The New York Sound

by N/A

Overview

According to the liner notes, the ten tracks on this compilation of 1976-1984 material contain "elements of the disco and uptempo R&B of the '70s, and hints at the evolution of house, techno and hip hop that would succeed it." That's a reasonable approximation of the territory this CD covers, though the strength with which the cuts point to the future vary pretty widely. Some of the songs are in fact pretty close to standard late-'70s funk-disco-pop, and are not especially impressive within that genre. Yet others are quite adventurous early-'80s moves into early rap and electronic-tinged dance music, and aren't all that easy to come by. Example: the 1980 track "Charley Says! (Roller Boogie Baby)" by King Tim III, who had been featured on the Fatback Band's 1979 recording "King Tim III (Personality Jock)," which was cut even before the Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight." This follow-up, on which he was backed by the Fatback Band, was King Tim III's only other appearance on vinyl, though the subject matter (roller discos) is certainly less impressive than the ahead-of-its-time rap delivery. Fatback is also heard on the 1983 effort "Is This the Future?," a strangely drawling rap with thick mechanized beats and synth scrapes. Jimmy Spicer's "Money (Dollar Bill Y'All")" is perhaps the edgiest slice of sound here, with its ominously echoed chanting, awkwardly guttural rap, and stuttering electronic riff. Leaning yet more heavily on the electronics is Twilight 22's tough rap-electro hybrid "Electric Kingdom," C-Brand's "Wired for Games" (decorated by weird distorted voices, though its lyric comparing giving love to playing a video game is far from profound), and MC Flex and the FBI Crew's "Rockin' It," where wicka-wicka-type scratching also comes into play. Not everyone who's into this stuff will like all of the music on this disc, but it does offer off-the-beaten tracks from a transitional era that's under-documented by various-artists anthologies. ~ Richie Unterberger

Product Details

Release Date:	06/27/2006
Label:	Bgp
UPC:	0029667517621
Rank:	132471

Tracks

1. Love Hangover
2. Charley Says! (Roller Boogie Baby)
3. It Ain't No Big Thing
4. (You) Keep on Making Me Hot
5. Over Like a Fat Rat
6. Is This the Future?
7. Money (Dollar Bill Y'All)
8. Electric Kingdom
9. Wired for Games
10. Rockin' It

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Jimmy Spicer   Primary Artist
Busta Cherry Jones   Primary Artist
Fatback   Primary Artist
The Players Association   Primary Artist
Twilight 22   Primary Artist
Rainbow Brown   Primary Artist
Fonda Rae   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Frank Hernandez   Composer
Russell Simmons   Composer,Producer
Jellybean   Mixing
Busta Cherry Jones   Arranger,Producer
Gino Soccio   Producer
Gordon Bahary   Mixing,Composer,Producer
Joe Granda   Producer
Joseph Saulter   Composer
Leroy Burgess   Arranger,Composer
Marilyn McLeod   Composer
Ron Saint Germain   Composer
Gerry Thomas   Composer,Producer,Photo Courtesy
Bill Curtis   Producer
Danny Weis   Producer
Errol Moore   Composer
Amos Larkins   Composer
Michael Calhoun   Composer
Tim Washington   Composer
Chris Menist   Liner Notes
James Calloway   Composer
Jimmy Spicer   Composer
Bob Blank   Producer
Sonny Davenport   Composer
Amos Larkins II   Producer
Larry Smith   Producer
Patrick Adams   Composer,Producer