CRATE DIG: The Beatles – Rocky Raccoon

Welcome to the newest regular feature here at True Genius Requires Insanity, the “Crate Dig.” As you may already be aware, we strongly feel as though it’s time to advocate a “back to basics” movement in music. We feel that instead of everyone being an innovator, that some of us need to be preserving the importance of original source material. To that end, the “Crate Dig” will feature members of the TGRIOnline.com staff, the “Hustlers of Culture,” digging through their mental crates to remember the songs that made them appreciate music. There will be some amazing, and yes, embarrassing choices here, but always the key impact is to remember when music was not something to be over studied, remixed, downloaded, forgotten and torn asunder. We’re remembering when music was simply a song you liked, and really couldn’t tell you more than a sentence or two why. Sit back, reminisce, and enjoy the building blocks of music appreciation.

http://www.youtube.com/v/MB4v-GZo3hQ?fs=1&hl=en_US

Song: The Beatles – “Rocky Raccoon”
Year released: 1968
Year “discovered” by me: 2003
Reason discovered: I love the White Album.

For the last seven years, I’ve listened to the Beatles’ White Album from beginning to end at least once a year. It’s possibly my favorite Beatles album ever, with Rubber Soul and Magical Mystery Tour a close second. I enjoy the album mainly because it shows the depth of the Beatles as musicians at this point, as the album touches soul, rock, pop, ballads and in the case of “Rocky Raccoon,” folk music. Written by the team of Lennon and McCartney, it’s easily my favorite late era Beatles tune. Yes, it’s an odd choice for sure, but in being The Beatles taking a style in which they were not traditionally adept and creating a perfect facsimile, it stands as one of their most impressive and underrated bodies of work.

As a huge fan of folk and country music, I love the story songs of the genres. This is a great story, up there with the one Kenny Rogers at the First Edition tell in “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town” and Johnny Cash in “A Boy Named Sue” for passionate emotion. Rocky Raccoon is a boy from a mining town in “Dakota” who loses his first love “Lil McGill” to a man named “Dan” and decides to travel to shoot him in the middle of a crowded bar. He goes to an inn before he attempts to murder the man that stole the love of his life, and reflects upon seeing a Holy Bible that he’s going to be a sinner, but feels more of a draw to love than to religion. He goes to the bar, but Dan outdraws him, shoots him, an alcoholic doctor can’t cure him, but Rocky leaves bloodied and  ashamed to head back home, taking the bible with him from the hotel in a repentant act. It’s both poignant and beautiful, and when emotively sang by Paul McCartney, it’s a real heart string tugger.

My favorite songs by the Beatles have so incredibly little to do with their huge classic hits. In the intricacy of their creative process, even on nonsense stories like these, there’s an adherence to craft and style that is impressive. So few artists in this era understand the importance of quality control and development that when you hear a B-side folk tale done by a legendary rock band, it makes you pause and take note of its excellence.

CRATE DIG: Mya feat. Blackstreet, Mase and Blinky Blink – Take Me There

Welcome to the newest regular feature here at True Genius Requires Insanity, the “Crate Dig.” As you may already be aware, we strongly feel as though it’s time to advocate a “back to basics” movement in music. We feel that instead of everyone being an innovator, that some of us need to be preserving the importance of original source material. To that end, the “Crate Dig” will feature members of the TGRIOnline.com staff, the “Hustlers of Culture,” digging through their mental crates to remember the songs that made them appreciate music. There will be some amazing, and yes, embarrassing choices here, but always the key impact is to remember when music was not something to be over studied, remixed, downloaded, forgotten and torn asunder. We’re remembering when music was simply a song you liked, and really couldn’t tell you more than a sentence or two why. Sit back, reminisce, and enjoy the building blocks of music appreciation.

http://www.youtube.com/v/cB2QI2mCyfU?fs=1&hl=en_US

Song: Mya feat. Blackstreet, Mase and Blinky Blink – Take Me There

Year released: 1997
Year “discovered” by me: 1997
Reason discovered: This song has absolutely no right to be this great.

I was a Mya stan in 1997. I felt she was easily the world’s most attractive woman, and I was madly in love with her as well as Lauryn Hill. Somewhere between the two I felt was the recipe for the perfect woman in my life. As has been mentioned in this space before, I was a college radio DJ. The radio station at Providence College is right down the hall from the newspaper office and across from the non-cafeteria dining option at Slavin Center, so, it goes without saying that there were times where I would easily spend 24 straight hours between the three places. I used to love Tuesdays when the new tracks would come in. I’d scour through white label records and CD singles, often using our spare studio to pore through selections to have the most eclectic shows humanly possible. Seeing that there was a Mya and Blackstreet single featuring Maseand his little brother, I was sold. I was a big fan of all acts involved, and frankly didn’t care that the song took a sample of the Rugrats theme. It was three of the hottest acts in my hip hop and R & B universe at the time all on one track. A winner.

