After The Gold Rush
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Only Love Can Break Your Heart
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Don’t Let It Bring You Down
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Album: After The Gold Rush (1970)

After The Gold Rush was mostly recorded in my beloved Topanga. After a couple of years of living here, I can appreciate how this creative, idyllic Los Angeles enclave shaped Neil’s music.

Neil was going through a patch of writer’s block in early 1970 when he read a screenplay from his neighbor, the actor Dean Stockwell. Dean is most famous for the TV show Quantum Leap but earlier in his career, he was one of Hollywood’s ambassadors to 60s-era counterculture.

The still-unproduced, whereabouts-unknown screenplay for After The Gold Rush concerned a tidal wave that floods Topanga Canyon. As Dean described it, After The Gold Rush was “a Jungian self-discovery of the gnosis. It involved the Kabbalah, it involved a lot of arcane stuff.” (Hard to believe Hollywood didn’t pounce on this pitch.)

Dean Stockwell’s After The Gold Rush may have been lost to time, but his script was the creative spark Neil needed to create the After The Gold Rush LP. Those were some hazy days, and it’s unclear which specific tracks were written specifically for the film. Some of the tracks were recorded with Crazy Horse, Neil’s loud rock-n-roll collaborators, at a studio in Hollywood; the mellower songs (including those selected for this post) were recorded with local musicians who gathered in Neil’s makeshift studio.

After a couple of mildly successful solo albums, Neil reunited with his Buffalo Springfield bandmate Stephen Stills and joined his new vocal group, Crosby, Stills and Nash. Now known as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, they went on tour (including an appearance at the Woodstock Festival) and released the hugely successful LP, Déjà Vu. It was in the aftermath of CSNY’s explosion that Neil retreated to his Topanga basement to record After The Gold Rush.

The title track seems to be related to the screenplay. Drug-induced imagery from past, present, and future reveal a devastating natural disaster that results in the evacuation of Earth. Neil’s ethereal falsetto, plaintive piano, and the odd flugelhorn solo create an otherworldly soundtrack that parallels the song’s evocative lyrics.

The waltz-like “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” is beautiful and sad. It wouldn’t have been out of place on Déjà Vu; in fact, Stephen Stills provides vocal harmonies, so perhaps the song was originally intended for CSNY.

“Don’t Let It Bring You Down” encourages folks to get involved as a way to combat the depressing nature of social turmoil. Though he wrote the song over 40 years ago, its message couldn’t be more timely.

After The Gold Rush offers a compelling contrast between Neil’s off-kilter lyrics and the simplicity of its production. Neil’s mission was to strip away anything slick or extraneous from the music: “There was a shitload of room on those recordings, because there wasn’t anything else goin’ on. Just rhythm guitar, bass and drums – that’s all there was. The song was it – and everything else was supporting it.”

Wrektime
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Sound Bwoy Bureill
(w/Starang Wonduh, Top Dog)
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Home Sweet Home
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Album: Dah Shinin’ (1995)

I couldn’t decide if Smif-N-Wessun’s Dah Shinin’ should be categorized within LP Classics or Crate Diggin’.

One the one hand, Dah Shinin’ is a mid-90s banger, and was part of a wave of releases that brought some shine back to New York hip hop after years of West Coast dominance. So LP Classics seems like the right place for this post.

On the other hand, unless you were a serious connoisseur of rap, you’ve probably never heard of Smif-N-Wessun, its talented MCs Tek and Steele, or their underrated producers, Da Beatmizerz. The duo appears to identify itself with an underground aesthetic; so from that perspective, maybe Crate Diggin’ would be the more appropriate categorization.

It’s the rare record that can be both amazing and unknown, but Dah Shinin’ pulls it off. It’s not for everyone, though. The lyrics are raw, the beats are moody and ambient. And kids should definitely not attempt to learn spelling from the duo; everything in the Smif-N-Wessun universe uses ridiculous, phonetic spelling. (“Wipe Ya Mouf”?)

But for those who can hang with the realness, Da Shinin’ is one of hip hop’s most steady LPs; having a single producer oversee the record makes a huge difference to its flow.

