On the Strength

Last updated
On the Strength
On the Strength.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 12, 1988
Genre Hip hop
Label Elektra
60769
Producer Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five chronology
The Message
(1982)
On the Strength
(1988)
Grandmaster Flash chronology
Ba-Dop-Boom-Bang
(1987)
On the Strength
(1988)
Salsoul Jam 2000
(1997)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
The Village Voice C+ [2]

On the Strength is the second and final studio album by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Released in 1988, it was the full line-up's last album together. Although certainly contributing to the album itself, Cowboy (Keith Wiggins) was not present for the album or single photo shoots. [3] [4]

Contents

The album was reissued in the US on CD in 2005 (Collectors' Choice Music, CCM-585-2) but once again (see Ba-Dop-Boom-Bang ) omitted the bonus track (*) that was originally included on both the original CD and cassette versions of the album.

Track listing

  1. "Gold" – 4:25
  2. "Cold in Effect" – 2:28
  3. "Yo Baby" – 4:31
  4. "On the Strength" – 4:45
  5. "The King" – 3:19
  6. "Fly Girl" – 5:13
  7. "Magic Carpet Ride" (featuring Steppenwolf) – 4:14
  8. "Leave Here" – 3:50
  9. "This Is Where You Got It From" – 4:06
  10. "The Boy Is Dope" – 3:11
  11. "Back in the Old Days of Hip-Hop" – 4:05 (*)

Notes

Personnel

Related Research Articles

Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf song) 1968 single by Steppenwolf

"Magic Carpet Ride" is a rock song written by John Kay and Rushton Moreve from the Canadian-American hard rock band Steppenwolf. The song was initially released in 1968 on the album The Second. It was the lead single from that album, peaking at number three in the US, and staying in the charts for 16 weeks, longer than any other Steppenwolf song.

<i>The Magic Garden</i> 1967 studio album by The 5th Dimension

The Magic Garden is the second album by American pop group the 5th Dimension, released in 1967. A concept album, it tells the story of a couple's love and the end of their relationship. In more recent discussions of the album, that love affair is said to be about Jimmy Webb — who composed all but one of the album's songs — and his time with singer and then-girlfriend Susan Horton. The album's one track not credited to Jimmy Webb, a cover of Lennon–McCartney's "Ticket to Ride", was originally intended for the group's debut album, Up, Up and Away.

Gavin Christopher was an American R&B singer, songwriter, musician, and producer.

Melle Mel American rapper from New York

Melvin Glover, better known by his stage name Grandmaster Melle Mel is an American hip hop recording artist who was the lead vocalist and songwriter of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.

Nathaniel Glover, also known as Nate or Danny Glover, better known by the stage name The Kidd Creole, is a former American rapper who is one of the pioneers of old school hip hop as a member of the group Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five with his brother Melle Mel. In May 2022, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison for manslaughter charges for the stabbing of a homeless man in Manhattan in August 2017.

<i>The Second</i> 1968 studio album by Steppenwolf

The Second is the second studio album by Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf, released in October 1968 on ABC Dunhill Records. The album contains one of Steppenwolf's most famous songs, "Magic Carpet Ride". The background of the original ABC LP cover was a shiny "foil", in contrast to later LP issues and the modern CD sleeve.

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five American hip hop group

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were an American hip hop group formed in the South Bronx of New York City in 1978. The group's members were Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel, The Kidd Creole, Keef Cowboy, Scorpio and Rahiem. The group's use of turntablism, breakbeat DJing, and conscious lyricism were significant in the early development of hip hop music.

<i>The Message</i> (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five album) 1982 studio album by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five

The Message is the debut studio album of American hip hop group Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, released in October 1982 by Sugar Hill Records. It features the influential title track and hip-hop single "The Message".

The Message (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five song) 1982 single by Grandmaster Flash

"The Message" is a song by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. It was released as a single by Sugar Hill Records on July 1, 1982, and was later featured on the group's debut studio album of the same name.

