Grandmaster flash and the furious five sugar hill

When members of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five - specifically Mele-Mel (new spelling), Scorpio and Cowboy - reunited, the result was the distinctly superior On the Strength. Interpolations of other peopleвЂ™s music, including a lamely belated cover of QueenвЂ™s вЂњWe Will Rock YouвЂќ with other stuff stitched in, donвЂ™t prevent Ba-Dop-Boom-Bang from being run-of-the-mill. Otherwise, the LP avoids The SourceвЂs hype to concentrate on praising women (вЂњThem JeansвЂќ), cars (вЂњBig Black CaddyвЂќ), parties (вЂњHouse That RockedвЂќ) and self-reliance (вЂњGet YoursвЂќ). The word funky gets an aromatically literal interpretation in Ba-Dop-Boom-BangвЂs вЂњUnderarms,вЂќ an amazingly tasteless put-down about bad smells. As a routine party record, it fulfills all the minimal obligations as proof of FlashвЂ™s creativity and ability to grow with the times, itвЂ™s a sad example of commercial wheel-spinning. вЂњFastest Man Alive,вЂќ the audio vГ©ritГ© вЂњStreet Scene,вЂќ the hackneyed music-rap marriage of вЂњStyle (Peter Gunn Theme)вЂќ and the pretend-live вЂњFreelanceвЂќ make more personal introductions and absurd claims than a convention of used car salesmen.

The Source, which travels a number of awfully familiar verbal and musical roads, makes a regular point of arguing FlashвЂ™s significance and supremacy. Only вЂњSign of the TimesвЂќ dips into topicality, employing a sound reminiscent of вЂњWhite Lines.вЂќ ThereвЂ™s a rapped-up version of Fats WallerвЂ™s вЂњThe Joint Is JumpinвЂ™,вЂќ a Run - DMC imitation unoriginally entitled вЂњRock the HouseвЂќ and two soulful all-singing tunes. The formerвЂ™s They Said It CouldnвЂ™t Be Done is a strained effort to diversify and make up for lost time and momentum. What the LP doesnвЂ™t include is Melle MelвЂ™s brilliant 1983 anti-cocaine song, вЂњWhite Lines (DonвЂ™t DonвЂ™t Do It),вЂќ the music for which, incidentally, was lifted from a Liquid Liquid instrumental.ДЇollowing a bitter legal dispute over contracts and ownership of the name, the band split in two: most of the members remained with Grandmaster Flash (Joseph Saddler), dropped the вЂњFurious FiveвЂќ appellation and signed to Elektra Melle Mel, who also got to wear the Grandmaster crown, recruited a mostly new FF and stuck with Sugarhill. Greatest Messages splits the difference between hard-edged social realism and mindless partytime, from вЂњFreedomвЂќ (their first hit) and вЂњFlash to the BeatвЂќ to вЂњSurvival (Message II)вЂќ and вЂњNew York, New YorkвЂќ (the follow-up to вЂњThe MessageвЂќ). Adding to the credit-where-due confusion, most of the crewвЂ™s early songwriting and performing was done, in large part, by the Sugar Hill house band.) (Despite his star billing, DJ Flash is not the rapper lead vocals are by Melle Mel, Rahiem and others. Unfortunately, most of FlashвЂ™s early raps were of the letвЂ™s-party-and-tell-our-zodiac-signs variety, with absolutely no consciousness, political or otherwise - good for dancing, but not very stimulating. Although Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were not rapвЂ™s first stars, the groupвЂ™s galvanizing 1982 hit вЂњThe MessageвЂќ was the earliest record to demonstrate the formвЂ™s potential for socio-political commentary and, preceding Run - DMC, initially served to convey rapвЂ™s excitement to an audience beyond urban blacks.

Grandmaster flash and the furious five sugar hill