Thug Life Army

Its old school time again; time to let you know where some of those tracks that have been sampled came from and its history.

Blue Note Records present two must-have compilations for crate-diggers, hip-hop historians and funk & soul fans. Among hip-hop and rap fans you will be able to tell some of these tracks have been sampled and mined by some of the biggest producers and artists in the culture.

From Tupac (2Pac), Dr. Dre, Mos Def, A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, De La Soul, Pete Rock and many others, these tracks are some of the best music from the 60’s and 70’s. They are available now from Blue Note Records.

Give it a listen and you will be able to tell, this is some good music. Old school fuck, soul and jazz. Enjoy and look for these albums. To learn more or to order go to http://www.bluenote.com/funk  

David Axelrod- The Edge: David Axelrod at Capitol Records 1966-1970

Though he worked for a series of labels over the course of his storied career, David Axelrod is best known as one of Capitol Records'' foremost producers during the company's glory years in the 1960s. Under his production, actor David McCallum released four albums; soulster Lou Rawls released a countless number of LPs (including his first gold album, Lou Rawls Live); Cannonball Adderly released Mercy, Mercy, Mercy (1966), one of the highest selling jazz albums of all time; and countless artists from Letta Mbulu to Common People released albums that spanned the gamut from funky African folk to psychedelic rock. Axelrod himself released three albums as a solo artist on Capitol - Songs of Innocence (1968), Songs of Experience (1969), and Earth Rot (1970) - the first of which even legendary producer Quincy Jones admitted was the immediate precursor to jazz-fusion.

David Axelrod was instrumental in creating the Black Music division at Capitol Records in the mid-''60s, and had a string of hit albums with artists such as soul singer Lou Rawls and jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderley. Today he is best known in the hip-hop world for three albums he released on Capitol under his own name between 1968-1970. Songs of Innocence, Songs of Experience, Earth Rot, and other ancillary Axelrod productions are among the most sampled records in hip-hop history, having been mined by producers as varied as Madlib, DJ Shadow, and Dr. Dre, Mos Def, and many others.

Original LPs that Axelrod produced are coveted among DJs and crate-diggers. This definitive retrospective is the first release to put his career in its proper context and present it with the sonic quality it merits.

Produced by Eothen "Egon" Alapatt (of Stones Throw Records)

Streaming Tracks:

The Edge

128: http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/bluenote/axelrod_audio/david_mccallum_the_edge_128k.asx

64: http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/bluenote/axelrod_audio/david_mccallum_the_edge_64k.asx

The Smile

128: http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/bluenote/axelrod_audio/david_axelrod_the_smile_128k.asx

64: http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/bluenote/axelrod_audio/david_axelrod_the_smile_64k.asx

The Mizell Brothers

Mizell: The Mizell Brothers at Blue Note Records 1972-1976 and Beyond

Larry and Fonce (Alphonso) Mizell, without a doubt the hottest songwriters and producers of the 1970s, gave us, with their Sky High Productions, some of the finest jazz-funk and R&B records ever produced. With their distinctive, unique style they gave music a whole new quality, resulting in a fascinating groove that has always held its appeal and paved the way for hip-hop, neo-soul, and soulful house music today.

Fonce Mizell started off as a member of Motown's famous production team The Corporation. Together with Freddie Perren, Deke Richards, and Berry Gordy Jr., Fonce helped write and produce many of the Jackson 5's early hits, such as ''I Want You Back'' and ''ABC.'' Fonce also wrote and produced for other Motown acts, including Marvin Gaye, Martha & The Vandellas, and Bobby Darin. Some years later, Fonce and Freddie Perren would write and produce Edwin Starr's soundtrack to the blaxploitation movie Hell Up in Harlem (Motown, 1974). Before that, Larry Mizell had worked with Donald Byrd on his Grammy'-nominated Black Byrd album, the biggest selling album for Blue Note Records at the time.

From then on, having moved to California, the brothers were working together, producing a string of fantastic records with their company, Sky High Productions. Most of them were released on Blue Note and include classic jazz-funk like Donald Byrd's 'street Lady'' and Bobbi Humphrey's ''Blacks and Blues''; deep soul-funk and R&B like Gary Bartz's ''The Shadow Do'' and Rance Allen's 'say My Friend''; as well as huge disco hits like A Taste of Honey's ''Boogie, Oogie, Oogie.''

Original LPs of Mizell Brothers-produced albums are coveted among DJs and crate-diggers, and have been sampled by hip-hop and rap artists such as A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, De La Soul, the late Tupac Shakur (2Pac), Pete Rock, and countless others.

This definitive retrospective is the first release that puts their careers in its proper context and presents it with the sonic quality it merits. Also, it marks the Mizell Brothers reunion with Blue Note Records after almost 20 years, as the album was compiled, produced, mixed & mastered by the Mizells themselves. Lastly, it features three previously-unreleased tracks newly mixed from the analog sources: ''Funked Up'' from legendary Gary Bartz's Music Is My Sanctuary album, a newly-unearthed alternate version of the classic Donald Byrd ''Think Twice,'' and a half-completed track to which the Mizells added vocal and trumpet parts and renamed ''N R Time,'' which is sure to be a future dancefloor classic.

Produced by Larry and Fonce Mizell

Streaming Tracks:

Wind Parade

128: http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/bluenote/mizell_audio/donald_byrd_wind_parade_128k.asx

64: http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/bluenote/mizell_audio/donald_byrd_wind_parade_64k.asx

Funked Up

128: http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/bluenote/mizell_audio/gary_bartz_funked_up_128k.asx

64:  http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/bluenote/mizell_audio/gary_bartz_funked_up_64k.asx

NR Time

128: http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/bluenote/mizell_audio/mizellstory_n_r_time_128k.asx

64: http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/bluenote/mizell_audio/mizellstory_n_r_time_64k.asx