Click the Save Template button and now To The Break Of Dawn: May 2011

Monday, May 30, 2011

Fat Boys - Breakdown

The Fat Boys. Who would listen to their records nowadays apart from the faithful old school followers like you and me? Most probably no-one with a name like that. Disco 3 was better I think but maybe that was a little too run-of-the-mill and they decided to change it. I wonder if they had an adviser? Maybe some hip hop version of Simon Cowell had a quiet word and convinced them it was the best way to get noticed. It was probably the same bloke who made them do that awful version of 'The Twist'. That said, their first album was the first full length rap LP I ever bought and I've still got it now. Word on the playground in '84 was that the Human Beatbox was the freshest thing around and if you didn't have it or even if you hadn't heard it you weren't worth knowing. I didn't know what 'Human Beatbox' was never mind that it was a person. Fast forward a couple of years and legendary UK DJ Mike Allen plays 'Breakdown' on his then London listeners only rap show and I get a copy and decide I want it. I had to settle for their 'Big & Beautiful' LP for years up until a few weeks ago when I picked this up for a fiver. It's a def record and once again the best track is relegated to the flip side, 'In The House' being the mediocre choice to try and top the charts. Oh and if these said 'Disco 3' on 'em I might be tempted but at my time of life wearing summat bearing the words 'fat' and 'boy' would be a huge mistake.

Monday, May 02, 2011

Skinny Boys - Rip The Cut

I really like this one. Sir John Peel played this for me way back in life's golden age but the wax somehow passed me by. Eagle eyed viewers will notice that it's the B-side, 'Unity' being selected as the stronger track to lead with. But they were wrong. I eventually picked up a copy a couple of years back and I only paid £2.99 which some of you may think is too much. I don't know what it is about this record. Maybe it's the phaser effect on the scratching of the disco classic 'Good Times' or maybe it's the simple yet hard boom, boom, bap style beat. I know it's not for everybody so judge for yourselves.