937 LL Cool J - Radio (1985)

 937 LL Cool J - Radio (1985)

Studio Album - Hip Hop




About the Act:

James Todd Smith started his rapping career with his debut album in 1985 under the name LL Cool J, which stands for "Ladies Love Cool James". This album was the first released on the Def Jam Label, and was hugely influential, in being one of the first rap albums to achieve mainstream success. LL Cool J has had a long and successful career as a rapper, and as an actor.

 

About the Album:

This was the first studio album for LL Cool J and was hugely successful.


My History with this Album:

None


Review:

1985, I was a student at university. In such a melting pot of commercial influences I was aware of the emergence of rap and hip-hop. I had been played stuff by Grandmaster Flash and Newcleus, and I and my friends were kind of embracing this new thing. This album sounds like that, like early rap, although apparently this was "new school rap" because it had been around for a few years already, on the "street". So there is a mixture of thoughts, one of which is affection for a sound that reminds me of those days, the other is that is sounds so dated!

This is an 80s drum machine ("beatbox") with a "DJ" (called Cut Creator) spinning the "wheels" to give samples of records, and the rapping. Really stripped back so mostly it's the rapping and the drum machine. In comparison to much of the hip hop that came after this, I can understand most of the lyrics. 

Did I enjoy it?  Yeah, kind of. I would listen to it again, not often but I would. Actually, I find it more interesting as a cultural artefact than I do as a record, but there is skill to admire here, and some humour. It's kind of slice-of-life-y in the subject matter, some of which is not suitable for the kids.


6.7/10 



Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4sevefzBUFvJYAzijVBQ2a

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLj17P-9MNj8-7KJPx-n2DY1-peVJrZyor

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_(LL_Cool_J_album)


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

944 Manu Chao - Próxima Estación Esperanza (2001)

Image
 944 Manu Chao - Próxima Estación Esperanza (2001) Studio Album - World Music About the Act: Manu Chao is a French-Spanish musician of Spanish descent who grew up on the outskirts of Paris. In the mid-80s he was in a Spanish/English rockabilly group called Hot Pants. In 1987, with his brother and cousin he founded the band Mano Negra, combining punk and world music influences and playing on the Paris Metro. This band took off and had 4 studio albums. In 1995 Manu "went solo", forming the band Radio Bemba Sound System to be his backing band. The punk elements were less prominent, but he started to make music that "replicates the sound of street music and bar scenes from a variety of cultures". He has been really popular in parts of Europe.  About the Album: This album was Manu Chao's second studio album as a "solo" artist. In Spanish, the name means "Next Station: Hope", after a real station on the Madrid Metro. The album reached top 10 slots ...
Read more

840 Various Artists - The Best of Girl Groups Volumes 1 and 2 (1990)

Image
 840 Various Artists - The Best of Girl Groups Volumes 1 and 2 (1990) Compilation (double) - Girl Group (Soul/Bobby Soxer/Do-Wop) About the Album: This is a highly acclaimed compilation in 2CDs by Rhino Records. It's the sort of thing that in this country you might expect to see at 3.99 in a Garden Centre. My History with this Album: None Review: There are not many multi-artist compilations in this series for reviewing. There is not information about it on Wikipedia, but the reception seems to have been positive. It is choc-full of hits with a smattering of lesser-known songs, and it's hard not to imagine Grease or similar situations - girls with cardigans and white socks, listening to the juke box while sipping milkshakes in the drug store. On one level it's a fun collection of songs that you could use to feel nostalgic, or as the music for a themed party. On another level it's kind of like a cultural artefact. I feel honour-bound to describe it, even though if I drop ...
Read more

843 Chambers Brothers - The Time has Come (1967)

Image
 843 Chambers Brothers - The Time has Come (1967) Studio Album - Psychedelic Soul About the Act: The Chambers Brothers are an American Psychedelic Soul band from LA, who were formed in 1954 and are still going. They were at heart four brothers, but I think they have now all left the band.  About the Album: This was their debut album (12 years on from forming as a band), and it spawned their most successful single Time Has Come Today. My History with this Album: None. I had never heard of the Chambers Brothers before this list. Review: I am not an American, nor a Social Historian, but I think I can accurately claim that in 1960s America there was a certain separation between the Black community and other communities. As a result of this, and for marketing reasons, the idea of music that was created with a Black audience in mind was an actual thing. I'm not sure if today we would be quite so sure about what constitutes "Black Music", but then, I think, they were generally q...
Read more