This may be the most confounding production choice of Teddy Riley’s career. I’m certain that given it is a soundtrack song he was paid handsomely for it, but it sounds like a Macguyver plot. Here’s the Rugrats theme song, Mya, Blackstreet, Mase and a VHS tape of the TV show. In an hour (minus commercials), make a convincing pop trending R & B song for a nine year old. Of course, the man who in the same lifetime produced both “Rumpshaker” and “Teddy’s Jam” has zero problem with this task, and cranks out a track that the Jackson 5 could have performed over in 1975. Mason Betha’s rhyme here isn’t exactly the best, but he wastes a bar to mention the names of Rugrats protagonists Phil and Lil in one of the most forced rhymes in quite some time. The xylophones on this track are wonderful, and begs the question why there aren’t more songs that have featured the instrument from this point forward.

A great producer can make chicken salad out of chicken shit. A hall of famer takes that chicken salad, eats it, finds more chicken shit and makes chicken cacciatore. Teddy Riley, ladies and gentlemen. A hall of famer.

CRATE DIG: Cover Girls – Show Me

Welcome to the newest regular feature here at True Genius Requires Insanity, the “Crate Dig.” As you may already be aware, we strongly feel as though it’s time to advocate a “back to basics” movement in music. We feel that instead of everyone being an innovator, that some of us need to be preserving the importance of original source material. To that end, the “Crate Dig” will feature members of the TGRIOnline.com staff, the “Hustlers of Culture,” digging through their mental crates to remember the songs that made them appreciate music. There will be some amazing, and yes, embarrassing choices here, but always the key impact is to remember when music was not something to be over studied, remixed, downloaded, forgotten and torn asunder. We’re remembering when music was simply a song you liked, and really couldn’t tell you more than a sentence or two why. Sit back, reminisce, and enjoy the building blocks of music appreciation.

http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/video/x12shi?additionalInfos=0
Show me -The Cover Girls
Uploaded by clcbarueri. – Explore more music videos.

Song: Cover Girls – Show Me

Year released: 1987
Year “discovered” by me: 1987
Reason discovered: Freshest sound I’d ever heard

When I was nine years old, I had three musical favorites. Michael Jackson, Prince and George Michael. Everything else was good, but those guys were great. Rap was around, Motown was a huge influence, and I loved the teen pop of the day, but my big favorites were that triumvirate. However, one day, I’m in the car with my mother on the way to school, and everything changed. It was hip hop, it was dance, and there were horns everywhere. As I’ve chronicled in this column before, I was a GIANT nerd at this point, so suffice to say, I wasn’t exactly dancing to this sound, it was more like I was wildly gyrating and appearing to have the onset of a seizure. Seizing movements notwithstanding, I waited for Donnie Simpson, then of DC urban powerhouse radio station WKYS to identify this sound, and he said, that was “Show Me,” by The Cover Girls. I wrote it on the inside of my notebook, and from there on out, if I heard anything on the radio that remotely sounded like “Show Me,” it went on the inside of my notebook. Names like Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam and Stevie B soon joined, and then one day while reading Right On! magazine at the supermarket, I saw a pic of the Cover Girls, had a giant crush on the trio, and a name for this sound I loved: freestyle.
 
I became compulsive about freestyle. Being nine and in retrospect easily confused for a closet racist, I presumed that because Latinos were at the top of the heap in singing freestyle songs that I could find more of it on traditional Spanish speaking radio. I didn’t, but there, I discovered Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Enrique Iglesias and salsa, merengue, bachata, cumbia and a plethora of other sounds.
 
Being a fan of freestyle, when Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam came out with “Head to Toe,” I was hugely into it, and was amazed when it freestyle went from something I JUST heard on the radio and saw on urban video shows like local CBS affiliate WUSA-TV 9’s Friday night “Music Video Connection” to something competing alongside and soon topping Poison and Richard Marx for #1 on Casey Kasem’s “America’s Top 10.” However, even though there were tons more, including TKA and related group K7 in later years, I blame freestyle and namely the Cover Girls for really blowing open the doors of dance music to me. I really got into the house of MARRS’ “Pump Up the Volume,” and much of Queen Latifah’s early work and the Jungle Brothers because I really loved hip hop/dance fusion. But something about the little extra of the Latin sounds in freestyle keps that sound fresh and exciting to me to this day.
 
With tonight being the largest night in the nascent history of moombahton, this Crate Dig, regarding how I got into Latin sounds felt appropriate.
 
Dale moombahton!

