Rodney Dangerfield - Rappin' Rodney (1983)

First off, I want to say that I'm very sorry to have taken such a long break between posts. One month, officially. I have been having a lot of issues with my audio capturing software, and I also recently came into temporary possession of a friends thousand-piece record collection, which I have been mining for potential entries as well. So that's my apology paragraph, now on to Rappin' Rodney.

At first glance, this is a completely embarrassing novelty record, and is about as uncool as a rap record can be. Something which Mr. Dangerfield's handlers probably felt was a good idea, and would make him relevant with the youth of 1983. Something you would never listen to un-ironically. 

And then you give it a spin anyway.

I love this song. Something about it not only makes perfect sense within the greater Rap/Hip-Hop canon, but feels almost pioneering for its unconventional subject matter. When you think about it, comedy - or at least a sharp wit - has always been an integral element of Hip-Hop. With emcees being lauded for their clever punchlines and witty metaphors, it makes perfect sense that someone who makes a living off of a similar talent - albeit without a back beat - would be able to do right by Hip-Hop if they ever gave it an honest effort. 

Not only is this record full of classic Rodney witticisms, but Rodney's extremely self-deprecating humor makes this a really unique Hip-Hop song. You see, usually Rap lyrics tend to use wit and cleverness to build ones own reputation to new heights of prestige, or at least lower the reputation of anyone who dares challenge your coolness. Rodney has always been the exact opposite - taking self-deprecating humor to the point of self-directed insult comedy. Although at first glance, this may look like Rodney totally sold out and made a lame rap song, in fact Rodney stayed so true to himself that he may have made the first self-dis track in the process. If this were a rap battle, Rodney would have absolutely destroyed himself (he even spends the middle of the song dissing the backup band).

Galaxxy - Galaxxy Featuring Ron Aikens (1982)

This is a really nice Boogie Funk album made in Philly in 1982. Galaxxy was basically The Ingram Family (or just Ingram) on the production and musician side of things, with the addition of Ron Aikens and some brothers by the name of Jinkens on the vocals. What matters most is that the end result was a very, very funky one.

The Ingram brothers are just so nasty on the production side of things here - steady, driving drum breaks, deep, funky bass lines, punchy horns, fantastically fun synth work, great guitar riffs - you name it, they can do it better. One of the reasons I chose to upload this over so many other funk albums, is that - besides lack of exposure - this is one of the few funk albums I've heard where the slow jams are just as captivating as the dance numbers. They have a really fantastic cover of Kenny Rogers' "Lady" (written by Lionel Richie!) that just adds so much soul to the original. But most of all, it is the funk that I fell in love with. From the very "Atomic Dog"-ish groove of  "Give Your Dog a Bone" to the simple party raps of "You Got It" this album is full of really fun, impressive 80s funk jams that could really fill up a dance floor.

I must apologize for the somewhat crunchy sound of this album - I've been having some software issues and unknowingly ripped this one at a low bitrate. For what it's worth, if I get any requests to, I wouldn't mind re-uploading this one at better quality.

ENJOY

Lady Isa - Kuteleza Si Kwanguka (198?)

There's very little I can confidently say about the background of this record. I'm guessing by the production qualities that it was produced some time in the 1980s, but with African records, sometimes it is very hard to tell for certain. I am not even entirely positive where the artist - Lady Isa - comes from, though seeing that the record was produced in France, the lyrics are mostly in Swahili, and the music is mostly Central African Rumba, or Soukous, I can probably narrow her origin down to The Democratic Republic of Congo. Still, without a website, Wiki, or Discogs out there on her, it's just a guess on my part.

Nonetheless, it's the music that really counts, and to that extent, this record is a real gem. The songs are atmospheric, yet dance-able. Poppy, yet traditional. Completely happy, yet not manic. The rich, bright textures of the music seem to emanate a warm glow, and it certainly makes me feel at a blissful peace when I listen to it. Also, on a side note: the bass and guitar solos are credited to a guy named Rigo Star, and if you share my taste for the absurd, that might be enough on its own to pique your interest. 

I picked this one up at "The Thing" in Brooklyn, which is basically the world's biggest dollar bin. I could settle down and live in that shop if it wasn't for the inescapable smells of mildew and cat pee that go along with storing thousands of donated records.

