Rough House Survivers - Straight from the Soul LP

Relativity (1992)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

As far as the golden era of hip hop goes, I think that 1992 is a year that really gets overlooked in the best year in hip hop discussions.  Maybe it doesn't have the line up of stand out classics like 91, 93 or 94 do.  There's no Tribe album that came out this year, The Hieroglyphics records didn't come out in full force until 93 (til infinity).  Yeah, the Chronic came out in November or so, but that's not an album I rank as a classic in my world, plus it got way more play in 93 than it did in 92.

But when it comes to consistency, 92 was just full of great records with production that really hits the sweet spot for what I'm looking for in hip hop.  Even those records that completely fell through the cracks are pretty elite.  Case in point is this Rough House Survivers album.  Even with guest appearances from CL Smooth, Sadat X from Brand Nubian and Grand Puba, it didn't really make much noise.  I don't remember it from back then, though there were certainly quite a few ads for it in The Source that I've seen rereading those.  Straight From The Soul didn't register then, but it sure stands out to me now.

The production is pretty flawless here.  With jazzy loops, low end bass and big hooks.  Perhaps the thing I miss most about older hip hop is the use of hooks which seems to have all but vanished, even from the folks from back then that are still putting out records.  Give me a hook!  Lyrically, I can't say anyone in this crew is top level elite, but everyone that touches a microphone is really good and wouldn't be out of place rhyming next to anyone.  They all hold their own next to the guest appearances, who are among the top tier of the era.

It's a record that really shouldn't be forgotten.  Anyone that likes golden era hip hop would probably really dig this.  Particularly the disciples of 1992, perhaps the hidden best year of hip hop.

Rough House Survivers - Straight from the Soul:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nu-P0iHFdiBhPRqlciuz6O-Gvz2vb0QXo

Sprocket Wheel - Stand By Me 7"

Brassneck (2023)

When I first discovered Snuffy Smile records in Japan it felt like the marquee bands were Lovemen, Blew, Navel and Sprocket Wheel.  At least, that's how I saw things.  I started off buying split 7"s they had with other bands that I liked such as Hooton 3 Car, Chopper, Goober Patrol, Travis Cut and Less Than Jake.  Blew and Lovemen also both had full albums on Snuffy Smile (Navel;s would follow a couple of years later).  Sprocket Wheel didn't have that Snuffy Smile full length, and after a while they sort of faded out of my view since I wasn't seeing anything new from them.  

At the time, I didn't know they had released a full length and an EP on their own.  It wasn't until many years later that I got a hold of those songs.  So while I was not as familiar with their discography for as long as some of those other Snuffy bands, I caught up eventually.

And that's why I was pleased as punch to see that Sprocket Wheel had started playing some shows in Japan over the last couple of years.  Though I was pretty shocked to find out that they were putting out a new 7".  I mean, you can't even get The Urchin to put out more songs, but now we have new stuff from Sprocket Wheel?  Crazy.

And I'm pleased as punch to report that the songs on this 7" are absolutely fantastic.  Aside from the recording quality being improved a little bit, the three new original songs sound like they could have been plucked from the band in 1995 at the height of there powers.  There's also a fourth cover song on the 7" of the Christmas so.g Feliz Navidad which is fun, but can't hold a candle to the originals.

Those originals are exactly the sort of melodic punk rock that I live for and that I rarely hear any more.  It hits that sweet spot that I'm always looking to hit ever since finding this music back in the 90s.  I cannot possibly say enough good things about these songs and I hope against hope that it's just the first in many new recordings that the band puts out.  

Sprocket Wheel - Stand By Me:
https://brassneckrecords.bandcamp.com/album/stand-by-me

Swami & The Bed of Nails - All Of This Awaits You... LP

Swami (2024)

Swami & The Bed Of Nails is the latest incarnation of John Reis' "solo" endeavor.  "Solo" is in quotes because this isn't a solo, singer-songwriter exercise.  It's a full band experience, but there's something of a rotating cast of characters helping out release to release, song to song.  The last time he put out a record like this it was released under the name Swami John Reis.  No matter what this band or any other band of his is called, I've been one of the world's biggest John Reis fans ever since first hearing Rocket From The Crypt in the 90s.  For me the Bed Of Nails is just another great band to add to his catalog.

The thing that strikes me most about All Of This Awaits You.. is that it's fun and joyful.  The songs are upbeat and catchy.  Even the songs that have negative lyrics (like hating a hardware store) are done with an exuberance that still makes it feel like a positive song.  I'm not going to pretend to be smart enough to dig down for deep meanings in most songs.  It's possible there's something about the lyrics of these songs that I'm missing belying a motive I can't see.  But for me, I'm typically happy enjoying things at the surface level most times and boy do I enjoy this record.

The LP is a very economical nine songs long, with three of the songs having appeared on 7"s leading up to the full length.  I think it raises the bar higher than the previous Swami John Reis album, Ride The Wild Night, though there are similarities to that record on here.  There are also times I hear echoes of the Night Marchers and Rocket.  Ultimately, it's a tight, fun record that whizzes by pretty quick, but also never fails to engage me.  

I really dig the aforementioned hardware store song "Harbor Freight."  "Ketchup, Mustard and Relish" is an unexpected entry into the "_______, _______ & _______" song title pantheon that the Swami has been contributing to over the years.  "Lost In Bermondsey" hits even harder than the version played on cardboard instruments that's been floating around on YouTube for a bit.  All in all, I just really like listening to this record.  It puts me in a good mood and if I have anything resembling a complaint it's just that I want more and wish it was longer.

Swami & The Bed of Nails - All Of This Awaits You...:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kMQmWp8SuqpiOBLIwY5LzpG0c-STNyR3M

And yes, I got the bundle with the T shirt...

WC and the Maad Circle - Ain't a Damn Thing Changed LP

Priority (1991)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

WC and the Maad Circle are yet another golden era act that I didn't hear back in the 90s.  If I had actually heard them in 1991, I can't imagine not have being just about as into them as I was Ice Cube.  There's a pretty good reason for that and that's because half of this album was produced by Sir Jinx, one of the masterminds behind Death Certificate.  Which unsurprisingly results in Ain't a Damn Thing Changed having an extremely similar feel, production wise, as that west coast classic.

The beats on this are great.  That heavy low end, kind of smooth sound that was poised to take over before Dre came and ruined the west with The Chronic.  Lyrically WC handles the bulk of the rhyming and he has a strong voice and descriptive, story telling flow.  He had cut his teeth in a group called Low Profile (still looking for that LP at a good price) before forming the Maad Circle.  You know who else is in the Maad Circle?  Coolio.  Yeah, that Coolio.  I have never been a fan of Coolio, but that's probably mostly due to not liking his production.  On this album, with Sir Jinx beats, he's totally fine and a nice compliment to WC.

This is an album that I'm really surprised hasn't been reissued in some form.  The only LP out there is the original from 1991, which has 18 tracks crammed onto a single LP.  It doesn't sound bad or anything, it's totally fine.  But I nice double LP reissue is absolutely something I'd add to my collection if given the chance.

WC and the Maad Circle - Ain't a Damn Thing Changed:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k5QYp2eKxOlkQQGSH7uUscLReKma4KsKw