CRATE DIG: Simon and Garfunkel – Cecilia

Welcome to the newest regular feature here at True Genius Requires Insanity, the “Crate Dig.” As you may already be aware, we strongly feel as though it’s time to advocate a “back to basics” movement in music. We feel that instead of everyone being an innovator, that some of us need to be preserving the importance of original source material. To that end, the “Crate Dig” will feature members of the TGRIOnline.com staff, the “Hustlers of Culture,” digging through their mental crates to remember the songs that made them appreciate music. There will be some amazing, and yes, embarrassing choices here, but always the key impact is to remember when music was not something to be over studied, remixed, downloaded, forgotten and torn asunder. We’re remembering when music was simply a song you liked, and really couldn’t tell you more than a sentence or two why. Sit back, reminisce, and enjoy the building blocks of music appreciation.

http://www.youtube.com/v/a5_QV97eYqM?fs=1&hl=en_US

Song: Simon and Garfunkel – “Cecilia”
Year released: 1970
Year “discovered” by me: 1995
Reason discovered: Girls.

Can’t tell a lie. I became obsessive about music around 1995. I always loved music, but I didn’t really get OCD about things until I was at this party at my friend Julie’s house, and unbeknown to me, Julie wasn’t really into me, but her friend Sandra was.

At 17, I was nuts about this girl named Julie. I played It’s Academic in high school (quiz bowl/Jeopardy for teens), and her school and mine were friendly rivals at tournaments our schools would attend. She was tall, blonde, had deep blue eyes, and was really attractive. Like in the “there’s no way in hell she should have been talking to me” sort of way. And yet, she openly talked to me. Freely. At will. About anything and everything. Me, being both a hopeless romantic and a fool, I was done for. Head over heels in love. Or so I thought. Julie was crazy for this guy named Glenn who went to her school who was in a band, played soccer, and was a slacker with long, mussed dirty blond hair. I was getting aced by Eddie Vedder, and had NO idea.

So, Julie had a party at her house one Saturday night. Invited me, just one week after she accepted my invite to be my junior prom date. So, I grabbed my best Polo button down, my flyest pair of Perry Ellis jeans, my suede bucks and doused myself in Safari cologne, and was off to Julie’s house. It started off so great. I was there, and was mingling, but none of the girls in the room seemed to want to talk to me (which given that I later found that the entire party was so that Julie wouldn’t feel so guilty about what’s about to happen in this story makes ALL the sense in the world now). Except Julie, who chatted my ear off, and was dancing with me, to yep, “Cecilia,” when everything suddenly changed.

At roughly the same moment, Julie’s now BOYFRIEND Glenn came downstairs after taking a shower, and through the door walked Julie’s friend Sandra. Upon Glenn walking in, Julie threw her arms around him, and came over to me and introduced this asshole as “Glenn….my boyfriend…but don’t worry, we’re still totally going to prom!” Dumbfounded, the lyrics to this wonderfully bouncy tune I’d never heard until that night, “Cecilia, you’re breaking my heart, your’re shaking my confidence daily” had an entirely different meaning. Upon noting that I looked like someone had killed my dog like Old Yeller, she then introduced me to Sandra (who had literally just walked in), who was a shorter Jamaican girl with these gigantic eyes and wonderful smile, and as Paul Simon sang “Jubilation, she loves me again, I fall on the floor and I’m laughing,” all was suddenly better in my universe as Julie had literally broken my heart and healed it in about one minute and 30 seconds.

Epilogue: I went to the prom with Julie, while dating Sandra, a relationship that happened literally three weeks after our first meeting. A month after that meeting, I engaged in some rather X rated behavior in Sandra’s backseat and was promptly caught by her mother, causing Sandra to be sent to Jamaica for two months in an attempt to cool off our relationship. Within one week of Sandra leaving, I met a girl named Chrisalyn, and we had a fling while Sandra was gone. Once Sandra returned, things were back to normal and Chrisalyn was forgotten.

“Cecilia, you’re breaking my heart, your’re shaking my confidence daily”

“Jubilation, she loves me again, I fall on the floor and I’m laughing,”

Sometimes, if even by accident, you feel like a song is literally written just for you.

Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, ladies and gentlemen. Maestros of song and maestros of the fickle nature of the teenage heart.

CRATE DIG: Jordan Knight – Give it to You

Welcome to the newest regular feature here at True Genius Requires Insanity, the “Crate Dig.” As you may already be aware, we strongly feel as though it’s time to advocate a “back to basics” movement in music. We feel that instead of everyone being an innovator, that some of us need to be preserving the importance of original source material. To that end, the “Crate Dig” will feature members of the TGRIOnline.com staff, the “Hustlers of Culture,” digging through their mental crates to remember the songs that made them appreciate music. There will be some amazing, and yes, embarrassing choices here, but always the key impact is to remember when music was not something to be over studied, remixed, downloaded, forgotten and torn asunder. We’re remembering when music was simply a song you liked, and really couldn’t tell you more than a sentence or two why. Sit back, reminisce, and enjoy the building blocks of music appreciation.

http://www.youtube.com/v/ijXcYLV1aNg?fs=1&hl=en_US

Song: “Give It to You” by Jordan Knight
Year released: 1999
Year “discovered” by me: 1999
Reason discovered: Enormous teen pop devotee, and sex.

