Kutiman - Thru You (Kutiman mixes Youtube) +2

Kutiman - Thru You (Kutiman Mixes YouTube)

Bonus: Kutiman - Music Is Ruling My World | z/s/h/a/r/e

And 1: Kutiman - Chaser | z/s/h/a/r/e

This is the most incredible project in music so far this year.  And probably many years to come.  Like the first time I saw Mike Relm working with the scratch DVD players this takes the sampling game to another level.  

What would happen if your entire sample bank was all of youtube?  What would your music sound like?  What would your style be?  How would your videos turn out?  And what would the final outcome be?  All this and more has just been answered by the one and only Kutiman!

I'm blown away by this.  Who knew Kutiman was working on this?  Kutiman released his debut self titled LP in 2007 and it seems he's been hiding this ace up his sleeve.  With a solid debut on MPM, "Thru You" is probably the project that throws him into the big spotlight.  Hailing from Tel Aviv this Israeli musician has just changed the game.  I can't stop watching the videos on "Thru You".

Egypt - 4 Ways

Jones Girls - Nights Over Egypt | z/s/h/a/r/e

Bonus: Incognito - Nights Over Egypt (MAW Main Mix) | z/s/h/a/r/e

And 1: Incognito - Nights Over Egypt (MJ Cole) | z/s/h/a/r/e

Overtime: Zo! - Nights Over Egypt | z/s/h/a/r/e

Nights Over Egypt is a certified disco classic and here it's being served up 4 ways - the classic disco receipe, soulful house marinade, garage style, and a new keys special.  First up is the OG by Jones Girls.  A trio of sisters from Detroit who smashed this Dexter Wansel production.  That explains it all right there.  Serious.

Next up is the Incognito cover with house legends MAW (Masters At Work) doing their thing with the soulful house mix.  Incognito also gets a MJ Cole treatment for the UK Garage massive.  I remember when UK Garage was on blast...what happened to the massive?

Last but not least the most recent version out - Zo! laces the music world with an instrumental version of the track.  Given, the Jones Girls' provided ample instrumental joy (that is if you have the 12" vinyl or the extended edit) but Zo! updates the sound with Madlib-esque knocking snares and live keys replacing the vocals.  

While Zo! brings "Nights Over Egypt" to the youth, the classic disco version is the winner hands down - it's like a perfect day that just gets better and better as time goes on.  Let it ride (play) out into the sunset.  Perfect.

It's Yours - White Label and Hard To Find

The Lone Ranger aka Q-T!p - It's Yours / z/s/h/a/r/e
And 1: T-La Rock - It's Yours / z/s/h/a/r/e

Oh shit it's classic time. T La Rock has historically been slept on yet regarded as one of the best MCs in the game. Q-T!p paid homage back in '98 to one of the highly revered and respected tracks in hip hop history. Wanting to avoid trouble with his then label "Jive" he released this 12" under the gise of The Lone Ranger. There wasn't much info on this record other than the fact that it was Q-T!p. The belief was that this was Q-T!p's first solo record and pointed to the end of A Tribe Called Quest. There was abundant speculation at this point regarding an eventual break up and solo projects from both Phife Dawg and Q-T!p followed in subsequent years. The Lone Ranger did not stick long and Q-T!p remained Q-T!p. Regardless this was a hard 12" to come by and had no promo nor press to back it when it dropped.

I bought this 12" for a modern take on a old school classic. Undoubtedly T La Rock's original version had sounded a little "out-dated" beatwise by the '98s and grabbing this 12" allowed me to drop it alongside other current jams and re-introduce such a classic to the next generation of hip hop heads. In any case, T!p smashes the cover version.

In 1984, T La Rock and his brother Special K (of The Treacherous Three) wrote "It's Yours," which was the first song ever produced by Rick Rubin and his fledgling Def Jam company. "It's Yours" 12" (Cat. PT-104) was the very first Def Jam record. Although some might argue that LL Cool J's "I Need a Beat" 12" was the first, this is not exactly true. The "It's Yours" recording was something Rick Rubin put out on the Streetwise Records subsidiary label Party Time Records, a few months before joining forces with Russell Simmons. The song was the first single to feature a Def Jam Recordings logo, but it was released through producer Arthur Baker's independent label Party Time, which was the hip hop division of his dance music label Streetwise Records. The recording was never part of Def Jam’s collection of master recordings.

