Spaced Invaders

This is one of the most legendary funk albums of the 70’s. It’s one of those albums that when you find it you will become the envy of any crate digger out there. And thanks to Clay at 52.5 Records he was able to land a copy of this album for me. So you can send your hate emails to me whenever. Anyway, the Skull Snaps cut just this one album and it’s blend of hard breaks, soulful vocals, and soaring grooves will continue to make this album a must for any collector for years to come.

I only heard the track “It’s a New Day.” prior to the whole album. It is a phemominal mix of soul and funk, not to mention the opening break has been sampled by so many rap artists. In fact, some record collectors swear up and down this track gave the rhythm for nearly all the early 90’s rap and has been credited as the most sampled drum beat in all rap music.

The album as a whole is just this incredible ride through a funk and soul rollercoaster! After listening to the first side of the album, I was blown away by each of the tracks. The haunting vocals, and the breaks were just insane! I got up and flipped the record over to the B-Side and the ride did not stop. The first song that comes at you is “I’m Your Pimp” and you would swear that should have been used in a Dolemite movie. With lyrics like, “I wear my hat to the side….I walk with a limp…” How could it have not been in that movie?

This is one of the best albums that I have ever heard. This goes to show that digging does pay off, and to stay away from the Top 40. You don’t find real soul like this in music today. This album is a perfect example of early 70’s funk and will continue to be a collector’s item. In fact you can only find re-issues on Ebay and for the actual album, good luck trying to find one under triple digits.

Tracks
A1 My Hang Up Is You (4:02)
A2   Having You Around (4:30)
A3  Didn’t I Do It To You (3:15)
A4   All Of A Sudden (3:23)
A5   It’s A New Day (3:04)
B1  I’m Your Pimp (4:03)
B2  I Turn My Back On Love (2:45)
B3  Trespassing (4:03)
B4   I’m Falling Out Of Love (2:46)

Listen to: It’s a New Day

Grover Washington - Feels So Good
1975

Not only is this a great album to chill and listen to, it is one of Grover Washington’s most sampled albums. In fact, I believe every song has been sampled on this album.

The title track “Feels So Good” was sampled by Gangstarr’s very own Guru in “Slicker than Most.”

The track “Moonstreams” was sampled by DMX in his track “Slippin.”

“Knucklehead” is constantly sampled over and over again. Just listen to it and the list of songs will build in your head.

And finally last but certainly not least, Hydra. Who has not sampled this track? We’ve got A Tribe Called Quest who sampled the drums for their track “Check the Rhyme.” The Artifacts also did this on “Wrong Side of the Tracks.” Big Daddy Kane used it in “Daddy’s Home,” and Biggie used it in the album version of “One More Chance.”

 

 Grover Washington, Jr. - Hydra: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download