I think What It Is is up there with classics like Nuggets and the Harry Smith anthologies...
you must be joking
I'm as serious as nuclear waste, bro.
Why, would you rather listen to some cheesy Ultimate Breaks & Beats comp with the artists uncredited? What is there NOT to like about What It Is?
Nuggets & the Harry Smith Anthologies were both hugely influential & shaped cultural movements.
'What it Is'? not so much, it's a product, a fancy repackage of back catalog. the track selection strikes me as uninspired. I'm sure it's a fine listen but comparing it to Nuggets & the Folkways anthologies is a bit silly
btw: I don't care about breaks, but UBB undoubtedly looms large in the evolution of hip hop or whatever.
For what it's worth, I liked the What It Is box, the only gripe I had with it was the absence of liner notes to go with the vinyl issue. It's a consistent listen, more consistent than the Harry Smith Anthologies I think it is a nice overview of one label/affiliated releases. The Souljazz comps are definitely patchy, some of them are cool (the New Orleans ones come to mind) but there are a few where the liner notes & selections are a bit off. How do you guys compare them to the Jazzman ones??
I think What It Is is up there with classics like Nuggets and the Harry Smith anthologies...
you must be joking
I'm as serious as nuclear waste, bro.
Why, would you rather listen to some cheesy Ultimate Breaks & Beats comp with the artists uncredited? What is there NOT to like about What It Is?
Nuggets & the Harry Smith Anthologies were both hugely influential & shaped cultural movements.
'What it Is'? not so much, it's a product, a fancy repackage of back catalog. the track selection strikes me as uninspired. I'm sure it's a fine listen but comparing it to Nuggets & the Folkways anthologies is a bit silly
btw: I don't care about breaks, but UBB undoubtedly looms large in the evolution of hip hop or whatever.
Pardon the detour, but:
Some time ago, among a lot of folks and a lot of Indian food, in a conversation that he almost certainly does not remember, I challenged pickwick to point me toward a compilation series exhibiting as much sheer breadth as his proverbial/perennial whipping boy, the Ultimate BreaksAnd Beats series.
This might be a good time to point out that, as of yet, the challenge has not been met.
Some time ago, among a lot of folks and a lot of Indian food, in a conversation that he almost certainly does not remember, I challenged pickwick to point me toward a compilation series exhibiting as much sheer breadth as his proverbial/perennial whipping boy, the Ultimate BreaksAnd Beats series.
This might be a good time to point out that, as of yet, the challenge has not been met.
That is all.
Im also curious about the hatt that ubb gets. Is it a gripe w/ the lack of credits/bootlegging or the quality of the tracks contained. From a hip hop perspective, it's hard to think of a more influential series/ comp.
Some time ago, among a lot of folks and a lot of Indian food, in a conversation that he almost certainly does not remember, I challenged pickwick to point me toward a compilation series exhibiting as much sheer breadth as his proverbial/perennial whipping boy, the Ultimate BreaksAnd Beats series.
This might be a good time to point out that, as of yet, the challenge has not been met.
That is all.
Had the What It Is box been released at the time? Well, that's my answer. Yeah, sure, it's limited to a handful of labels, but then again just the Atlantic sides alone covered a lot of ground. One minute they were in Chicago with the South Shore Commission and Darrow Fletcher, next thing you know they're in New Orleans partying with the Unemployed. So theres some "breadth."
And, unlike UBB, with the box you don't have to GUESS which artist did what song.
Am I missing something, I mean it seems there are almost always funk 45 heaters on the bay
maybe it's the quality of the jawns. I can't recall a time where the Black Exotics (if you were a betting man you would've lost the bet), Robert Moore, Explosions' Jockey Ride, Black Forest, Pearl Dowell, Thunder Lightning & Rain and RDM Band all up within a month.
True that, but it seems like there are often spurts like this. Maybe it's just me.
You forgot the ever so desirable Innersouls and the recent Carleen and the Groovers 45s.
Some time ago, among a lot of folks and a lot of Indian food, in a conversation that he almost certainly does not remember, I challenged pickwick to point me toward a compilation series exhibiting as much sheer breadth as his proverbial/perennial whipping boy, the Ultimate BreaksAnd Beats series.
This might be a good time to point out that, as of yet, the challenge has not been met.
That is all.
Had the What It Is box been released at the time? Well, that's my answer. Yeah, sure, it's limited to a handful of labels, but then again just the Atlantic sides alone covered a lot of ground. One minute they were in Chicago with the South Shore Commission and Darrow Fletcher, next thing you know they're in New Orleans partying with the Unemployed. So theres some "breadth."