Sorry about the skip that kicks off “Wrektime.” (When keeping it real goes wrong.) “Wrektime” is one of the LPs more upbeat cuts, though it conforms to the Smif-n-Wessun lyrical template of weed, guns, and getting into shit. I have no idea what Tek is trying to say with, “Mista Rippa slicker than your sista/Turn down the lights she got hit by the Vicksta,” but it is delivered with entertaining conviction.

“Sound Bwoy Bureill” is my favorite track on the record, and Da Beatminerz’s production is a masterful showcase for the art and power of minimalism. In addition to its memorable vocals, the track consists of a straightforward drum pattern, a driving bassline, some sparse keyboard flourishes, and a wind sound that subtly supports its ominous mood. Tek and Steele often employ Jamaican-style phrasing in their verses, most prominently on this classic joint.

I’ve been trying to track down the reggae toaster sampled at the beginning and end of “Sound Bwoy Bureill”. The Internet claims the obscure Super Beagle record below is the source, but it doesn’t quite match up with the badass toasting that appear on Smif-n-Wessun’s track (where is “LEAVE!”?).

Also, my guess is that the accapella intro part is not Super Beagle, but some Flavor Flav-ian hype man. Or is Super Beagle the name of the group and not the singer? I wish I knew that dude’s name.

The final selection, “Home Sweet Home” (they spelled that one right… why not “Hohm Suite Hohm?”) features a menacing excerpt from Roy Ayers’ oft-sampled classic, “We Live In Brooklyn Baby”. (Incidentally, the cover design for Dah Shinin’ also “samples” the cover design for He’s Coming, the Roy Ayers LP that includes “We Live In Brooklyn Baby”.) Tek and Steele each pull off some intricate rhymes: respectively, “What parts of no, do not you understand bro?” and “They was sent to represent and cause a ruckus amongst us.”

Unsurprisingly, Smif-n-Wessun were sued by Smith & Wesson after the release of Dah Shinin’, forcing them to change their name to Cocoa Brovaz. They must have worked something out with the gunmakers, because they changed their name back to Smif-n-Wessun in the mid-00s. They’re still recording and recently released a decent record with Pete Rock entitled Monumental. (The cover art is awesome.)

Workinonit
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Two Can Win
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Don’t Cry
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Album: Donuts (2006)

J Dilla’s Donuts isn’t for everyone. It has zero commercial aspirations, and would fairly be categorized as an experimental art project. But for those of us who like to deconstruct how producers dig for and manipulate samples, Donuts abounds with creativity and originality.

Donuts is sui generis: impossible to imagine anyone else creating it, and with no apparent influences. Sure, many others have started with the same set of tools — a diverse stack of vintage vinyl (most of it rare 45s), an MPC drum machine, a turntable, and a Mac — but no one synthesized these elements quite like Dilla.

Most of the time, sample-based productions extract a few seconds of a track, loop it, and layer a beat on top of it. But Dilla can chop up a track into precise chunks, then reform it into its hipper cousin.

Let’s compare a few tracks from Donuts with the original R&B records Dilla beatmined. (Sadly, I don’t have any of the original tracks to share, but YouTube was able to provide.)

“Workinonit” may be as close to a pop song as Donuts gets. At nearly three minutes, it’s the longest track on the record. I was surprised when I tracked down its source, the obscure 10cc track “The Worst Band in the World.”

Dilla magically wove together a bunch of elements from the record, sped them up, and added the occasional Beastie Boys chant. Even the percussion sounds appear to be mostly taken from this 10cc bit of weirdness. Hearing the original after getting to know Dilla’s version is a joyous, dissociative experience.

“Two Can Win” provides the most dramatic contrast from its predecessor, The Sylvers’ stealthily complex “Only One Can Win.”

I’ve heard a rapper or two attempt to rhyme on this, but I can’t imagine interfering with the interplay between the tight harmonies of the title phrase, the Michael Jackson-esque lead vocals, and those expressive, otherwordly howls.

P.S. Any idea why Dilla decided upon the title to “Two Can Win,” even though the vocals say “only one can win?”

As far as I can hear, “Don’t Cry” restricts its sounds to a drum machine and a 45 of The Escorts’ “I Can’t Stand (To See You Cry).

