January 2010 Mixtape: No Rights Given Or Implied (Side One)

As I stated in a prior post, this month's mixtape is essentially my private soundtrack to a project I hope to begin sometime this year. I don't mean to be a tease, but I will share information about it only when things begin moving forward. This mixtape is a little different from previous ones I've posted though, as it serves a dual purpose, the second being my want to assemble an introductory compilation to different styles of sampling and the forms of music that use it in great detail rather than the occasional soundbyte or lifting of a melody. Not to say that those uses of sampling aren't legitimate or should be considered wrong, but I'm more concerned with the creative recontextualization of previously recorded material, which means pre-existing content can be altered in such a way that it won't necessarily represent the original source recordings and in it's new form cannot be said to be overly representative of the original sources, or in layman's terms, it doesn't rip-off anything. There will probably be a second volume of this compilation, and if there is enough interest I will definitely pursue this further.

Unlike a lot of my prior mixtapes, almost everything here is sourced from a lossless recording. Because of that, I've made a point of posting this mixtape as two separate downloads in the highest quality MP3s possible. Please make sure to download both sides so you get all seventeen tracks. Side Two should be live at some point Tuesday, Wednesday morning at the latest.


The Unheard Music January 2010 Mixtape: No Rights Given Or Implied (Side One)

01 Dickie Goodman - Mr. Jaws
Dickie Goodman, along with Bill Buchanan, can safely be labeled the first artists to use sampling in popular music, although their releases are usually considered novelty recordings. Their singles featured stories where a reporter would interview an important figure (Batman, aliens, Jaws the shark, etc.) and that figure's answers would be provided via soundbytes from then popular records. Goodman and Buchanan did incur the wrath of the artists they sampled and were brought to court, but a judge decided in their favor stating it was clear the records were parodies and not taking income from the artists being sampled.

Sadly, Richard Dorian "Dickie" Goodman took his own life on November 6, 1989. He was fifty-five years old. R.I.P.


02 Negativland - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (1991 A Cappella Mix)
If only the world had been as kind to Negativland as they were to Goodman and Buchanan. To put it simply, U2's label, Island Records, sued Negativland for copyright infringement over their U2 EP, claiming it was an attempt to confuse customers and that it illegally sampled U2's original recording of the song in question. This is an incredible story, one that books have been written about and has been discussed in film and other outlets, so rather than rehash something in great detail that will take far longer to write then you'd probably like to read here, I'm going to direct you to the wikipedia reference for this event, as it will give you the low-down quickly and point you in the right direction if you'd like to learn more. Oh yeah, Casey Kasem sounds like a dick.


03 Girls On Top - We Don't Give A Damn About Our Friends
Richard Philips is best known as Richard X, producer and remixer for artists such as Kelis, Sugababes and Nine Inch Nails, but before becoming an in-demand producer, he released limited edition singles as Girls On Top. All the Girls On Top releases are considered mash-ups or bootlegs, tracks that combine two or more songs to create a track all it's own. While tracks that combined several songs had been around for quite a while in one form or another, Girls On Top, along with Kurtis Rush (aka Erol Alkan), The Freelance Hellraiser and others helped legitimize the trend in the early 2000s. We Don't Give A Damn About Our Friends, which combines the vocal from Adina Howard's Freak Like Me and the music from Tubeway Army's Are "Friends" Electric?, was arguably the most successful of the bootleg releases, becoming popular enough that it was re-recorded by the Sugababes using the Tubeway Army beat with Mr. X getting a production credit and a paycheck.


04 Ice Cube - Jackin' For Beats
Ice Cube isn't generally known for deep production, but this Bomb Squad produced track, recorded during the era of Cube's collaborations with Public Enemy and their production crew, is a true exception. Cube flows beautifully over a track made up of other people's beats, all the while explaining that he'll take your beat if he likes it, no matter who you are. The funny part is, despite the braggadocio, all samples were cleared on this track and the amazingly long list of credits made sure everyone involved, directly or not, got paid.

Jackin' For Beats is often looked at as the start of a trend with rappers where they take someone else's track and rap over it, most often without asking permission. Because of this, most of the tracks rarely receive official releases and are relegated to mixtape status.


05 Eric B. & Rakim - Paid In Full (Seven Minutes Of Madness)
Coldcut are the responsible parties for this classic remix, having been contacted by Eric B. & Rakim's then label, 4th & Broadway, to provide this remix. Eric and Rakim were not initially thrilled by the remix, but it's success helped to eventually change their opinions.

Coldcut started off as a hip-hop and dance-oriented production crew, creating their own cut-ups similar in style to Double Dee & Steinski's Lessons as well as club-centric records like Lisa Stansfield's People Hold On. Back in the cut-up vein here, Coldcut's 1988 remix of the Eric B. & Rakim classic introduced much of the world to the heavenly vocals of Ofra Haza and stretched the simple original well over twice it's length, all the while featuring scratches, cuts, samples from speeches and instructional records and all kinds of madness. Truly a classic in hip-hop as well as creative sampling.


06 Steinski - The Motorcade Sped On
Steve Stein, better known as Steinski of Double Dee & Steinski, gained his initial fame for the duo's groundbreaking Lessons, but afterwards went solo with the intent to release a cut-up record all about the assassination of JFK. Not the most commercially sound idea, but certainly a fascinating one, with just as fascinating a story behind it. Steinski attempted to clear the samples from CBS but was met with a cold stare, leading his label, Tommy Boy Records, to issue it as a promotional-only release. All of this led to the record gaining a reputation just as powerful as the Lessons, while being just the opposite of those three classics. Both records made you think, but rather than dance, The Motorcade Sped On made you learn and remember.


07 De La Soul - Eye Know
Not the most complex record here or the one featuring the most samples, but a great example of Prince Paul's ability to combine disparate parts and turn them into a catchy tune. From De La Soul's debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising, that album is often considered the East Coast equivalent of the Beastie Boys' West Coast classic, Paul's Boutique. Unfortunately for Paul and De La though, they were sued by classic surf-rock group, The Turtles, for a minuscule sample in a brief instrumental on the album. A hefty fee was paid, and while it's their fault for not clearing the sample, one has to wonder how opportunistic The Turtles and their lawyers were over this exceedingly small bit of music that doesn't borrow any vocals or melody from the source. Sadly, copyright law hasn't been updated to appreciate the difference between blatantly ripping something off and using it in a new context.


08 Beastie Boys - Hey Ladies
The Beasties, The Dust Brothers and Matt Dike changed the game forever with the release of Paul's Boutique. They sampled so much and in such depth that you could argue the art of sampling had met it's ultimate act of creativity. In reality it hadn't, but it was certainly a major evolutionary step. I've said far more about Paul's Boutique in previous posts so if you need more from me, please examine my earlier posts, but what you should really do is get Dan LeRoy's book all about the album's creation and, if you haven't heard it yet, go buy the album immediately! Don't hesitate, it's totally worth it!



Come back Tuesday (or early Wednesday) for Side Two!