In a 1996 interview with The New York Times, Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons commented about the effect T La Rock and "It's Yours" had on the early hip hop scene:

“It ["It's Yours"] was big, big in the underground. T [La Rock] started the trend and a new direction in hip-hop. He used 40-letter words. He created a special poetry. LL Cool J was the second release on the label. He borrowed ideas and attitude from T. LL would agree.”

The influence of T La Rock's "It's Yours" has been seen in sampling by hip-hop group Public Enemy in "Louder than a Bomb" from its 1988 release It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back; emcee Nas in "The World is Yours" from his seminal 1994 album Illmatic; by many sample-based house-music tracks by Todd Terry, and by emcee and DJ Edan in "Fumbling over Words that Rhyme" from his 2005 album Beauty and the Beat. The song was later in the soundtrack of the video game Grand Theft Auto IV, in the old school hip hop radio station the Classics 104.1. It was also used by the Beastie Boys on their song Paul Revere off their famous 1986 album Licensed to Ill, an album also produced by Rick Rubin off Def Jam.

On the strength of "It's Yours," T La Rock was signed by Fresh/Sleeping Bag Records and released two albums: Lyrical King (From the Boogie Down Bronx in 1987, and On a Warpath in 1989. Lyrical King was produced by T La Rock and DJ Louie Lou, while Todd Terry produced On a Warpath. [source]

Related:
Q-T!p and Saad!q
Q-T!p Remixed

Sant0g0ld - Sh0ve !t Remix ft 3-6 Maf!a

Sant0g0ld - Shove It Remix ft 3-6 Maf!a / z/s/h/a/r/e

It took me a few days to throw this up. I didn't like this at first. I'm sooooo enamoured - serious. - by the Switch remix of this track that it's the only version I play. Didn't need to play any other version, but after a few days of marinating this 3-f Maf!a remix has grown on me.

Sant0g0ld has been given a crunk re-fix with the addition of 3-6 Maf!a and a brand new beat. Rumour has it that this is going to be a B-Side to the official Jay-Z "Go Hard" 12inch. Funniest thing about this remix is the hip hop blogs and heads who are now "gonna fak with her". Welcome to the party hip hop heads...you're about 2 years late.

Related:
Sant0g0ld - Shove It (Sw!tch Remix) and others

Keys n Krates - The Longest Night

Keys n Krates - The Longest Night / z/s/h/a/r/e / mediafire

Conceived early in 2008, Toronto's Keys N Krates bring new meaning to the dancefloor remix. The group consists of frontman, Eh! Team DJ Jr-Flo, eclectic soul musician and keyboardist Matisse, and drummer Tune. Their set blends hip-hop and electronic instrumentation with party breaks and world class turntablism, creating live renditions of favorite party tunes thats something to be both seen and heard.

Recently reviewed by URB Magazine as standouts during New York's CMJ Music Fest, the group has landed some high profile shows, playing URB Magazines Holiday Party and with Questlove of The Roots at the famous SOB's in Manhattan.

With DJs being at the forefront of live performances in 2008, Keys N' Krates is ready to re-introduce their audiences to the sound of true live music with a unmistakably unique party flip.

Originally from Toronto and now living, recording, and showcasing in New York this 3 member band breaks ground as a remix concept band. If you want to desribe it in words simply put it's a DJ led band. Imagine a DJ rocking a party but there's a live band jamming and vibing and remixing shit live on the spot with the DJ. Like, whoa. That's Keys n Krates and that's dope.

(edit - what happens if L!0nel R!tch!e, M!cha3l and Jan3t Jackson, Glor!a Est3fan, and D3p3ch3 Mod3 had a baby? You'd get the love child of "The Longest Night")

If you're in Montreal on Friday Jan 16th check them out at Academy Club Prive


Related:
youtube.com/keysnkratestv
keysnkrates.com

Anyone Wanna Go To Boston? Roots vs Antibalas Soundclash

Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra - Che Che Cole (Makossa Remix) | z/s/h/a/r/e
Bonus: Antibala Afrobeat Orchestra - Che Che Cole (album) | z/s/h/a/r/e
And 1: Willie Colon & Hector Lavoe - Che Che Cole (original version) | z/s/h/a/r/e

What!? The Roots vs Antibalas?? As a live experiment? Daaang. Serious.