Why do I love it?

In the summer of 1999, I had three main interests. Booze, chicks and teen pop. Well, let’s make that one interest that the other two helped to fuel. Chicks. It was the summer before my senior year at Providence College, and a young man’s mind had turned to lust. Pretty much everything in my life focused on women, and how to be with them. I wanted every woman everywhere it seemed, and as I prepared for work one day as an AmeriCorps volunteer, I happened upon this song playing on MTV. Jordan Knight was not unfamiliar territory to me. I was a big fan of New Kids On The Block, having heard “Please Don’t Go Girl” on the radio, and finding it to be the best song ever, of all time. I was a sucker for ballads as I swore by New Edition, “Can You Stand The Rain” and BBD’s “Will I Ever See You Smile Again” two of my favorites of all time. Add in the fact that Maurice Starr discovered both groups, and I was hooked. Yes, I was definitely male, so this was yet another occurrence of many where my mother just naturally assumed her son was a homosexual when she took me to a sold out US Air Arena of tweenage girls freaking their little hearts out to see NKOTB with openers Dino and The Good Girls.

But that was ten years before. Jordan had grown up, and not unlike ‘NSync and the Backstreet Boys (whose dance moves I’d learned in pursuing a girl *not a boy, mom* named Sue – yes, I was that shameless), Jordan Knight’s song featured this really cool carnival waltz in the intro, and, well, far more adult oriented lyrics than anything by the two leading boy bands of the era. Given that my mind was almost solely focused on sex, I was bought and sold that Jordan Knight clearly was a more important boy band singer than Justin Timberlake or Nick Carter (one out of two…not bad).

This song is produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and one of the co-writers is Robin Thicke. Clearly, this was a winner. Relatedly, one day I’ll write about Robin Thicke’s first single ever “When I Get You Alone,” which is amazing, but I digress. There’s everything here, alongside Darrin “Darrin’s Dance Grooves” Henson as the choreographer for, and a storyline loosely adapted from Grease in the video that made it a PLATINUM hit single.

Baby you know I can give it to you / I can’t deny I’d do it right / Just let me know and I’ll give it to you / Show me where I’ll taste you there / Baby you know and I’ll give it to you / Your body needs a man like me / Anything goes when I give it to you / Without a doubt I’ll turn you out / The feeling is fine giving you everything of mine

Sexually aggressive as hell and my summer soundtrack of the promiscuous summer of 1999, enjoy the lustful overtones of Jordan Knight!

CRATE DIG: John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band – Instant Karma!

Welcome to the newest regular feature here at True Genius Requires Insanity, the “Crate Dig.” As you may already be aware, we strongly feel as though it’s time to advocate a “back to basics” movement in music. We feel that instead of everyone being an innovator, that some of us need to be preserving the importance of original source material. To that end, the “Crate Dig” will feature members of the TGRIOnline.com staff, the “Hustlers of Culture,” digging through their mental crates to remember the songs that made them appreciate music. There will be some amazing, and yes, embarrassing choices here, but always the key impact is to remember when music was not something to be over studied, remixed, downloaded, forgotten and torn asunder. We’re remembering when music was simply a song you liked, and really couldn’t tell you more than a sentence or two why. Sit back, reminisce, and enjoy the building blocks of music appreciation.

http://www.youtube.com/v/EqP3wT5lpa4?fs=1&hl=en_US

Song: John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band – “Instant Karma”
Year released: 1970
Year “discovered” by me: 1992
Reason discovered: Easily the most racist moment of my life.

I grew up a Beatles appreciator. When I got into something at a young age, I got into it to a near OCD level, blocking out all other interests until of course, the one second I would look up and briefly notice something else, and then, as if all of a sudden, my mind and interests would trend elsewhere. I discovered the Beatles because they covered Motown songs. I was heavy into my first Motown phase around the age of nine when I heard The Beatles’ version of The Marvelettes “Please Mr. Postman” and Barrett Strong’s “Money (That’s What I Want,” and I wasn’t really a fan. I knew they were important because of the ridiculous number of screaming women I saw in every clip, but, it wasn’t until maybe 12, when I really dug into the British Invasion (and subsequent invasions) that I really understood what was going on.

John is my favorite Beatle. I think Ringo’s an underrated drummer, Paul McCartney was more evolved and better across the board in Wings, and John is the epitome of cool. His work with the Plastic Ono Band concept predates so many artists seriously performing music as a piece of performance art. Yoko didn’t break up the Beatles. It was what Yoko added to John that broke up the Beatles. I believe that once Yoko’s artistic creativity melded with John’s perpetually forward thinking ideals made the idea of “Beatles” an idea that was ultimately beneath John, and truly not worth his time. He had much more to offer, and bigger fish to fry.

