I'm going to exercise some economy of expression today, and just let you enjoy these covers and remixes without a whole lot of teachin' and preachin' on my part. Be easy, soul children...
"Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)"---Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
Random Facts: Made famous by The First Edition; said to be reflective of an LSD experience; rumored to be Jimi Hendrix's favorite song.
"Back To Black (The Rumble Strips Remix)"---Amy Winehouse
Random Facts: Some think Amy's the second coming of Christ, while others see her as little more than a product of the great-white-hype machine; both Ms. Winehouse and The Rumble Strips are infinitely better than their names suggest.
"Intergalactic"---Reuben Wilson & Bernie Worrell
Random Facts: Originally a track by The Beastie Boys; Worrell is a musician/composer best known for his work with Parliament/Funkadelic; Wilson is a musician who recorded for Blue Note, and is known for fusing jazz with several other musical styles.
"Survival of the Fittest (Mums Ca Dreamin Remix)" ---Mobb Deep
Random Facts: Another fantastic remix from Reworked 4; the kinder, gentler version of a street thug classic.
"Ain't No Sunshine"---Harlem Underground Band w/ Willis Jackson
Random Facts: Originally by Bill Withers; this particular version was released on The Kings Of Funk LP (2005), a compilation overseen by RZA and Keb Darge.
"Cutting It Up (Ratatat remix)" ---Raekwon w/ Ghostface Killah
Random Facts: Despite being decidedly electronica-ish, Ratatat's two volumes of hip-hop remixes are nothing short of spectacular; this particular mix appeared on the first volume.
"Bridge Over Troubled Water"---Aretha Franklin
Random Facts: Originally by Simon & Garfunkel; Aretha took this song to church, and now it's saved, sanctified, and holier than thou for the rest of all time; anything other than her version officially constitutes blasphemy; you can watch the video here.
Word From Your Moms:
"It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows."---Epictetus
Some lovely cuts here, Scholar - I didn't expect that Rae & Ghost remix joint to be that good.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the great work.
Nice post! Dig your tastes.... That Aretha track smokes.
ReplyDeleteChoice, choice tracks. Your taste is fine.
ReplyDeleteNice one scholar. i love the mobb deep remix! i think i will always love kinder gentler versions of street classics =)
ReplyDeleteNot sure how I feel about that intergalactic cover, but I saw a documentary on Bernie Worrell that was crazytime! much respect for him...
ay carumba!
ReplyDeletethese regular updates have been amazing!
Increase the Peace
flood---I still can't believe how good the Ratatat remixes are myself. I think the best one might be their spin on Biggie's "Dead Wrong", but I couldn't bring myself to post it. I love B.I.G., but the lyrics on that joint have always bothered me to some extent, so I picked the Rae & Ghost mix instead.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, floodwatchmusic has been better than ever lately. Props for improving upon an already amazing thing.
gsb---Gratitude. In my experience, it's never a bad idea to post Aretha tracks.
Anon---thanks---I'm assuming that your taste is pretty damn fine, too.
Lily---Ha---that whole album of Beastie covers is like that. Sometimes I get where they were going with it, and other times it sounds like bad muzak-lite. At any rate, I knew some people would probably want to scoop it up---at least for conversational purposes.
Ballin---Thanks for that. I feel guilty for being a bit lazy with typing lately, so it's good to know that you're still diggin' the music.
Peace.