Red Bull Sound Clash is a totally unique clash of sounds, styles and creativity, where two bands don’t battle each other, but instead collaborate live on stage to create an innovative music performance.

The Red Bull Sound Clash Boston experience features two bands – The Roots and Antibalas – with different music styles (Hip Hop and Afrobeat) facing-off on two stages positioned on opposite ends of the venue with the audience in the middle. In a series of four rounds, the bands perform various tasks—some rehearsed, some improvised—to showcase the range of their musical abilities. The audience participates in the back-and-forth exploration between the bands by judging each round.[source]

I wanna hear them do a live collabo - imagine a 7 minute afro-burner of The Seed? How about a hip hop version of "Che Che Cole (Makossa Remix)"? I'll take 26 of those and 3 hours of that. Who wants to go to Boston for the 29th of Jan?

Che Che Cole was originally a Willie Colon & Hector Lavoe song from 1972. Latin in original form Antibalas did a remake/cover of the song and later had a remix done on the Makossa tip to move it closer to Afrobeat. The Roots vs Antibalas is going to be such a crazy combo I think I need to be at this show. Serious.

How'd I Make It To The Party 6 Months Late?

PPP ft Karma Stewart - On A Cloud | l/i/m/e/l/i/n/x | z/s/h/a/r/e

A few months (yes months - probably summertime) back I saw this video:

Ok, turns out I've been hella confused for months. Ever since I saw that video (above) in summer I thought Wajeed and Saadiq were deading PPP and starting a new band called "Abundance" with a nu-soul singer as lead and a new third member. So I've been telling people about Abundance but I was hella misinformed about PPP, "Abundance", and "On A Cloud" - the song they talk about in the video. Let's get it straight together.

"Abundance" is PPP's newest album due out in Jan 2009. "On A Cloud" is a song on that album featuring Karma Stewart on vocals. So, PPP is not dead and "On A Cloud" is the lead single which, incidently, has been out and available since early July. Where have I been for the past 6 months?? Seems like I've been puffin on my own cloud.

Now I find out Karma Stewart is featured prominently on "Abundance" and has just released her own EP today, which has been graciously made available as a free download. Karma hails from Austin, Texas (by way of Germany) but now resides in L.A. making the migration in order to be in the studio with PPP producers Wajeed and Saadiq and newest addition singer/songwriter Coultrain.

I'ma let Karma let loose in her own words:

Can you give us a quick rundown of how all the songs came to be [on the 4 track EP]?

Coultrain had written “Withdrawal” and “Waiting In The Wings” prior to me starting to put in work for The Karma EP. When I heard those 2 songs I was like “Whoa!!” He’s such a prolific writer; I was more than honored to be the voice behind the genius of his lyrics, ya know?

Shortly after, Saadiq sent me a couple of tracks that he had produced and there was one in particular that stood out to me. I had told Saadiq that i wanted some straight up funky Vanity 6 meets Prince like track. And thats exactly what he did!! Lol…

So I sent it to Coultrain and he reached into the depths of his funky soul and wrote the song “Look” which was inspired by the late Rick James. It’s actually one of my favorite songs on the EP.

Last but not least, I wrote the song “Love Games” which was produced by Waajeed (and is also one of my faves). This track is so sick I told Waajeed I had to have it!! Through listening to it, the first thing that popped into my head was “Sweet Dreams” by The Eurythmics. From that inspiration, “Love Games” was created and it was a done deal! I’m very happy with how it turned out. [source]

I slept so hard on this one, but I got it straight now. Bringing that Motown and Detroit sound back to its roots, "On A Cloud" is one of the freshest tracks of 2008! Serious.

Related:

Karma Stewart - EP (free download)

Karma Stewart Myspace

PPP Myspace

Afro-Rico - Original Sample To "Ferg_a_li_c_ious"

Afro-Ri_can_ - Give I_t All Y(o) Got (Doggy Style) | z/s/h/a/r/e

This is some serious OG shit.  I could never find this on vinyl and the best I could get to having this was on a blue-ish green label 95-99 Megamix (I think that's what it was called) which was a classic 17 minute megamix of Miami Bass.  It had this little snippet where Afro-Rican dropped but it was such a jerk to find quickly while in the mix (it sat in the middle of the megamix).  Now it's all here - the OG to the Fer-ga_lic_ious track you all love...to hate.  LOL.  I hate that track too so we`re still friends.