Some of my favorite late era Beatles songs come from whenever they decided they wanted to experiment with the louder, harder and heavier sides of rock. I’m of a particular belief that The Who, with Roger Daltrey’s cocksure attitude, Pete Townshend’s vitriolic mastery of the guitar, John Entwhistle’s moody bass, and Keith Moon banging the drums in a frenetic and magnificent rhythm not important to the Beatles since they heard Benny Benjamin of the Funk Brothers on early Motown material. It is the work of McCartney most likely that kept the band more low fi as time wore on, life changing material not meant for the upper registers of sound. Tracks like “Helter Skelter” and “Revolution” creep in by the end though, both indicative of a creative place the band could’ve headed with excellence.

I was 14 years old and hanging out in a teepee at Camp Shohola for Boys with an American, a Dutch and a British counselor interested in starting a camp campaign for international racial unity, social freedom and justice. The entire thing was spurred on by the last competitive fight I ever had, a KO victory by me of a younger kid at my lunch table who had the temerity to call me a “nigger” to my face. I don’t think I’ll ever hit a human being harder as many times as I did in that fight. In the ensuing days, there was a discussion by the camp as to what to do. Was I to go home, was my verbal assailant to go home, or were we both to be exiled from camp? Well, in the event that I was to go home, this multiracial group was set to have my back. The first time we met, we listened to John Lennon’s entire solo career on tape, and I became a fan. My favorite of all of them? “Instant Karma.”

The other guy ended up being sent home. And, I asked Arno, my Dutch counselor friend, to make as many copies of Lennon, and music like his that he had. I let camp with more Lennon and Parliament-Funkadelic than I could shake a stick at. Of course, now eighteen years removed, I can look back at the recording and pick out the EXACT reasons why I love this song so much. Foremost, Phil Spector is the producer. His wall of sound is in full effect here, and when comprised of the all star “Plastic Ono Band” lineup for the day of Lennon on lead vocals, acoustic guitar and electric piano, Billy Preston on grand piano, Klaus Voorman on bass guitar and backing vocals, Alan White on drums, George Harrison on electric guitar and backing vocals and Yoko Ono on backing vocals, I understand. It’s amazing, and it shows. Alan White (who later joined Yes, of “Roundabout” and “Owner of a Lonely Heart” fame) sounds like he’s hitting the skins with a mallet, and the multiple pianos, and guitars here really gives the track a wonderful orchestral quality. Spector’s at his mixing and mastering best here, programming every instrument for maximum impact at precision points.

The lyrics? A challenge. To accept love, to accept peace, to accept harmony. He chastises those who choose to laugh at or ignore the importance of peace and harmony in the universe, telling them that karma for their inaction will be instant, and that with or without them, we’re all going to “shine on, like the moon and the stars and the sun.” Celestial, magical, honest and real.

John Lennon would’ve been 70 today. I can only think of what he would have done as an artist, producer, composer, and always, and advocate and fighter for freedom for eternity. I think it’s admirable that Yoko Ono has fully dedicated herself to the life mission she shared with her husband. However, it always seems to me in many ways bittersweet, a remembrance of things past, and a reminder of what could’ve been.

Reflect on the mastery of this track, and live the lyrics as best you can, every day of your life.

CRATE DIG: Omarion – Icebox

Welcome to the newest regular feature here at True Genius Requires Insanity, the “Crate Dig.” As you may already be aware, we strongly feel as though it’s time to advocate a “back to basics” movement in music. We feel that instead of everyone being an innovator, that some of us need to be preserving the importance of original source material. To that end, the “Crate Dig” will feature members of the TGRIOnline.com staff, the “Hustlers of Culture,” digging through their mental crates to remember the songs that made them appreciate music. There will be some amazing, and yes, embarrassing choices here, but always the key impact is to remember when music was not something to be over studied, remixed, downloaded, forgotten and torn asunder. We’re remembering when music was simply a song you liked, and really couldn’t tell you more than a sentence or two why. Sit back, reminisce, and enjoy the building blocks of music appreciation.

http://www.youtube.com/v/jQybgJCswF0?fs=1&hl=en_US

Song: Omarion – “Icebox”
Year released: 2006
Year “discovered” by me: 2006
Reason discovered: Obsessive compulsive love of Timbaland

Timbaland built the latter half of the era of his career dedicated to urban trending music helping young pop stars grow into men with the aid of orchestral histrionics. “Icebox,” the song that helped fully usher Omarion from being a member of B2K and going “Bump Bump Bump” into being a very adult and very sensual heart breaker is in my opinion the finest production of Timbaland’s career, a magnum opus that ended his R & B and hip hop dominance and provided a fine coda prior to his work as a pop tune-smith.