Huh?
UBB, Volume 1:
1) Monkees "Mary Mary"* (1961) 2) Bad Bascomb "Black Grass"* (1972) 3) The Winstons "Amen Brother"* (1969) 4) 7th Wonder "Daisy Lady" (1979) 5) D.C. LaRue "Indiscreet" (1976) 6) Rufus Thomas "Do The Funky Penguin" (1972)
=
1) ten-year-old cut by white teen idols 2) instrumental by veteran session dude 3) instrumental seven-inch by largely anonynmous studio group 4) vocal disco cut by soul group 5) disco cut by studio mastermind 6) vocal cut by extra-veteran soul singer
And you're in here talking about soul music from one place to soul music from another place equals "breadth"?
Some time ago, among a lot of folks and a lot of Indian food, in a conversation that he almost certainly does not remember, I challenged pickwick to point me toward a compilation series exhibiting as much sheer breadth as his proverbial/perennial whipping boy, the Ultimate BreaksAnd Beats series.
This might be a good time to point out that, as of yet, the challenge has not been met.
That is all.
Had the What It Is box been released at the time? Well, that's my answer. Yeah, sure, it's limited to a handful of labels, but then again just the Atlantic sides alone covered a lot of ground. One minute they were in Chicago with the South Shore Commission and Darrow Fletcher, next thing you know they're in New Orleans partying with the Unemployed. So theres some "breadth."
Huh?
UBB, Volume 1:
1) Monkees "Mary Mary"* (1961) 2) Bad Bascomb "Black Grass"* (1972) 3) The Winstons "Amen Brother"* (1969) 4) 7th Wonder "Daisy Lady" (1979) 5) D.C. LaRue "Indiscreet" (1976) 6) Rufus Thomas "Do The Funky Penguin" (1972)
=
1) ten-year-old cut by white teen idols 2) instrumental by veteran session dude 3) instrumental seven-inch by largely anonynmous studio group 4) vocal disco cut by soul group 5) disco cut by studio mastermind 6) vocal cut by extra-veteran soul singer
Yeah, there's some breadth there, but I wouldn't want no jive-ass disco tracks busting up my party, know what I mean? That's a diversity I'm not sure I wanna ride with. I've heard Warner Bros. "Loss Leader" samplers that were more consistent than that. Monkees, Bad Bascomb, Winstons, Rufus Thomas - they cool with me. But not them other two losers. (I haven't heard D.C. LaRue's "Cathedrals" in a long time, but Lord, that man had a thin voice...)
Short version - yes, UBB had some diversity, but at a time when you could count all the funk comps on both hands and still have fingers left over, an all-out unfocused sampler's grab bag wasn't what I was looking for.
Some time ago, among a lot of folks and a lot of Indian food, in a conversation that he almost certainly does not remember, I challenged pickwick to point me toward a compilation series exhibiting as much sheer breadth as his proverbial/perennial whipping boy, the Ultimate BreaksAnd Beats series.
This might be a good time to point out that, as of yet, the challenge has not been met.
That is all.
Im also curious about the hatt that ubb gets. Is it a gripe w/ the lack of credits/bootlegging or the quality of the tracks contained. From a hip hop perspective, it's hard to think of a more influential series/ comp.
Yeah, but from an R&B collector perspective, who thought that 70's funk should have been compiled with the same intelligence as earlier 50's and '60s albums, I often wondered why UBB when we coulda had something like what Numero does now? But then, I was never into hip-hop, so I didn't look at it from that angle.
Im also curious about the hatt that ubb gets. Is it a gripe w/ the lack of credits/bootlegging or the quality of the tracks contained. From a hip hop perspective, it's hard to think of a more influential series/ comp.
Yeah, but from an R&B collector perspective, who thought that 70's funk should have been compiled with the same intelligence as earlier 50's and '60s albums, I often wondered why UBB when we coulda had something like what Numero does now? But then, I was never into hip-hop, so I didn't look at it from that angle.
Well, the focus is probably a generational thing. UBB was obviously made with the sampler or beathead in mind and with the same iPod Shuffle mindset that says: "I don't need a playlist or, really, any organization when I'm listening to shit that moves my head." That, or "I want some boom-boom-bap to turn into beats that I can rip off wholescale without needing to bow to the strictures of attribution or studying up on music history and development."
I suppose my position is clear.
