|  | | | Customer Reviews: | | | Average Customer Review:
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
The Beatles Of Hip Hop Jan 15, 2008
Run DMC may not have had that mucn in common with the Beatles musically but they were both pioneers for creating album music for their respective genres. Beatles for Rock in the 1960's and Run DMC for Hip Hop in the 80's when they released this album in 1984, which was the first real Hip Hop album with a coherant theme and songs with some substance. Before this, Hip Hop was mostly abouting having fun and dancing and as fun as Sugar Hill Gang had been it just wasn't something you wanted to hear throughout an entire album. Run DMC's sound was much harder and relied on hard hitting sparse electronic beats kind of like Afrika Bambaataa's "Planet Rock" from two years prior and tough, confident sometimes daring rhymes. They also mixed alot of Rock in their music instead of Disco or Soul that had been the thing before this. Simply put, Run DMC's debut album was vastly important for the develoment of Rap Music and has often been praised as one of the best albums in the genre.
Formed in New York, Run DMC was Joe "Run" Simmons, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels and their DJ Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell 1965-2002. Run being the brother of Def Jam Co founder Russell Simmons who also had a hand in this album. Thir first single was "It's Like That" which set the tone for the rest of the album. Although the song is one of their alltime best and very good to dance to, it's actually political and deals with wars and poverty. "Hard Times" is simular in both sound and meaning, even if it's less obvious while "Rock Box" with it's fierce guitar riffs and rough lyrics is about respect and self praise which was quite new at the time. On the next song, "Jam Master Jay" we get plenty of scratching and more street smart lyrics. "Hollis Crew" (Krush Groove 2) and "Sucker Mc's" (Krush Groove 1) later gave it's name to the cult flick Krush Groove about the early days of Def Jam and Rusell Simmons struggling to promote it's music. If you like old skool Hip Hop, check it out cause there's alot of music in it. "Wake Up" is a really good peace song. "30 Days" seems to be a song for the ladies when they talk about what they can offer while the closer "Jay's Game" is another song where their DJ have the spotlight.
Overall, Run DMC's eponymous debut album is a classic and it had a huge effect on the evolution of Hip Hop, without this album who knows what would have happened?. The album is full of memorable old skool hits and for anyone interested in classic hip hop this is a good way to start the collection and getting a better knowledge how things used to sound back in the heyday. It may sound dated by now but it's a very fascinating and important album in every possible way. Further interested? Also check, "King of Rock" and "Raising Hell" where "Walk This Way" became their biggest hit.
2 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Even Finu Lanu: Kid Without Street Cred loves this one! Oct 01, 2007
Okay, first let me say that I don't even listen to rap. I'm a dorky suburban white kid who spends his spare time chilling to Miles Davis, writing crappy poems, sharing said poems with friends, who show me poems of their own, which are usually much better, and setting those poems to a piano melody. I don't get out much. I couldn't tell Jay-Z from Snoop Dogg. As my entire school learned at Homecoming, I cannot dance, and I cannot get funky. And here I am telling you to buy this as soon as possible. It's just that good! Part of the reason why I like this so much is because it's got rock in it. "Rock Box" and "Hard Times" mix Run and DMC's deft rap skills with blazing riffs. And the just plain rap songs are just as good: "Sucker M.C.'s", loaded with clever rhymes, ties with the socially conscience "It's Like That" (almost an '80s "Inner City Blues") as my favorite rap ever. And DJ Jam-Master Jay provides fascinating rhythms and turntable stuff ("Hollis Crew"; "Jam-Master Jay"; "Jay's Game"). By the way, Jam-Master Jay's murder embodies everything I don't like about the modern hip-hop culture: it's descended into petty record company feuding taken to the extreme, and sadly embodied on many of today's rap hits - part of the reason why I don't really listen to the genre. Dr. Dre's influence was a very bad one. So, right, no more soapboxing. For the record, the late Jam Master played bass, drums, and keyboards on this one - live drums too, not your stupid fake drum-machine crap. I hate drum machines! Except for Prince drum machines, that is. Anyway, a lot of other songs have plenty to say, including the funky, idealistic "Wake Up", an ode to peace that blows the living crap out of today's "gang-banger" hits and is one of the weaker songs on this album. Can you believe that? 50 Cent could never dream of writing a song that good, and this is one of my least favorite cuts on the record. Does that give you any idea of how essential this album is, even if you don't like rap? "Thirty Days" is probably the worst cut overall, and even then it's got a great keyboard part. I just love this album and then some. I've heard maybe seven rap albums (and two were atrocious Eminem efforts), and this is the best of them.
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 where's the original 12" version of "It's like that" ? Jul 12, 2006
I bought the original Run-D.M.C. 12" single It's like that back when it first came out and then Hard Times, Rock Box, etc. and I also bought their first 2 albums on vinyl but what I didn't like then is the same thing I don't like now - they put a short edited version of It's Like That on the album. Since they remastered and reissued this album now with bonus tracks, wouldn't it have been logical to put the original 7+ minutes 12" version of It's like that on the CD? I believe that Hard Times is the same length on the album as it is on the 12" single. I have only seen the original 12" length version on a compilation album called Hip Hop Greats which I believe is available here on Amazon. Anyway, I give this new remastered digipak version 4 stars because they omitted the 12" version of It's like that.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
greatest album ever Mar 13, 2006
here it is
hard times 5/5
rock box 5/5
jam master jay 5/5
hollis crew (krush groove 2) 5/5
sucker mcs (krush groove 1) 5/5
it's like that 5/5
wake up 5/5
30 days 4.5/5
jay's game 4.5/5
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
FORGET ALL THE "FIRST RAP ALBUM STUFF", this is pure GOLD! Jan 16, 2006
The sound is incredible, its like they are in your crib rhymin' --
EXCELLENT REMASTERING!!! Wow, I can't say enough about it.
The songs still sound great over twenty years later and have more to say in one song than you can find on a whole rap album today!
Please do yourself a favor and get their first three albums instead of the Greatest Hits. Please, please, please...please?
THIS IS THE BEST ALBUM OF THEIR CAREER, GET IT NOW...
ITS LIKE THAT AND THAT"S THE WAY IT IS...
IF YOU DON'T THIS TIME [YOU] SHALL RETURN!
|
| |
|
![Up (4 Disc Combo Pack with Digital Copy and DVD) [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51V%2Beipy8-L._SL75_.jpg "Up (4 Disc Combo Pack with Digital Copy and DVD) [Blu-ray]")
![Across the Universe [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51T24FuHPEL._SL75_.jpg "Across the Universe [Blu-ray]")
![Underworld Trilogy (Underworld / Underworld: Evolution / Underworld: Rise of the Lycans) [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51F27VzUl%2BL._SL75_.jpg "Underworld Trilogy (Underworld / Underworld: Evolution / Underworld: Rise of the Lycans) [Blu-ray]")
![Shakira: Oral Fixation Tour [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51RQUEopdlL._SL75_.jpg "Shakira: Oral Fixation Tour [Blu-ray]")