You can’t begin any discussion of “Icebox” without it’s cousin “My Love,” the sensual synth and bass ode that in many ways took Justin Timberlake from the excellent to the legendary and frankly is so great that if Timberlake never releases another song as long as he lives, he can contend for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on its merits alone. Timbaland became Bernie Taupin for the teen set of wanna be Elton Johns, the panty dropping properties of the ode to the precious moments when a man desires love are obvious, and after its production, as well as part two of “Cry Me a River,” “What Goes Around” it seemed as though Timbaland really had no pressing need to have anything left to offer.

Enter Omarion. “Icebox” is probably my favorite love song of the 2000s. That covers a lot of ground, but it’s absolutely true. This isn’t the same level of performance as Justin on “My Love,” but it’s superb. Omarion performs for the only time in his career at the height of his talent. A truly great producer can mine from a very average singer their career best, and give them the hit they need to enjoy a lifestyle of relative ease for the rest of their lives. That happens here. Conga drums, pianos and synths combine for an undulating down tempo canvas of strife. This song is a tear jerker. The subject matter, a man so jaded and spurned by a love gone wrong that there’s “an icebox where his heart used to be,” happens to people every day. The simile of comparing the cold depression of emotional emptiness with an icebox? Timeless and perfect in every way.

http://www.youtube.com/v/2Kl3RFomFqo?fs=1&hl=en_US

Omarion – “Icebox” (Busta Rhymes Remix)

Humorously enough, it was this track that in my mind stalled his career as well, as when the song became the hottest song in music at the time, people from little known rappers like Young Hot Rod to industry veterans like Busta Rhymes made the track a mixtape staple. The song did get an official remix though, and that’s where everything went wrong.

http://www.youtube.com/v/DtWXB3SWGnQ?fs=1&hl=en_US

Omarion – “Icebox” (Usher Remix)

I strongly feel that when doing a remix as a lesser known artist or an artist struggling to craft an identity, it’s highly important when doing a remix to find a performer willing to not “ether” you and make you appear less than talented on their level, or find someone that is proficient at a completely different talent than you possess. Thus, the Busta remix, which is totally underrated would’ve made a fine remix for the mainstream. However, Epic A & R felt that this track was so large and successful in crafting a more adult persona for Omarion that they sought the hottest R & B singer in the world at singing about heartbreak, Usher. At this point, his Confessions album had turned the world upside down and back again, people completely impressed by the emotional depth of his public mea culpa to ex girlfriend Chili of TLC.

As soon as Usher mentions “Confessions” and “Burn” on the track, it becomes his, an extension of the angst of his instant legend album, and Omarion’s performance is pretty much rendered solid and unspectacular by comparison. Usher with Timbaland’s once in a lifetime track appears to be a better fit, and in many ways lifts the tale of the song to new levels. In doing that, Omarion appears a second rate Usher, much to the detriment of his career.

In any event, enjoy likely the best tale of heartbreak of the last decade.

CRATE DIG: Bee Gees – Nights on Broadway

Welcome to the newest regular feature here at True Genius Requires Insanity, the “Crate Dig.” As you may already be aware, we strongly feel as though it’s time to advocate a “back to basics” movement in music. We feel that instead of everyone being an innovator, that some of us need to be preserving the importance of original source material. To that end, the “Crate Dig” will feature members of the TGRIOnline.com staff, the “Hustlers of Culture,” digging through their mental crates to remember the songs that made them appreciate music. There will be some amazing, and yes, embarrassing choices here, but always the key impact is to remember when music was not something to be over studied, remixed, downloaded, forgotten and torn asunder. We’re remembering when music was simply a song you liked, and really couldn’t tell you more than a sentence or two why. Sit back, reminisce, and enjoy the building blocks of music appreciation.

http://www.youtube.com/v/tYmwGEAsz9I?fs=1&hl=en_US

Song: Bee Gees – “Nights on Broadway”
Year released: 1975
Year “discovered” by me: 2001
Reason discovered: DJing

So I had this part of my set that I used to hate when I played hoity toity high society gigs and my disco, soul and funk night at an upscale restaurant. I would be hired to play from 9-3, which at most establishments meant having to play while dinner was being served, then through post dinner drinks and dessert, into the full fledged dance point of the evening. I had dinner on point.”Send it On” by D’Angelo into pretty much anything out of the Nat King Cole canon into Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” at which point at society functions the drinks were starting to flow, dessert was hitting the tables and soon it would be time to dance. I needed a song to bridge the gap from Sinatra to the Silver Connection’s “Fly Robin Fly” which always was my fail safe kickoff to get both the really old 60+ crowd moving and to get the soccer moms with husbands 20 years their senior on the dance floor. I had tried a number of songs and failed as there were few songs I knew that bridged disco and balladry. Gloria Gaynor, too heavy. Thelma Houston, too heavy. The Bee Gees, too… wait. Hold the phone.

