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Posted by rladew on 2004-10-11 00:14:08 +0000

EL-P / Company Flow (alt title: Dont You Just Love A Bargain

1997 Company Flow album 'Funcrusher Plus' found @ X-mas tree shops today for $4 USD. Wow. El-P fascinates me. Crazy references to Maggie Simpson, cross color clothing circa 1991, and my favorite, the robotMaxmillianin the 1979 Disney Robert Forster vehicle 'The Black Hole' all in the first 4 minutes or so of the album!
(listen to the 2nd Beta Band Album which samples music from John Barry's original Black Hole score (track 2 or 3 on the beta band disc I think).

Anyhoo, it's not hard to see why my favorite music rag, UK's wire http://www.thewire.co.uk/ calls this guy the steve albini of hip-hop. The jangly unsettling samples, the terse and humorous flow of the lyrics, and a fiercely independent vision set this above the fray.

Anyone unitiated looking for a jumping off point could do a lot worse then the DefJux album 'Fantastic Damage' (circa 2002-2003 I think...)

a while back, me and F tang went back and forth a bit on the free jazz/ avant hip hop outing El-p did w/ Matthew Shipp/William Parker and many others called 'High Water (Mark)' on the thirsty ear label in Feb of this year....
Posted by on 2004-10-11 20:59:03 +0000
Ah, Funcrusher Plus... I was in NYC summer of '97 when that dropped, and I remember standing in my 15ft by 15ft apartment ripping off the CD's plastic wrap and listening to the album for a week straight.

So good, so raw, so clever: alluding to Baby Jessica and Maggie Simpson (as rladew pointed out), the line "they did, but they broke/got the EL-P rookie card stuck in their bicycle spoke."

$4?
Posted by on 2004-10-12 02:13:18 +0000
$4?
I know, Huh? I go thru the tons of'value' priced cds and movies everytime I go in there (which isnt that often - but being married with kids puts you in places you usually dont see yrself in BTW) Seeing another bootleg elvis cd or some 10 disc "laserlight" classical hits collection along with previously viewed VHS's of Ernest Goes To Camp is the Norm.

However, a few months ago, I found a Tom Wolf book, and now Company Flow! (It wasn't even a promo or a cutout - it had 3 price stickers on it - no one bought it at $10, nor $7, so $4.

I hope Im not speaking unfairly for everyone here, but this is why we look thru these bargain bins!
Posted by on 2004-10-12 06:35:44 +0000
I found a Trotsky Icepick album at a dollar store in Concord. It kinda sucked, but still.

Anyway, the El-P free jazz = ass to me.
Posted by on 2004-10-12 11:48:31 +0000
blasphemy!

go listen to one of yr Jandek albums in the corner or something ! :)
Posted by on 2004-10-12 16:27:25 +0000
What do you think I'm doing now?
Posted by on 2004-10-12 17:19:34 +0000
Rubbing peanut butter on your thighs?
Posted by dawnbixtler on 2004-11-02 00:33:13 +0000
Jukie Skate Rock (track 2) is a stunner, but jury is still out on "Collecting the kid."
Posted by tgl on 2004-11-02 01:51:51 +0000
Never collect the kid after dropping them off at the pool.
Posted by frame609 on 2004-11-02 02:00:28 +0000
Unless it's a Cosby kid.
Posted by rladew on 2004-11-02 21:34:06 +0000
this would have to be my fave as well....

how's the new hairdo dude?



_______________________________
“When you’re creating your own shit, man, even the sky ain’t the limit.” Miles Davis
Posted by dawnbixtler on 2004-11-03 17:43:10 +0000
Not there. The Mohawk lasted about 18 hours...
Posted by rladew on 2004-11-03 17:54:37 +0000
thats what I meant though, hows the marine cut workin out? i envy you I love buzz cuts, but domestic harmony often precludes this for me...

_______________________________
“When you’re creating your own shit, man, even the sky ain’t the limit.” Miles Davis
Posted by dawnbixtler on 2004-11-05 04:40:09 +0000
Listened to it again tonite. Ambient White DJ, but good. B/B+
Posted by rladew on 2004-11-05 17:15:31 +0000
Uhhh I wish I could say the same for the new Mos Def... Ill just be nice and say its not to my liking.

In the spirit of backing my shit up, I thought the idea of a PFUNK, Living Colour, and Bad Brains collaboration with Mr. Def on vocals, but I dunno, sorta sounds like bland Living Colour. (don't get me wrong, Ive always been a big LC fan, I always found they were INCREDIBLE musicians - look out if you ever have a chance to see them live- but all their albums have 3-4 good songs sandwiched by 5 0r 6 bloated boring ones - this Mos Def music reminds me of the LC filler) some of the rhymens are good, but black satr or black on both sides good? Nah. Heres to hoping The Ford Prefect portrayl in Hitchhiker next summer is better than this album...

_______________________________
“When you’re creating your own shit, man, even the sky ain’t the limit.” Miles Davis
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