Every Monday I shuffle my entire MP3 collection in iTunes and list the first ten songs that play. Here are the ten tunes I heard today with a personal story about one of them.
- Ton of Joy - Otis Redding
- I Stand Alone - Godsmack
- Crying - Roy Orbison
- New York Town - Woody Guthrie
- I Believe In Miracles - Pearl Jam
- Figure 8 - Trust Company
- The Hazards of Sitting Beneath Palm Trees - Hayden
- Love In An Elevator - Aerosmith
- Face Pollution - Soundgarden
- I Know You Got Soul - Eric B. & Rakim
Public Enemy, in my humble opinion, took sampling to a higher plain. They could transform a James Brown grunt into a killer loop, ideally suited to match Chuck D's rage. Although P.E. sampled from all over the R&B map, James Brown was their favourite target.
Public Enemy is so known for their James Brown samples you'd be forgiven for thinking they started the whole obsession. In fact, it was Eric B. & Rakim who kicked off the James Brown sampling sport with "I Know You Got Soul", a cut from their critically acclaimed Paid in Full. I'm listening to the disc right now and like a fine wine, it's only got better with age.