A Letter To Common

C-to-the-double-M-O-N - Un_i_versal M_!_nd Control (Planet Rock Remix) | z/s/h/a/r/e
Bonus: C-to-the-double-M-O-N ft Chest_er Fren_ch - What A Wo_rld | z/s/h/a/r/e

Common dropped his newest album "Universal Mind Control" recently and I came across this and I HAD to re-post it.  Here's one opinion on Common's new album:

Dear Mr. Sense:

First of all, I would like to congratulate you on releasing your new album, “Resurrection.” I don’t want to spoil anything for you because I’m writing from the future in the year 2024 but we will still talking about that album thirty years from now. In fact, that album is so good, you will be eating off the reputation that album garnered for you for the rest of your life and plenty of people will excuse a lot of questionable material you will be releasing in the near future because of how great songs like “Communism” are. I mean people will be frontin’ on “I Used To Love H.E.R.” like that song wasn’t the fucking shit in 1994 but those people like Shawty Lo records so fuck ‘em. I’m sorry you don’t know who Shawty Lo is yet, do you? He was part of this ass awful group called D4L in the mid ‘00s and beefed with T.I. for a little while over whether or not they actually grew up in this backwater town called Bankhead like anybody gives a flying fornication. I know, it will be as retarded as it sounds. Oh, yeah, that’s right you haven’t met T.I., either. You’ll be playing his father in a film called “American Gangster” in about 12 years so don’t sweat it. I know, it’ll be creepy. Actually, just forget it. All in due time.

Anyway, the reason that I’m writing you today is because I’m compelled to warn you as a fan of yours about the upcoming disaster that will be your future album called “Universal Mind Control” in the year 2008. It’s imperative that you do not make this album. The entire fabric of existence depends on it. “Universal Mind Control” isn’t just bad. It’s legendarily bad. It’s “This is album is so bad it negates the existence of God bad. Like I mean there can’t possibly be a supreme being if he allowed a travesty like this to occur” bad. There’s absolutely nothing salvageable about this album. You need to stop this before it occurs. I’m begging you. Wars started in foreign countries over this album when it was released. You ever see the movie, Scanners? At least, sixty people had their heads spontaneously explode attempting to listen to this album. Please, I beg of you. Do not attempt.

Listen, in the future you will meet a man by the name of Pharrell. He’s this goofy ass skinny dude who wears all types of hideously gaudy clothes, he sings in this hyper annoying falsetto and he’ll have this Asian guy (which nobody can seem to figure out actually does for a living...) follow him around all the time . He’ll try to seduce you by jetting you around the globe in his private plane, have you cavorting with models, and introduce you to a short, motor mouthed actor with an immaculate hairpiece that will soon become you’re best friend. You need to kill him upon meeting him. Despite the fact the man has only about a dozen, truly great songs to his name, he will have garnered a ridiculous amount of unwarranted acclaim and will offer to produce your latest album for you. You must resist. The beats on “Universal Mind Control” are truly hideous and are bad even by his standards. It sounds like this weird amalgamation of Baltimore Club Music, Danger Mouse, and Just Blaze’s worst, most ostentatious impulses in a way that completely fails and causes one to question the creator’s influences. The first time I heard the title track, I was convinced I was listening to an ill-conceived Girl Talk (as if there was anything else) mash-up of some bad Bmore Club and a drunken freestyle that No I.D. dared you to record while drinking orange pineapple juice laced with vodka. And that’s only the opening record! It only gets worse from there. I’m talking records that inexplicably bite Biggie’s flow in a sub-Guerilla Black manner; records that reference Gladiator (and are actually called “Gladiator”) as if “What More Can I Say” didn’t happen; and there’s actually a record called “Sex 4 Sugar. Completely without irony.

And as a bad as Pharrell is on the album, the problem is primarily you. In approximately the year 2005, after doing one too many advertisements for the Gap, the soft feel of their 100% cotton sweaters will cause you to completely lose your ability to rap but instead of doing the sensible thing and completely retire from rap as if you were Mos Def, you will continue to force yourself on the listening public. You will embarrass yourself on this record. Badly. There are songs on this record where there will be no semblance of flow and rhythm on your part. This wouldn’t necessarily be bad if you weren’t rapping about some generic, cookie cutter version of universal love or some hippie bullshit but you are. This album is the audio equivalent of talking to some douchebag named Moonbeam for an hour while he trips on acid and forces you to go to a rave. It ain’t pretty.

