Saturday, August 7, 2010

3 Feet High And Rising


There was once a time when WXRT (a Chicago radio station) occasionally played exciting new music.

By the time I said farewell to the suburbs forever, XRT would only play the least objectionable of rock music available via the major labels or their fake smaller imprints. U2, The BoDeans, The Smithereens (The Smithereens constantly it seemed). Plus almost interesting, almost dangerous music whose relevance had recently expired. Like REM, The Cure, The Smiths. Lots of classic rock too.

But of all the stations in Chicago, it was the most eclectic. Apart from WNUR, Northwestern's excellent college station whose signal was too weak for me to pick up most of the time. So WXRT was the one I listened to. I have no idea what their format is now.

I clearly remember driving my bright yellow Pinto up route 59 when "Eye Know" came on the radio. Mind-blowing. The very idea that some kids from Long Island could breathe life into the very, very tired and monumentally un-sexy Steely Dan. It wasn't just cheeky and (sorry to resort to this word) postmodern, it was totally groovy and danceable.

Lots has been written elsewhere about the album's rococo nature, the unprecedented number of samples, its psychedelic feel. For me, what made this album so wonderful was its wedding of thoroughly modern dance and hip-hop beats with beautifully textured R&B, jazz and classic rock. It has a loose, easy feeling that I certainly had never heard in rap before. I think I had Public Enemy's "It takes a Nation of Millions..." on cassette and liked it, but it was a challenging listen at times. Very appropriate to the subject matter, it sounded like a fight between various power tools. Most rap I had been exposed to had a robotic, coked-out, disco vibe.

One minor quibble; it's a little long and could have done with a crueller editor's pen.

It's worth noting that Urban Dance Squad's "Mental Floss for the Globe" came out the same year and Dream Warriors "And Now the Legacy Begins"* shortly after that. Both inferior visions of the same idea. I guess it was in the air.


*And there, as it turns out, ends.

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