Either way, UBB is not for connoisseurs. Not every comp aspires to this or needs to. But why I prefer What It Is! to other introductory comps like UBB is that there is a ear bent to historical context and sonic development. I feel that beats devoid of their historical context are soulless and empty and can only provide reflected light. Obviously, I am in the minority on this, especially as it applies to the very same generations around and behind me that use history books as mere templates for moustaches, blackened teeth, and eye patches. Strangely enough, UBB gets historical cred from me because it suits its generation and is a perfect syndrome of its era. The lack of a simple playlist discourages (or hampers, at best) historical investigation but probably increases the cool, underground feeling you get from listening to what is essentially an illegal bootleg compilation.
Comments
I'm as serious as nuclear waste, bro.
Why, would you rather listen to some cheesy Ultimate Breaks & Beats comp with the artists uncredited? What is there NOT to like about What It Is?
Nuggets & the Harry Smith Anthologies were both hugely influential & shaped cultural movements.
'What it Is'? not so much, it's a product, a fancy repackage of back catalog. the track selection strikes me as uninspired. I'm sure it's a fine listen but comparing it to Nuggets & the Folkways anthologies is a bit silly
btw: I don't care about breaks, but UBB undoubtedly looms large in the evolution of hip hop or whatever.
Okay, I'll give you that. In the back of my mind, I probably made the comparison as far as just cool anthologies that I like a lot.
But one thing...
Show me a man who sez What It Is is uninspired and I'll show you a man who had all of those tracks before the box came out.
Really. I don't need to buy something like this, but I can appreciate it's impact on someone not quite so deep into the game.
is that a dis?
I'd like a copy of 'what so never the dance' - never found that cheap enough
Definitely not! :-)
OTOH, I have everything on Sly & the Family Stone's Greatest Hits and I still think that's a good album from front to back.
Pardon the detour, but:
Some time ago, among a lot of folks and a lot of Indian food, in a conversation that he almost certainly does not remember, I challenged pickwick to point me toward a compilation series exhibiting as much sheer breadth as his proverbial/perennial whipping boy, the Ultimate BreaksAnd Beats series.
This might be a good time to point out that, as of yet, the challenge has not been met.
That is all.
Im also curious about the hatt that ubb gets. Is it a gripe w/ the lack of credits/bootlegging or the quality of the tracks contained. From a hip hop perspective, it's hard to think of a more influential series/ comp.
Had the What It Is box been released at the time? Well, that's my answer. Yeah, sure, it's limited to a handful of labels, but then again just the Atlantic sides alone covered a lot of ground. One minute they were in Chicago with the South Shore Commission and Darrow Fletcher, next thing you know they're in New Orleans partying with the Unemployed. So theres some "breadth."
And, unlike UBB, with the box you don't have to GUESS which artist did what song.
True that, but it seems like there are often spurts like this. Maybe it's just me.
You forgot the ever so desirable Innersouls and the recent Carleen and the Groovers 45s.
Huh?
UBB, Volume 1:
=
And you're in here talking about soul music from one place to soul music from another place equals "breadth"?
I, sir, remain unconvinced.
Short version - yes, UBB had some diversity, but at a time when you could count all the funk comps on both hands and still have fingers left over, an all-out unfocused sampler's grab bag wasn't what I was looking for.
Yeah, but from an R&B collector perspective, who thought that 70's funk should have been compiled with the same intelligence as earlier 50's and '60s albums, I often wondered why UBB when we coulda had something like what Numero does now? But then, I was never into hip-hop, so I didn't look at it from that angle.
Well, the focus is probably a generational thing. UBB was obviously made with the sampler or beathead in mind and with the same iPod Shuffle mindset that says: "I don't need a playlist or, really, any organization when I'm listening to shit that moves my head." That, or "I want some boom-boom-bap to turn into beats that I can rip off wholescale without needing to bow to the strictures of attribution or studying up on music history and development."
I suppose my position is clear.
Either way, UBB is not for connoisseurs. Not every comp aspires to this or needs to. But why I prefer What It Is! to other introductory comps like UBB is that there is a ear bent to historical context and sonic development. I feel that beats devoid of their historical context are soulless and empty and can only provide reflected light. Obviously, I am in the minority on this, especially as it applies to the very same generations around and behind me that use history books as mere templates for moustaches, blackened teeth, and eye patches. Strangely enough, UBB gets historical cred from me because it suits its generation and is a perfect syndrome of its era. The lack of a simple playlist discourages (or hampers, at best) historical investigation but probably increases the cool, underground feeling you get from listening to what is essentially an illegal bootleg compilation.
-Fuddy Duddy
no joke