ENJOY

The Mad Musical World of Mel Henke - La Dolce Henke (1962)

In 1952, Mel Henke was a commercial industry composer and songwriter who came up with this sweet little jingle for Chevrolet:

Ten years later, the "swingin' 60's" were in full effect when Mel released a very swingin' (in more ways than one) album called La Dolce Henke. Here, he gathered plenty of his friends from the world of commercial jingles - musicians, voice actors, singers, Foley artists - and composed a poppy Cocktail Jazz album full of innuendo, naughty winks and nudges, wacky sound effects, and plenty of moaning ladies.

This is the album that Austin Powers would have recorded if he were a musician/real person. 

ENJOY.

Purple People - Paisley Punk Promo (1998)

First off, yesterday was Record Store Day, and it is safe to say that I have acquired plenty of interesting gems to keep this blog awesome for many months to come. This song was not one of my finds - I have actually had this for several years. This is a white label 12", meaning that there is absolutely no information about the song or artist on the sleeve or on the record itself, besides a small, round purple sticker with the words "Purple People Paisley Punk Promo" in bold white letters. These words (and the color of the sticker), sent one clear subliminal message to my brain: "This has something to do with Prince." And I was right.

This is the only song that turns up on Discogs for the person/group Purple People, but if it is a trusted source, then this was released in 1998 in the UK. What "Paisley Punk" turned out to be, is a fairly standard-sounding 90's House remix of Prince's song "1999." This started several debates in my brain, bouncing back and forth between 'What's the point? "1999" was already a perfect dance song, why did they have to dumb it down into some 4-on-the-floor club fodder? This is offensive.' and 'Ooh! Prince done up to sound like a 90's Fatboy Slim song!!' 

At the end of the day, both of my brains were right. This song does a solid job of dumbing down a really great dance song that everyone is already familiar with, but it's also kind of cool how the Purple People, whoever they may be, used Prince's cool drum rolls, kept the mix really lo-fi and muddy, and threw in a thick-as-pea-soup bass line that nearly wipes out the rest of the track. Okay, so it's not amazing, but it's a lot of fun just for the novelty of hearing Prince, Lord and Master of Copyright Law, being remixed in such an unambitious crowd-pleasing manner. Enjoy.

The Puppies - The Puppies (1994)

I think it's fair to say that The Puppies were one of the greatest brother/sister lil' kid Rap groups of all time, although I can't think of many others. Even outside of this gimmick, The Puppies definitely hold their own and made an extremely entertaining party record in 1994, simply called The Puppies, which earned them a bona fide top-40 hit with "Funky Y2C":

The rest of the album lives up to, or exceeds the fun quality of "Funky Y2C," and the production, kept in the family and handled by their father and uncle Calvin Mills II and Carlton Mills, is pretty top notch. The beats will make you dance, and the bass will probably make you vomit if you stand too close to the speaker. Which is a good thing.

The members are made up of little brother Big Boy, who fills the Uncle Luke role in the group as the yelling guy who gets the party hype, and big sister Tamara Dee, who is more of a "rapper's rapper." All in all, this venture feels like the effort of a genuinely talented family rather than a couple kids being exposed by their parents. The Puppies handle diverse subject matter ranging from Summertime fun, puppy love (ha), and shaking booties. The lyrics are all clean of course, but it doesn't give you that nauseating Kidz Bop feeling, so it really is fun for the whole family. Enjoy!

HERE.

Michael Jackson - E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982)

Steven Spielberg. John Williams. Quincy Jones. Michael Jackson. Not much more to say. This album had a short lifespan when it first dropped in 1982, because MJ's label, Epic Records, sued MCA for dropping this project the same month as his album Thriller. 

This album is absolutely stunning - they couldn't have picked a better narrator than Michael Jackson. His genuine, child-like wonder really shines when he is telling this story. Rumor has it he felt he related to E.T.'s character, and I think you can feel their shared experience - much like Elliott in the film - when you listen to his narration. Unfortunately my copy is missing the actual story book that the audio is meant to accompany, as well as the full-sized poster (!!) of the above image. 

Nonetheless, with two versions of Michael's E.T. song "Someone In The Dark" and a full narration of the story, this album is quite a gem, especially for someone of my age who grew up worshiping both of these special beings.

HERE.