Lee Perry and the Upsetters' Return of Wax was one of the first records I bought when I was starting my collection. (Justice League, 1998. Still looking for an original.) At the time I was heavily into the Beastie Boys and actually picked up a few nice records following their samples and shout outs ("Like Lee Perry I'm very... odd," from Sure Shot). The opening track on the second side is an original instrumental called "One Armed Boxer" with a killer intro. After the drums roll in, a single note repeats for a few bars over snappy drums before settling into the bass groove that makes up the rest of the track. We here at WTTM headquarters can't agree on the orgin of that addictive sound. Cutso thinks it's an organ, Weezy and I are guessing some kind of effected guitar. I always wanted to sample that part myself but never got around to it. Luckily, someone far more talented than I am used it a few years later.
The utterly unique MC/producer Beans jacked the loop for "Databreaker" off of his slept-on album Now Soon Someday (Warp,2003). He drops a slew of his trademark mind-bending free-associative rhymes over the track.
Highlights include a brilliant metaphor:"If Earth's a jail, then music's how I'll serve my life sentence..."
Some cogent advice for weak MCs: "If you want constructive criticism, then stop rhyming..."
And a concise, hilarious story rap tucked into the last verse that explains a lot about Beans' outlook on life: "Picked up these two girls in the club so they could double team me/ Caught them walking out the door trying to steal my TV/ Wasn't mad, but if you like me, admire ingenuity, so you understand..."
Though not nearly as prolific or influential, I see Beans as an inheritor of Perry's legacy of innovative and eccentric artistry. Among other similarities, the two men share an inclination toward bass-heavy production and a penchant for seemingly nonsensical wordplay.
No comments:
Post a Comment