Like the first volume of the
New York Sound series, this follow-up isn't quite disco, rap, or electronic dance music. Instead, it's a mixture of all of these, from the time between the late '70s and mid-'80s when these genres were developing and colliding, laying the foundation for what would become major trends in R&B and dance music in the late-20th century. It's not the easiest anthology to either classify or, unless you have pretty broad tastes, listen to with equal affection for each track. Still, it does excavate some pretty unheralded efforts in styles that haven't been paid much attention by historical-minded compilations, drawing entirely from the vaults of the Vanguard, Spring, and Posse labels. The most interesting of the ten tracks (all but one between five and ten minutes in length) are those that are clearly among the earlier rap recordings issued, particularly
Fatback's 1979 B-side "King Tim III (Personality Jock)" and Millie Jackson's gleefully filthy 1980 single "I Had to Say It." Mr. Magic's 1982 release "Magic's Message (There Has to Be a Better Way)," on the other hand, is already showing the influence of other rap acts such as
Grandmaster Flash.
Rainbow Brown's 1981 single is closer to disco and not nearly as profane as Jackson, but does include the memorable line "my petals are open and waiting, wet with the dew of elation." Other cuts make heavier use of electronic riffs and beats, making them clear forerunners of later forms of club music, even as they exhibited stronger roots in the disco era than their descendants. Many of the songs themselves, however, are far less striking than the production, and even the production is sometimes on the formulaic side, as much as there could be said to be a formula for such young genres. Fans of
Arthur Baker will want to note the inclusion of an early production of his on this CD,
Ritz's 1982 single "I Wanna Get with You," though even the liner notes concede that "the track is a little unremarkable."