In Full Gear

Last updated

In Full Gear
Infullgear.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 21, 1988 [1]
Genre
Length63:31
Label
Producer
Stetsasonic chronology
On Fire
(1986)
In Full Gear
(1988)
Blood, Sweat & No Tears
(1991)
Singles from In Full Gear
  1. ""Sally""
    Released: April 15, 1988
  2. ""Talkin' All That Jazz""
    Released: September 16, 1988
  3. ""Float On""
    Released: February 7, 1989

In Full Gear is the second studio album by American hip hop band Stetsasonic, released in 1988 by Tommy Boy Records. [3]

Contents

Music and lyrics

In Full Gear is a double album that draws on various influences in its hip hop style, including R&B, jazz, dancehall reggae, and rock influences. It also incorporates beat-boxing, sampling technology, and live band performance. [3] "Freedom or Death" and "Talkin' All That Jazz" discuss credos of revolution and sampling, respectively. [4] On "Float On", a remake of The Floaters' 1977 song of the same name, rapper Wise envisions "a woman with a realistic imagination, a woman who thinks for herself, whose thoughts are bold and free". [4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [2]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
The Village Voice B+ [4]

In a contemporary review for The Village Voice , music critic Robert Christgau found the "well-meaning" band merely competent musically and said that their cover of "Float On" is "even ickier than the original". He was more enthusiastic about "Freedom or Death" and "Talking All That Jazz", and felt that In Full Gear succeeds on "a camaraderie that reaches deeper than the usual homeboy bonding". [4] In his own list for the Pazz & Jop critics poll, Christgau named "Talkin' All That Jazz" the seventeenth best single of 1988. [7]

Track listing

#TitleProducer(s)Performer (s)
1"In Full Gear" Prince Paul Daddy-O, Frukwan, Wise, Delite
2"DBC Let The Music Play"DBCDaddy-O, Frukwan, Wise, Delite
3"Freedom Or Death"Daddy-ODaddy-O
4"Float On"Vincent F. BellDaddy-O, Frukwan, Wise, Delite
5"Stet Troop '88!"WiseDaddy-O, Frukwan
6"Pen & Paper"Prince PaulDaddy-O, Frukwan, Delite
7"Music For The Stetfully Insane"Prince Paul*Instrumental*
8"We're The Band"Prince Paul, Daddy-ODaddy-O, Wise, Frukwan
9"Rollin' Wit Rush"Prince Paul, Daddy-O*Interlude*
10"This Is It, Y'all [Go Stetsa II]"Daddy-ODaddy-O, Frukwan, Wise
11"Extensions"Daddy-O*Interlude*
12"Sally"Prince PaulDaddy-O, Delite, Wise
13"Talkin' All That Jazz"Prince PaulDaddy-O, Frukwan, Wise, Delite
14"It's In My Song"DBCDaddy-O, Frukwan, Delite
15"The Odad"Daddy-ODaddy-O
16"Miami Bass"Prince Paul, Daddy-ODaddy-O, Frukwan, Delite
17"Showtime"DBCWise, Frukwan, Daddy-O, Delite
18"Talkin' All That Jazz [Dominoes Vocal Remix]"Daddy-OFrukwan, Daddy-O, Delite
19"Talkin' All That Jazz [Dominoes Instrumental Remix]"Daddy-O*Instrumental*
20"Talkin' All That Jazz [Dim's Radio Edit Remix]"DimitriFrukwan, Daddy-O, Delite

Charts

Singles

YearSongChart positions
R&B Rap Dance Sales
1988"Sally"25
1988"Talkin' All That Jazz"3425
1989"Float On"5624

References

  1. "In Full Gear, by Stetsasonic".
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Huey, Steve. "In Full Gear – Stetsasonic". AllMusic . Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Price, Emmett George (2006). Hip Hop Culture. ABC-CLIO. p. 295. ISBN   1851098674 . Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Christgau, Robert (September 27, 1988). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . New York. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  5. "Stetsasonic: In Full Gear". Q . No. 176. London. May 2001. p. 137.
  6. Considine, J. D. (1992). "Stetsasonic". In DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly (eds.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. p. 671. ISBN   0-679-73729-4.
  7. Christgau, Robert (February 28, 1989). "Pazz & Jop 1988: Dean's List". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  8. "Stetsasonic Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  9. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1988". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2021.