<i>They Said It Couldnt Be Done</i> 1985 studio album by Grandmaster Flash

They Said It Couldn't Be Done is an album by Grandmaster Flash, released in 1985. It is his second overall studio album, and his first album credited solely to him following the breakup of the Furious Five due to the departure of rappers Melle Mel, Scorpio, and Keith Cowboy. For They Said It Couldn't Be Done, Flash signed with Elektra Records and retained the services of Rahiem and The Kidd Creole. New rappers Lavon, Mr Broadway, and dancer Larry Love were added. The album was re-issued on CD in the US for the first time on April 26, 2005.

<i>The Source</i> (Grandmaster Flash album) 1986 studio album by Grandmaster Flash

The Source is the fourth studio album by Grandmaster Flash, released in 1986. It was reissued in the US on CD for the first time in 2005.

<i>Ba-Dop-Boom-Bang</i> 1987 studio album by Grandmaster Flash

Ba-Dop-Boom-Bang is the fifth album released by Grandmaster Flash. It was released in 1987 on Elektra records. The cassette version was titled Ba-Dop-Boom-Bang...And More and the CD version was titled Ba-Dop-Boom-Bang...And Even More – each containing bonus tracks that were not on the original vinyl.

<i>Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit</i> (album) 1984 studio album by Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit

Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit is a 1984 album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. The record marked the official debut of Lowe's new band, the Cowboy Outfit. Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit was reissued in 2000 by Demon Music Group.

Grandmaster Flash Bajan-American DJ and rapper

Joseph Saddler, popularly known by his stage name Grandmaster Flash, is a Barbadian-American DJ and rapper. He is considered to be one of the pioneers of hip hop DJing, cutting, scratching and mixing. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, becoming the first hip hop act to be honored. In 2019 he won the Polar Music Prize. On May 21st 2022, he acquired an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Buffalo State College.

<i>Adventures on the Wheels of Steel</i> 1999 compilation album by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and Grandmaster Melle Mel

Adventures on the Wheels of Steel is a 3CD compilation album by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and Grandmaster Melle Mel. It was released in 1999 on the Castle Music label and is a boxed set containing three CDs in slimline jewel cases together with a fold out insert.

<i>Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five</i> 1984 Sugarhill Records album, without Grandmaster Flash

Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five was released in 1984 by Sugarhill Records after the split between Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel. For this album, Melle Mel kept the group name 'the Furious Five' and used the title 'Grandmaster'. Rappers Cowboy and Scorpio left with Melle Mel although Mel's brother The Kidd Creole and Rahiem remained with Flash. New rappers King Lou, Kami Kaze, and Tommy Gunn joined, as did Flash's best friend E. Z. Mike as DJ.

Message from Beat Street: The Best of Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel & the Furious Five is a 1994 CD compilation album released on the Rhino Entertainment record label in the US. It consists of tracks recorded by the various versions of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and Grandmaster Melle Mel. No tracks from the three Grandmaster Flash albums on Elektra Records are included or anything from the 1988 comeback album On the Strength.

The Essential is a 2CD slipcased compilation album by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. It was released in 2007 on the Union Square Music label. Although titled to Grandmaster Flash alone, it does not contain any tracks from Flash's later Elektra Records albums and mainly features tracks from The Message era and subsequent singles. The eight-page booklet contains a brief October 2006 essay by Quinton Scott and features pictures of Flash from the photo session originally used for his Essential Mix: Classic Edition album.

The Big Beat is a 1980 song by Billy Squier from his debut album The Tale of the Tape. While it never charted, the song has become a sampling staple in hip-hop music. As of 2020, the song has been sampled in almost 300 recordings. The "big beat" itself was performed by drummer Bobby Chouinard overdubbed with Squier himself beating a snare case with his hands.

Keith Wiggins or Robert Keith Wiggins, known by his stage names Keef Cowboy and Cowboy, was an American hip hop recording artist and a member of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. He is widely credited as having invented the term "hip hop".

References

  1. Allmusic review
  2. Christgau, Robert (November 29, 1988). "Christgau's Consumer Guide: Turkey Shoot". The Village Voice . Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  3. "Images for Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five* – Gold". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  4. "Images for Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five – Magic Carpet Ride". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  5. "Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five – Gold (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  6. "Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five* – Gold (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  7. "Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five* – Magic Carpet Ride / On The Strength at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-04.