lamely packaged Fugees 'Greatest Hits' album, trust me) and the 12" mix of 'Ooo La La La' by Teena Marie. Have fun.