“Universal Mind Control” must not happen, Common. You have the power to stop it. You must resist all impulses in the future to do anything that doesn’t sound like “Thisisme,” It will hurt because you will feel that you are better than hip hop but you are not. You are definitely not. Trust me. Lives were lost because of this. This album was directly responsible for the Supreme Court from negating the results from 2008 Presidential Election and ushering in a third Bush term which lead to the death of democracy in America. Lives depend it on, Lonnie. You can change it. Don’t make this album.

Sincerely,

The Good Doctor Zeus

P.S. You should also probably drop the “Sense” part of your name. You’ll thank me later.

P.P.S. In the future, you will meet a woman by the name of Erkyah. This will be in your future.

Awesome - Lots of LOLZ in that one.  Thoughts?

Santigold aka Santi White <3

J@y-(Z_ ft Sant#g#ld - Bro)o(lyn (Go Hard) | z/s/h/a/r/e
Bonus: Sant#g#ld - Shove It (Switch remix) | z/s/h/a/r/e
And 1: Sant#g#ld - I'm A Lady (Diplo mix ft Amanda Blank) | z/s/h/a/r/e
Overtime: Sant#go#ld, Ph@rr#ll, Jul!an - My Drive Thru | z/s/h/a/r/e

This ain't about the Jigga man. This is all about Santogold aka Santi White aka Santi. Heart.

Apparently this is new shit from the "Notorious" movie and while it's alright it doesn't quite move me the way Shove It (Switch remix) does it. Shove It is where the "Brooklyn, Go Hard" vocal sample comes from and it's the first song that put me onto the heat that is Santogold. Santi White popped up on GZA's "Legend Of The Liquid Sword" from 2002 and helped pen GZA's "Beneath The Surface" as well as a majority of Res' album but didn't really catch her stride til last/this year. Coldplay tapped her to open their recent tour, Santogold appeared on the latest Converse ad campaign recording a song (which she steals by the way) with Julian Casablancas (Strokes) and Pharrell Williams (N.E.R.D.), and she put out one of the best albums of this year. If that wasn't enough she teamed up with the people's champ Diplo for "Top Ranking" a mixtape in the same weight and vein as Diplo's collabo with M.I.A.'s "Piracy Funds Terrorism".

"I'm A Lady (Diplo Mix)" comes from "Top Ranking" and it utilizies the same sample as LL Cool J's "I Need Love". Amanda Blank is heat as well - she'll get her own post later on. Heart her too. But Santi makes an appearance with Jay-Z and also is featured on Common's new album. Go Santogold.

I'm a fan. Seems I'm not the only fan, and rightly so - are u a fan yet?

Does He Make U Mac And Cheese?

Mary Prankster - Mac and Cheese / z/s/ha/r/e

This is the shit!

"All I want's a boy to make me mac and cheese / just straight mac with no (friends?) or peas / but every boy who's made me mac and cheese / has always turned out to be...a violent sociopath".

Wow. All to a rocking hip swinging beat. You can't beat this shit - it's the best. Ladies - heed the warnings cause it doesn't stop at mac and cheese. This has been your after-school PSA. (No it's much better than that - seriously this song rocks).

Still Can't Get Enough Of Nov 4th

J@y-(Z) - History | z/s/h/a/r/e

Jigga acknowledges the significance of Nov 4th with a fresh new song. Word on the street is that Jigga, Miss Independent (of Destiny's Child), and Leona Lewis are supposed to be performing at the Obama inauguration on Jan 20th. I think Obama, like his grassroots organizing and new media campaigning can reach a little deeper in the talent pool than that.

What about Daedalus? He made the best 1 minute song while Obama was running against Hilary for the Democratic Nomination. How about Nas? And all the DJ's (from DJ Premier, to Z-Trip, Green Lantern, Noodles, King Most who threw DOWN on Obama mixes and all the artists that got down on those?? I know they may not be THE biggest names out there but reach a little deeper and like your campaign, you'll find people worth fighting for, people outside the margins who are just as important and significant. I`m not hating, I just wanna see a lot of other people get shine.

