Since my last post about the JB's Crazy Wisdom Masters I received several very interesting responses, most notably from David Williams, a studio-man from the original sessions and my pal Skiz who runs WordSound and knows all about the JB's, Sensational and Bill Laswell. A lot of light was shed upon elements of the story which may not have been reported upon correctly, but most of this information has only created more questions. For instance, Mr. Williams reported his involvement in the creation of the basic, sample-sourced tracks for the album and the use of Stockhausen and related samples, yet Skiz insists that Bill and Afrika were the main forces behind this direction in the album's sound. Mr. Williams also reported that he was the source of the Iggy Pop sample featured in "I'm In Love With Indica", stating that it's from the Stooges' Dirt, but there has been a dispute about this as it's been noted that the source track was actually the intro of TV Eye. All of this said, I don't want to make it sound as though I'm doubting Mr. Williams' involvement in the album's production, but as he never responded directly to me I haven't been able to discuss these details with him any further. Maybe this post will bring him back and we can discuss the album further with him, but until then, I have pretty interesting details for you, the fine reader!
A very kind soul, who shall remain nameless, was nice enough to contact and provide me with the opportunity to hear the album. I'm sure this goes without saying but nonetheless, to this wonderful individual I am eternally thankful! That said, even though I can't play you the album, I can discuss details of the album! YAY!!!!!!! Yeah, I know, it's not the same thing, but as I mentioned previously there is still hope the album may see the light of the day in the near future. I'm hoping I might be able to make the near future a little closer, but I'm not trying to give myself props so I'll just get to the details.
First off, it's important to note that the copy of the album I've heard did not contain the title track. I only got to speak with Matt Stein once but he said the title cut was included in the version of the album that was mastered. Of course, this could be a mistake, especially since the title track was to be removed per instructions from Warner Brothers, but until someone else can discuss these details no one can say for sure.
Another important detail, one which has been pointed out by several others who have heard the album, is that the copies in circulation also contain the EP that was created prior to the completion of the album. This appears to be accurate, which brings up questions as to whether Matt Stein was involved in the EP's production.
The biggest details lie in the album and EP as a whole and the differences between them and the versions that appeared on the J. Beez Wit The Remedy album. The first thing I noticed was the difference in production and mixes. As I understand it, Bill Laswell did the final mixes and it shows, as they feature a spacier sound with echo and occasional elements of dub. Laswell's mixes are definitely not radio friendly, which is perfectly fine with me, but it adds to the reasons that Warners declined to release the album as it was. Bob Power's mixes are nice enough and fit better with the sound of early 90's rap, but they lose a lot of the individuality of Laswell's mixes. This said, the flourishes provided by Laswell, Afrika, Stein and everyone else involved add so much to the album's personality, and while I feel there are tracks on ...Remedy that do a good job of this, CWM does it from start to finish.
Before I get to the track by track details of the album, I want to note that Torture, better known as Sensational, is not nearly as involved in the vocal duties as he has been noted in the past. As far as I could tell, Torture only appeared on two tracks, Troopin' On The Down Low and Ra Ra Kid, although I haven't heard anyone dispute his presence with the group. I vaguely recall reading a blurb from an interview with Mike G where he stated that Torture was never a real Jungle Brother, but they wanted to give him a chance at the spotlight. As I said, this is a vague recollection so forgive me if I'm mistaken, but this would speak volumes as to Torture's lack of a presence on the album.
And now..., drum roll please! The track by track breakdown!
01 Simple As That
This is exactly the same as the version from Bill Laswell's first Excavation album. The only difference is the track starts clean with Afrika saying "Goodness!" rather than what sounds like rushing water fading out as he says it.
02 Good Ole Hype Shit
This track is a good example of the most obvious differences between tracks on both the Remedy and CWM albums. On this track in particular, synth lines buried in the Remedy mix are far more audible and give the track a funky vibe. The big difference here though is this version ends far more abruptly than the Remedy one.