I was getting ready for a particular gig by putting on a tux and imitating John Travolta as Tony Manero getting ready for a night on the town. I had purchased a “Best of the Bee Gees” tape from a bootleg guy, and had pretty much strutted all over my bedroom. I went out of my room into my mother’s makeshift study to check my email, and the tape had flipped to Side A, which was filled with the Bee Gees early ballads, of which I would only pretty much fast forward to “To Love Somebody,” as it’s amazing in every way. I was confronted instead by “Nights on Broadway.” A robust R & B concoction with a very rough falsetto by Barry Gibb and an early era, understated Philadelphia International related disco swing, I was immediately hooked. Also included was this disembodied “Dream Weaver” breakdown, almost trance like, a beautiful love ode. Overall, I was floored, and had found my new winner to take the 10:00 – 10:30 point of my set to a whole new level of awesome. I even found a rudimentary way to rip my tape to CD as I was 100% sure the song was a rare gem that on the computers utilized by the company that booked me at that time. I get to my gig, call the office to check in, and tell the guy on the other end of the line about my find and his response: “Really kid? ‘Nights on Broadway,’ huh? #7, 1975. Neither rare, nor shocking. Do your research, kid.” Floored.

Research proved amazing as it was their RSO label head Robert Stigwood who sent the out of touch 60s chartbusters to America to change their style and get in tune with R & B. Instead, they ended up partying in Miami at the request of Eric Clapton, and came back with #1 hit, jingle jangle disco winner “Jive Talkin,” and this one which portended Saturday Night Fever by two years, blue eyed soulful melodic disco, stripped of heavy synth augmentation and a remembrance of their balladeer past and their night club present.

“Nights on Broadway” is truly a cut above.

CRATE DIG – Ghost Town DJs – My Boo

Welcome to the newest regular feature here at True Genius Requires Insanity, the “Crate Dig.” As you may already be aware, we strongly feel as though it’s time to advocate a “back to basics” movement in music. We feel that instead of everyone being an innovator, that some of us need to be preserving the importance of original source material. To that end, the “Crate Dig” will feature members of the TGRIOnline.com staff, the “Hustlers of Culture,” digging through their mental crates to remember the songs that made them appreciate music. There will be some amazing, and yes, embarrassing choices here, but always the key impact is to remember when music was not something to be over studied, remixed, downloaded, forgotten and torn asunder. We’re remembering when music was simply a song you liked, and really couldn’t tell you more than a sentence or two why. Sit back, reminisce, and enjoy the building blocks of music appreciation.

http://www.youtube.com/v/jZdMFB4BhrQ?fs=1&hl=en_US

Song: Ghost Town DJs – “My Boo”
Year released: 1996
Year “discovered” by me: I rediscover this one every time I hear it.
Reason discovered: A different one every time.

Sometimes the pop charts get it wrong. How “My Boo” by the Ghost Town DJs  was never a #1 pop track is a mystery I’ll never quite understand. “My Boo” is probably one of my top ten songs of all time. In proving to be universally beloved and timeless classic, it has qualities that make it transcend just being a classic bass track into being one of the guiltiest of guilty pleasure by friends, lovers, DJs and partygoers alike. The track isn’t just one of those secret dance smashes like Michael Cleis’ “La Mezcla,” which few people outside the realm of house or other dance music styles understand how massively terrific it is. It also isn’t a blogger favorite, some downtempo indie rock chick wailing over distorted guitars ballad. It’s likely on the short list of being the most accessible hip hop track to pretty much everyone, and therefore deserves praise.

The album compilations Jermaine Dupri presents The So So Def Bass All-Stars (I, II and III) get tragically small amounts of credit as truly influential creations. Without them, it likely would’ve taken artists like Lil Jon and the Ying Yang Twins much longer to gain access to a mainstream foothold, and bass music may have taken a different direction that may have kept it from as significant an amount of mainstream influence as it has today. In 1996, bass was the land of acts like the 2 Live Crew, Uncle Luke, the Poison Clan and was the realm of sex charged booty rap that was so ribald, lyrically appalling and sonically bizarre in the face of the sound of popular urban music at the time. The East coast was tough, grimy and filled with heavy percussion and sparse instrumentation, or dusty, jazzy samples with heavy bottoms added into the mix. The West coast, still as in love with Parliament, Funkadelic and Charlie Wilson as ever. Enter into that mix, Atlanta, GA’s answer to Miami, FL, So So Def Bass All Stars.

