Beastie Boys – Prime Samples
The Samplers – Beastie Boys
The Sampled – clockwise from top left – Johnny Hammond Smith, Norman Whitfield,
Jimmy Smith, The Commodores, Jeremy Steig
Listen/Download Johnny Hammond Smith – Big Sur Suite
Original release – Higher Ground LP (Kudu 1974) – Sampled on Pass the Mic (Check Your Head LP 1992)
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Listen/Download Commodores – Machine Gun
Original Release – Machine Gun LP (Motown 1974) – Sampled on Hey Ladies (Paul’s Boutique LP 1989)
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Listen/Download Jeremy Steig – Howling For Judy
Original Release – Legwork LP (Solid State 1969) – Sampled on Sure Shot (Ill Communication LP 1994)
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Listen/Download Jimmy Smith – I’m Gonna Love You Just A Little Bit More Babe
Original Release – Blacksmith LP (Pride 1974) – Sampled on Professor Booty (Check Your Head LP 1992)
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Listen/Download Norman Whitfield/Rose Royce – Yo Yo
Original Release – Car Wash OST (MCA 1976) – Sampled On Shake Your Rump (Paul’s Boutique LP 1989)
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Listen/Download Afrique – Kissing My Love
Original Release – Soul Makossa LP (Mainstream 1973) – Sampled on Bodhisattva Vow (Ill Communication LP 1994)
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Greetings all.
Welcome to another week here at the Corners du Fonque…
As has been mentioned several times recently most of what you’ve been reading here in the last few weeks was – due to necessity – prepared a few weeks in advance so as to facilitate the massive amount of commuting and other life-disrupting activities involved in my wife’s treatment (which, now that I mention it seems to be going well, so let’s keep those fingers crossed).
This weekend has been especially tiring, but the news of the passing of the mighty MCA, Adam Yauch could not be ignored, so as soon as we got home and rolled out of the Funky16Corners-mobile, I rolled into the record vault and got to work.
I have listened to hip hop, first passively (way back in the day) and then as a lightweight consumer with a focus therein on what I would consider dynamic use of sampled material.
You can’t really talk about that aspect of the game without giving props to the Beastie Boys.
Over the years the Beasties have played a big part in piqueing my interest in samples and by association the sounds sampled (why else would I have owned a copy of Alphonse Mouzon’s ‘Funky Snakefoot’) long before I was spinning (or writing about) funk, soul, jazz and rare groove.
Sampling/cut and paste is an art in which it’s not terribly difficult to separate the lazy slobs from the masters, i.e. being able to differentiate from someone who can lift a song wholesale and slap something new on it and someone who can hear a really interesting sound within another piece of music and re-purpose it in a way that makes your ears (and brain) perk up in admiration.
One of the dangers of trainspotting is that the listener runs the risk of getting lost in the component parts, losing sight of the forest for the digitally borrowed trees.
However, secure in the knowledge that good taste is sometimes its own reward, the best samples sound as good (or better) in their original form as they do when placed as a cog in another ‘machine’. Often (not always, obviously) groovy bits of sound are not sui generis, and are traceable back to an equally groovy “whole”, which is the case in the music I bring you today.
I like to think that the first time I had my mind blown by ‘Paul’s Boutique’ or ‘Check Your Head’ my crates (and ears) were deep enough that I recognized some of the coolest stuff, but at the same time I’m honest enough to admit that the ensuing years witnessed my recognition of some of that music for the first time (like the time my man Marshall down in DC dropped Jimmy Smith’s previously unknown – to me – version of ‘I’m Gonna Love You Just a Little Bit More Babe’ and the light bulb went off over my head).
It was in those moments of recognition that new digging targets were registered and I followed them into flea markets, record stores on onto the interwebs.
The cuts I bring you today are examples of some of my favorite Beastie Boys samples (drums, bass and guitar) out of my crates.
Some of them were things I already had, others, like the bass in ‘Big Sur Suite’ and ‘Yo Yo’ or the guitar in ‘Machine Gun’, I picked up first and discovered/recognized the sample(s) after the fact.
What all of them have in common, aside from the fact that they appealed to the Beasties, is that they are all worth listening to in their entirety.
Maybe some of you will be hearing the complete songs for the first time.
I hope you dig them all, and I’ll see you later in the week.
Keep the faith
Larry
Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).
If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.
Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press
Beastie Boys, Cover Songs, Digging, Funk, Funky16Corners, Hammond Grooves, Hip Hop, Instrumental, Jazz funk, LP tracks, Norman Whitfield, Original Versions, Samples, Soul, Soul Jazz, Soundtrack
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Funk, Funky16Corners, Hammond Organ, Soul, Soul Jazz
Themocracy
Great selection Larry!
James
x
Thanks James!
Followed you for many years, Larry. HUGE Beasties fan. Thanks so much for this post. RIP MCA.
Larry –
This is my first stop at your site. I was directed here by a fellow DJ and friend – the Thinman @ badluckcity.
All I can say is – “Thank you and much love from Detroit”. I was familiar with the Commodores & Whitfield/Royce tracks (fairly novice, but great), but the others absolutely blew me away! I can’t thank you enough for posting those. They really do exemplify why the Beastie Boy’s are masters of the art. On their own, all of those tracks are pure joy and stand the test of time, so the genius involved in taking that joy and expanding on it with personal flavor and interpretation is simply phenomenal and always appreciated.
I’m always lookin’ out for the deep cuts of funk, so I will be visiting more in the future. Keep up the good work!
Peace!
Some Excellent vibes and sounds here. Excellent site.
Peter