03 Book Of Rhyme Pages
This track features lots of interesting percussion samples not featured in the Remedy version. On top of that, some of the sounds that echoed in the Remedy mixes are flat an unembellished here making for a nice, clean sound overall. The only thing I miss from the Remedy version is the breaks in the chorus, but here they're replaced by a funky baritone sax line. Very funky. Also, this one ends with an acapella rendering of the chorus. This should have been a single.
04 JB's Comin' Through
05 Spittin' Wicked Randomness
There two tracks are exactly the same as the versions from the 10" EP. That said, the master sounds a little clearer than the version on Remedy. Also, to avoid confusion, it's worth noting that while on the Payback EP the track was listed only as Spittin' Wicked Randomness it is actually both of these tracks together.
06 Spark A New Flame
This has always been one of my least favorite tracks on Remedy, but here it's quite a standout. The lyrics are so much clearer in the CWM mix and the echo and dubby vibe really make the track. The only part of the CWM mix that doesn't work as strongly as the Remedy mix is the "organ" reference as the actual organ isn't as up front in the mix, but that's a small loss in a version which is SO MUCH STRONGER than the version released.
07 Mysterious Monkey
After a short intro of distorted, confusing voices, Afrika yells out "Somebody fuck me!", followed by he and Mike G having a good laugh. This track seems to be based off the beat from Simple As That but features Afrika and Mike yelling about the "Motherfuckin' Mysterious Monkey". Sometimes they're saying mischevious in place of mysterious. This isn't really a song as much as an experiment with what are probably leftover vocal tracks, but that doesn't make it any less fun. There are a lot of spacey effects in the mix and it sounds like everyone was having a damn good time while they were recording this.
08 Battle Show
Same as the leaked version.
09 I'm In Love With Indica
This version starts with the conversation Afrika is having with "Indica" which appears at the end of the Remedy version. It has an "Egtyptian" or "African" sounding keyboard line which isn't present in the Remedy version at all. The "freak-in-out" part from the beginning of the Remedy version only appears in this version once near the end of the track. There is even an extra final verse! Much stronger than the Remedy version.
10 Ra Ra Kid
11 Peace Ahki
There tracks are exactly the same as the versions circulating, although here you can hear how perfectly they connect with each other.
12 Trials Of An Era
Trials... would be the second song on the EP, following Simple As That. This is the spiritual cousin of Troopin' On The Down Low. The beat changes a few times and it's quite disorienting. The big difference between this and Troopin... is the lack of live instrumentation and how short this track is. Trials... is less than two minutes long. I can see how this would scare the shit out of the label just like Troopin... likely did.
13 Book Of Rhyme Pages (Remix)
This is where things get a little confusing. This doesn't seem to be any different from the other CWM version. There might be a slight difference with the position of the baritone sax in the mix, but that's negligable.
14 Troopin' On The Down Low
15 Hedz At Company Z
These two tracks are exactly the same as the previously leaked versions. It's worth noting, no one seems to know who the other person rapping on Troopin'... is. Any guesses?
I don't know if the EP would have been included on the final release of the album, but it should have been. If the album ended after Peace Ahki it would be about 40 minutes long, making it a little short. Overall, the EP might be a little more experimental than the album on it's own, but all the tracks on Crazy Wisdom Masters are more "out there" than the Bob Power mixes. That said, I'm assuming that tracks like Blahbludify and Man Made Material were Afrika-created leftovers from the later, Matt Stein helmed sessions, but who knows? I would still love the opportunity to speak with Bill Laswell, Afrika and Mike G directly, as well as David Williams and again with Matt Stein, so if you guys are out there and want to chat about this EXCELLENT album, PLEASE DROP ME A LINE!!! This album is far too good to sit in a vault and should be heard by anyone and everyone interested! Let's do something about it!
One more thing before I go, I just wanted to wish Nolan Micron, the fellow who runs the amazing Castles In Space blog, the very best. He has decided to close Castles In Space which is really a shame. It was a site I checked regularly and always had something interesting to listen to and read about. He didn't explain in depth why he's closing it down, but let's hope it's just onward and upward for him and his family. Maybe he'll come back and create another great blog in the near future, but even if he doesn't, I've gotta thank him for running Castles In Space and I hope everything goes his way.
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