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This year, independent electronic label Warp Records will be celebrating their 20th anniversary. This may not mean a lot to hip-hop fans, but Warp has released some great downtempo hip-hop albums. One of them is 1991's debut album by Nightmares on Wax titled 'A Word of Science'. This post will cover the sample sources of some of N.O.W.'s classic cuts and may even turn a few hip-hop heads towards Warp's direction.The opening song to the album is 'Nights Interlude', a fantastic downtempo joint that pounds out live. The song samples 'Summer in the City', the highlight from Quincy Jones' 1973 album 'You Got it Bad Girl'. Look below for more on this track and the songs that have sampled it. On 'Coming Down', Nightmares on Wax samples Bob James' breakbeat extravaganza 'Take Me to the Mardi Gras' from his 1975 album 'Two'. 'A Case of Funk' samples the proto-disco track 'Sing Sing' by Gaz, which has in the last two decades come to be the defining sample in Baltimore Club's brash club beats. For 'Playtime', N.O.W. samples the popular break from Tom Scott and the L.A. Express' 'Sneakin' in the Back' from their eponymous 1974 album. Nightmares on Wax's earliest hit single is the throbbing 'Aftermath', which famously samples vocals from Cuba Gooding's 1983 single 'Happiness is Just Around the Bend'. Finally, on 'Back into Time', Steve Miller Band's 'Fly Like an Eagle' weaves its way in and out of the mix.
Since 1991, Nightmares on Wax has gone onto release five more albums, each with lazy day hip-hop speed instrumentals that are perfect for backyard barbecue soundtracks. Don't sleep on N.O.W. and don't sleep on these samples!The Lowdown:
Nightmares on Wax 'Nights Interlude', 'Coming Down', 'A Case of Funk', 'Playtime', 'Aftermath', and 'Back into Time'
from 'A Word of Science' (1991) (MP3/CD)
Quincy Jones 'Summer in the City'
from 'You Got it Bad Girl' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Bob James 'Take Me to the Mardi Gras'
from 'Two' (1975) (MP3/CD)
Gaz 'Sing Sing'
from 'Gaz' (1979) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Tom Scott and the L.A. Express 'Sneakin' in the Back'
from 'Tom Scott and the L.A. Express' (1974) (MP3/CD not available)
Cuba Gooding 'Happiness is Just Around the Bend'
from 'Happiness is Just Around the Bend' (1983) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Steve Miller Band 'Fly Like and Eagle'
from 'Fly Like an Eagle' (1974) (MP3/CD)
Bonus Cuts:
Quincy Jones' haunting rendition of 'Summer in the City' is the choice for most funk and hip-hop fans, but classic rock people are more familiar with the original 'Summer in the City' by the Lovin' Spoonful (although, it too was sampled by J Dilla for De La Soul's 'Thru Ya City'). Quincy Jones' track was sampled by Nightmares on Wax in 1991, but has been sampled many more times since: most famously on the J-Swift produced 'Passin' Me By' by the Pharycde, in 1996 on the Roots' 'Clones', and on the 2000 Allstar produced remix of Joe's 'Stutter' with Mystikal.
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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)
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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!