As the track starts, the vocal sample is straightforward and virtually unadulterated. But at the 40 second mark, Dilla starts messing with your head: see-sawing tempo changes, sung syllables emulating percussion, only to have it all dissolve as the song’s key phrase is delivered: “I can’t stand to see you cry.”

Tragically, Dilla passed away from a rare blood disease three days after Donuts was released. It’s impossible for me to listen to it and not think about how sick he was when he recorded it, how aware he was that he wasn’t gonna make it, and the urge for him to gift as many ideas from his soul as he could in the time he had left. Imagining his process deepens my appreciation for Donuts; I wonder if I would feel differently about this LP without its backstory?

“T” Plays It Cool
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Cleo’s Apartment
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Trouble Man
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“T” Stands for Trouble
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Album: Trouble Man (1972)

In ranking the best Blaxploitation soundtracks, the cognoscenti usually select Curtis Mayfield’s Superfly or Isaac Hayes’s Shaft as the best from that era. Maybe James Brown’s Black Caesar. But rarely do I see Marvin Gaye’s Trouble Man soundtrack at the top of the list. SImilarly, I rarely see Trouble Man listed among Marvin’s best LPs.

Both are errors in judgment. Trouble Man was Marvin’s follow-up to the seminal What’s Going On, and is a key milestone in Marvin’s evolution from Motown pop star to bold singer-songwriter. Trouble Man isn’t just a key achievement among Blaxploitation soundtracks, it’s one of Marvin’s most musically-adventurous albums.

One of the reasons Trouble Man may be underappreciated is that it doesn’t feature much of Marvin’s renown singing abilities. The primary track that features Marvin’s vocals is the title song, one of his biggest hits and an unequivocal five-star classic. But Trouble Man is best appreciated for its sophisticated musicality, and proves that Marvin was as accomplished a composer and instrumentalist as he was a singer.

On the instrumental track, “T Plays It Cool,” Marvin highlights his rhythmic skills via a fierce interplay between the drums (Marvin’s first role at Motown was as a session drummer), and the bubbling, kinetic Moog organ.

I always enjoy listening to “Cleo’s Apartment.” I remember seeing on Questove’s MySpace page that this track was his answer to “If You Were To Marry Now What Song Would Be Your Wedding Song?” Now I can’t listen to “Cleo’s Apartment” without picturing the most bad-ass wedding procession ever.

The title track may be my favorite Marvin song ever. Despite this, in researching this blog post, I discovered he’s saying “I come up hard;” I always thought he was saying “I come apart.” The actual lyric is way tougher!

The final selected track is the oft-sampled “T Stands for Trouble”. I recommend putting this one on with the top down as you’re driving along the coast.

As for the movie itself, Trouble Man has its merits. I appreciated all the 70s era Los Angeles location shooting, and you can see how the film influenced Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown. Ultimately, it’s Marvin’s soundtrack that gives the film its stature.

Only You
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Close The Door
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It Don’t Hurt Now
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When Somebody Loves You Back
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Album: Life Is A Song Worth Singing (1978)

This is part two of a two-part tribute to Teddy Pendergrass. part one

Teddy Pendergrass’s Life Is A Song Worth Singing is a fine example of how Philly soul adapted to the disco/funk movement while remaining true to the diverse vocal personalities, complex orchestral arrangements, and accessible melodies that defined this popular regional subgenre. Teddy was (arguably) the biggest star of the storied Philadelphia International label, with a voice that can blow you away or woo you to bed — sometimes within the same song.

The first featured cut is “Only You,” which I can’t listen to without remembering Eddie Murphy’s classic bit from Delirious:

“Close The Door” may be my all-time favorite Teddy track, an unequivocal 5-star classic and Teddy’s only single to crack the Top 40 pop charts. Laid-back but with a driving backbeat, this is a groove you can put on at the end of a night of dancing for one last feel-good jam.

Your hip black aunt would have been mighty pissed at me if I didn’t include “It Don’t Hurt Now,” which was one of those Teddy tracks that had women throwing their panties onto the stage. What did Teddy do with all those panties?

The final selection is the uplifting stepper “When Somebody Loves You Back,” arranged by the legendary Thom Bell (check the “Flight of the Bumblebee” strings). This is typical of the songwriting style pioneered by (Kenny) Gamble & (Leon) Huff — catchy and straightforward with a touch of melancholy.