De La Soul’s 3 Feet High and Rising & Opinions on The National

3 Feet

In the digital age, most of us assume that every piece of music that ever was is available at the push of a button. But this week, Jim and Greg bring us a Classic Album Dissection of a recording that, despite its significance, is unavailable on digital platforms: De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising. They discuss the making of the groundbreaking hip-hop album, its importance, and why this classic is so hard to hear today. Plus, Jim and Greg review I Am Easy To Find, the latest album from indie rockers The National.

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De La Soul’s 3 Feet High And Rising

Promo photo

Jim and Greg explore De La Soul's 1989  3 Feet High And Rising, one of the most enduring albums from the Golden Age of Hip-Hop. It was a recording that broke the mold of what hip-hop could be, utilizing Prince Paul's artful, eclectic production, and Mase, Trugoy, and Posdnuos' unique style.

Greg notes that it's an album that celebrated uniqueness, and made it okay for rappers to be "nerdy" rather than "street". The hosts also dig into the story of the breakout hit from 3 Feet High and Rising, Me, Myself, and I. They also explore how the album's 200 samples set the stage for a decades long legal battle that impacted the sound of hip hop for years to come.

Easy to Find The National

National

The rock band The National recently released their 8th studio album, Easy to Find. It's a departure from their more sonically solemn ways to venture into more electronic territory. Jim couldn't stand this record, despite liking much of their other material. He thought they misused the electronic elements and didn't feel like they had much to say. Greg agreed, that while The National's last album, Sleep Well Beast, sounded creatively energized, Easy to Find is the opposite. He appreciates that the band tried something different, but ultimately the effort fell short.

Jim

After digging into the Paisley Underground on last week's show, Jim revisits the scene to highlight a band from the Gram Parsons-loving wing of that movement: The Long Ryders. He recalls seeing the band live in the 1980s and being struck by their cover of Bob Dylan's "Masters of War" and makes the case that without their early 1980’s interpretation of country there wouldn't have been an alternative country scene in the 1990's- including Bloodshot Records or Uncle Tupelo. The song he wants to hear today is "Looking For Lewis And Clark," a song from State Of Our Union in 1985.

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