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7"
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GET 755EP
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"These two songs are taken from the group's legendary first full-length from 1992, Mecca And The Soul Brother. Originally, both were their own 12-inch singles, but for this special, first-time-ever 7-inch release, they are paired together. 'They Reminisce Over You' -- a tribute to their late friend Trouble T-Roy (a member of Heavy D's crew) -- is one of the most beloved hip-hop tracks of the '90s, and rightfully so. Grooving very deeply over a filtered bassline and a now-ingrained Tom Scott saxophone riff ('Today'), CL Smooth lives up to his moniker, weaving various tales and lessons about family and friends. His status as a storytelling MC remains underrated, but here it remains proudly on display. 'Straighten It Out,' although not the runaway smash that 'They Reminisce' was, is equally emotional and soulful. Again over a mid-tempo groove, and again with Pete's trademark warm horn samples, CL explained in Check the Technique, 'On [part of] the song, I was talking about sampling, and I was basically reacting to how everything was such a procedure when you had to clear stuff. They didn't seem to care about how their music affected anyone else, they just wanted money. So it was just something that needed to be straightened out. Older artists thought that us younger cats were ripping them off, but it wasn't like that. It was a tribute.' So here's the math: one classic hip-hop group, two memorable singles, one killer 7-inch. Case closed."
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2LP
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GET 52724LP
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2023 repress, clear vinyl. "'We are the planters of the weeds or roses in our garden. Take the plunge within yourself to find The Main Ingredient.' So reads CL Smooth's album dedication in the liners to Pete Rock & CL's underrated, soulful and deeply grooving sophomore album. For fans, it was bittersweet, as it would be their last as a duo. By 1994, Pete and CL were darlings of both fans and critics, still on a high after 1992's Mecca & The Soul Brother and the album's emotional smash single 'They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.).' Two years later, they had grown even more as men and artists. Gone was some of the righteous striving of their earlier work, replaced by mature -- yet still righteous -- wisdom. And a lot more love as well, bringing a larger female constituency into their fanbase. They were adults now, reveling in the plateau they had reached. The duo's '90s swan song is a powerful double album that still resonates with Golden Era hip-hop fans: 16 cuts deep and full of intelligence, fire and warmth. Beats-per-minute-wise, the album mostly clocks at a comfortable strutting pace, bolstered by Pete Rock's pioneering use of filtered basslines and a recently-hatched obsession with Rhodes piano. The new tracks filled speakers and headphones with soul, as CL continued to assert his lyrical prowess all throughout."
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LP
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GET 52723LP
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"1991 was the year that it all broke loose for producer Pete Rock and his rhyme partner, CL Smooth. But the duo was far from an overnight sensation. The two friends had been on the grind since high school in Mt. Vernon, NY in the mid-'80s, and Pete had been building up to his big moment since he first manned the decks on WBLS's hugely influential In Control With Marley Marl radio show, starting in 1987. In '91, Pete's talent finally forced him from the studio shadows into the spotlight, and after remixes and co-productions for Heavy D (1989's Big Tyme album); Johnny Gill (Rub You The Right Way, 1990); and Elektra label-mates Brand Nubian (Slow Down, 1990); it was time for top billing. As Pete's rep skyrocketed with a revolutionary remix to Public Enemy's Shut 'Em Down in 1991, the stage was set. The duo's debut EP, All Souled Out, was the perfect set-up -- and bridge to -- their flawless LP, Mecca & The Soul Brother, which appeared only one year later. Fans new (thanks to a recent revival, resulting from the song's use in a Google / Android commercial) and old are sure to know the EP's only single, 'The Creator.' The cut is a perfect slice of early '90s hip-hop -- jumpy, funky and rolling along at a sprinter's pace, with killer horns that sew up the chorus. Interestingly, it's the only song on the EP where Pete Rock rhymes (and solo at that, with lines written by Brand Nubian's Grand Puba). The remaining five of the EP's songs, with CL Smooth in full charge of the mic, are no less impressive. The sleeper is perhaps 'Go With The Flow,' a kinetic groover with an egregiously thick, muted bassline, surgical cuts and never-endingly captivating lines by the liquid-tongued CL. All Souled Outboasts all of the Pete Rock trademarks -- a jumpy, filtered bassline; beautifully stitched horn samples on the hook; and this time with a faster tempo. CL has no issues with Pete's BPM challenge, proving he can drop knowledge at any speed. And of two different versions of 'Good Life' on the platter, the EP's final cut, the 'Group Home Mix,' is perhaps the winner, with an abundance of musical action to back up CL's lyrical musings on ways to achieve success and comfort in life. 25 years after its initial impact, All Souled Out sounds as heavy and essential as ever, and will remind fans how important this duo was to the artform."
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2LP
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GET 52721LP
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2022 repress. "The critically acclaimed 1992 full-length debut from Pete Rock & CL Smooth. The album is considered as one of the greatest Hip Hop albums of all time. Boasting tracks such as the first single, 'They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)', a dedication to their deceased friend; 'Trouble T-Roy', which went on to become not only their signature hit, but also one of Hip Hop's all-time great songs. The album is propelled forward by Rock's quick, soulful interludes; usually bits of old R&B tunes layered with his signature trumpet and sax loops. Smooth's liquid freestyle delivery pieces together the perfect vocal match that, together, creates a sprawling, nearly 80-minute-long album on which not a single song or interlude is a throwaway or a superfluous piece. Mecca And The Soul Brother has stood the test of time. The release has been named one of the essential recordings of the 90s by Rolling Stone, appears on Ego Trips listing of the Top 25 Hip Hop albums released from 1980-1998, and appeared on The Source's 100 Greatest Rap Albums of all time."
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