“My Boo” is amazing in its accessibility. In 1996 or in any era thereafter, I can’t imagine one person who doesn’t secretly adore the sounds of the 2 Live Crew, or have a particular favorite Miami bass jam that sets off a might in the club or drive in the car perfectly. Well, where “Pop The Coochie” fails as a song you can play in your mama’s presence, “My Boo” succeeds. As the executive producer of the project, Jermaine Dupri knew exactly what he was doing. He took that sound familiar to Miami and most of the South, and dipped it in pure mainstream pop sensibilities. INOJ’s cover of Ready for the World’s major urban hit ballad “Love You Down” and the biggest pop charter of the So So Def albums, her cover of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time. On the third and final compilationNew Edition’s Ricky Bell even covered New Edition’s “Tell Me When Will I See You Smile Again,” to further prove the point. 

I always find it entertaining that friend to the site, Baltimore DJ and club music specialist James Nasty (amongst many others including Nouveau Riche’s Nacey and DJ Quicksilva) drops “My Boo” in his sets. Of the tracks from the So So Def project that were hits, “My Boo” is the only one that is original source material, and much like Baltimore Club music, it’s the original source tracks, like “Dance My Pain Away” and “I’m the Shit” that are the biggest hits with the most longevity. “My Boo” is an original love song and one of the best tracks of the genre in being a pure ballad set to synths and an 808 that is completely on point.

In any event, please enjoy the majesty of “My Boo.”

CRATE DIG: Mario – Braid My Hair

Welcome to the newest regular feature here at True Genius Requires Insanity, the “Crate Dig.” As you may already be aware, we strongly feel as though it’s time to advocate a “back to basics” movement in music. We feel that instead of everyone being an innovator, that some of us need to be preserving the importance of original source material. To that end, the “Crate Dig” will feature members of the TGRIOnline.com staff, the “Hustlers of Culture,” digging through their mental crates to remember the songs that made them appreciate music. There will be some amazing, and yes, embarrassing choices here, but always the key impact is to remember when music was not something to be over studied, remixed, downloaded, forgotten and torn asunder. We’re remembering when music was simply a song you liked, and really couldn’t tell you more than a sentence or two why. Sit back, reminisce, and enjoy the building blocks of music appreciation.

http://www.youtube.com/v/flABZXwddMg?fs=1&hl=en_US 

Song: Mario – “Braid My Hair”
Year released: 2001
Year “discovered” by me: 2001
Reason discovered: Drunken realizations

In November 2001, I was 60 days away from the night when my mother changed the locks on the front door to her house, and I was finally kicked out of the house to live on my own. These were wild times, filled with joblessness, partying, intoxication, drunk driving (drunk everything for that matter) and splitting from my girlfriend of eight years for the last time (we broke up six times in eight years…don’t judge). This led to a night at 4 AM, when I parked my Dodge Neon at the bottom of the block my mother lived on, and when I finally parked, I stopped, and I had a moment of clarity about my life, and I suddenly realized I was all alone, no job, at that moment my friends weren’t there, I knew my mom hated me for my life choices, and, most importantly of all, I was without the love of a good woman.

At that moment was likely one of the first area radio spins of the second single from Mario’s debut album, “Braid My Hair.” Mario’s remake of  “Just a Friend” was amazing. When I was DJing, I loved playing it out as it was a perfect table setter for early in the evening to get the crowd amped for a night of big bangers to come. Mario’s teenage falsetto at the time was fresh, the song took a hook that everyone knew in a cool, upbeat direction, and I was absolutely a fan. However, his second single stopped my heart and broke it, and left me feeling like a shell of a man.

“Braid My Hair” wasn’t a #1 hit. Hell. It wasn’t even a top 10 hit. But in the canon of “cheeky ballads about sex where sexuality is never explicitly mentioned,” it may beat Melanie’s “Brand New Key” for the crown. Songwriter Warryn Campbell is a gospel songwriter married to half of Mary Mary of “Shackles” fame. Hence, this sweetly cooed song about a girl braiding Mario’s hair is one of the best worst double entendres in history executed perfectly.

Sit me down like you love me
do it anyway you want, baby take it slowly
front to back, side to side, criss cross
get creative with it girl do your thang
put it down like you love me
let your fingers do the walkin
and your lips do the talkin in my ear
tell me what I wanna hear
I swear, I can’t wait for you to braid my hair…

(chorus)
C’mon and braid my hair
back in my hood, feelin good
no worries or no cares
baby, use your hands to make me feel alright
and take away the stress and drama in my life
while you braid my hair

This song is in NO WAY about hair braiding. It’s about a pretty raucous night of intercourse being had by a 16 year old. The author at 23 hearing this? Reduced to a blubbering mess because of the production, Mario’s voice on the hook, and hell, even though I was on my way to being bald, I still really really wanted my ex, anyone, someone, somewhere to console me, hold me, and love me. I hear this song to this day and just want to be held in the arms of someone I love, someone I want, or someone I need. It’s amazing how music, if you let it, will dictate your emotional well being,

Passionate music draws truly passionate emotions.