Related (kinda):
Miss Independent (of Destiny`s Child) vs Mr Pee On The Youth

Forgot About Remixes

D,r D.r$e ft E Mi(n)e M - F()rgOt Bout D.r$e (Morsy Mix) | z/s/h/a/r/e

Morsy has been making noise on the remix tip lately. This is on the dance remix tip much like the "Kic k Dru ms" remix of Thuggish Ruggish Bone. Bonus video below is another remix of this track done by DJ Macca who adds verses from Fifty and Wayne.

This Perfect Pairing Made My Day

C(0).m_ M(0)N ft C## L(O) - M@ke M.y D@ay | z/s/h/a/r/e

I`ve been a HUGE fan of both MC`s since a long while. Definitely since Can I Borrow A Dollar days and since Mr Lo went solo. Wasn`t that huge a fan of the Mob. This is some summertime steez - no wonder he wanted to call it In.vi&.ce.@ble Sum-mer. This happy go lucky song was just what I needed after another moving day. Suddenly I'm craving almonds...

Miss Independent (of Destiny`s Child) vs Mr Pee On The Youth

Be.Y O.n(c)e - I$f I W@s A B()Y (R K#l!y remix) | z/s/h/a/r/e

Classic! R K#l!y goes in on Be.Y O.n(c)e's latest and only he can do it like he can do it. The best part is they're both serious, but the man takes it cause he just pisses all over her (pun intended). The melodrama from both is pure Guido Fist Pump though (I just had to blog about the best website of the week!)

Love Is A Fight So Get Involved With It

Q-Tip ft Raphael Saadiq - We Love/Fight | z/s/h/a/r/e

Bonus: Q-Tip ft Raphael Saadiq - Get Involved | z/s/h/a/r/e

Q-tip and Saadiq are back together but it's no "Get Involved". I guess you can't expect another "Get Involved" but after what Saadiq did with his latest album "Way I See It", their latest collab leaves you a little disappointed here.  Regardless it's consistent with the sound heard on other songs off "The Renaissance".

Previous: Q-Tip ft Eve - Getting Up Remix | Q-Tip - Move

F-R-E-S-H

Kid Sister - Get Fresh | z/s/h/a/r/e

Bonus: Kid Sister ft David Banner - Family Reunion | z/s/h/a/r/e

Kid Sister's latest from her upcoming album "Dream Date".  Previously heard was "Family Reunion" ft David Banner.  These two songs have me AMPED for the album.  Kid Sister's already a monster and this just adds to her rep.

A Classic 70s Update

Diplo - Blow Your Head (DJ Eli Remix) z/s/h/a/r/e


You KNOW this is gonna be RADICCHIO. Diplo with a DJ Eli remix? You might as well be dancing now before the song even starts. SICK update of a James Brown classic. Eli Escobar is one of my favorite remix producers out there. Have you heard that M.I.A. remix of Jimmy? Hella gouda. Just like this one.

A Marvelous Life? A Marvelous Time

Mos Def - Life In Marvelous Times | z/s/h/a/r/e

New Mos Def from his upcoming album "The Ecstatic". I know some people who are gonna be ecstatic to have some new Mos Def.

Juggaknots - Clear Blue Skies

Juggaknots - Clear Blue Skies | z/s/h/a/r/e

Bonus: Juggaknots - Loosifa | z/s/h/a/r/e

And 1: Juggaknots - Romper Room | z/s/h/a/r/e

I was just on the phone with Peoples' and he was telling me about one of his song concepts.  I told him it reminded me of the Juggaknots, and him being a younger cat didn't know what it was so I told him I'd bring it down to the club tonight for him to hear it.  Then I re-heard the album and daam - you need to hear the WHOLE thing!  Yes. Man. All. Of. It.  It's a CLASSIC.  

Here's the song I was talking about "Clear Blue Skies".  Now remember, most people when they first heard this song didn't know what nor who the Juggaknots were.  No pictures, no press, no information.  Most people thought the MCs were white or possibly one white one black cause either situation brought different senarios and interpretations to the song.  But they were blowing up all underground radio without press nor photos.  When people saw them for the first time and found out that both MC's were black the whole meaning and images created by "Clear Blue Skies" was completely flipped on it's head.

"Clear Blue Skies" is the one that made people notice but some trumped "Loosifa" and "Romper Room" as the instant classics instead.  In any case they're all a bag of cookies.  And DAAM was it EVER hard to find on vinyl.  Most had to cop it on the re-issue, thankfully I copped mine on the first pressing.  Classic.