The Message (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five album)
The Message | ||||
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Sugar Hill | ||||
Producer | Jigsaw Productions, Sylvia Robinson | |||
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five chronology | ||||
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Singles from The Message | ||||
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The Message is the debut
Release and reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Tom Hull – on the Web | A−[7] |
The Message was released in October 1982 by
Reviewing in December 1982 for The New York Times, Robert Palmer hailed The Message as the year's best album and explained that while the emerging rap genre had often been criticized for confining itself to "bragging and boasting ... The Message is different. It's a gritty, plain-spoken, vividly cinematic portrait of black street life...social realism has rarely worked well in a pop-music context, but The Message is an utterly convincing cry of frustration and despair that cannot be ignored."[9] Robert Christgau ranked it as the 21st best album of 1982 on his list for The Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics' poll.[10] In Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s (1990), he wrote that, although "She's Fresh" is the "only instant killer", each song's attempt to experiment and "touch a lot of bases with a broad demographic ... justifies itself".[3]
According to music journalist Tom Breihan, The Message was a "singles-plus filler cash-in" that proved "a fascinating time capsule of rap's early attempts with the album format" as well as "a full-length artistic breakthrough, a rap album that earned respect on its own terms".
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "She's Fresh" | Milton Edwards | 4:57 |
2. | "It's Nasty" | 4:19 | |
3. | "Scorpio" |
| 4:55 |
4. | "It's a Shame (Mt. Airy Groove)" | 4:57 | |
5. | "Dreamin'" |
| 5:47 |
6. | "You Are" | Gary Henry | 4:51 |
7. | "The Message" |
| 7:12 |
No. | Title | Composer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
8. | "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel" | Sylvia Robinson, Melvin Glover, Gabrielle Jackson, Jiggs Chase, Gwendolyn Chisolm, Cheryl Cook, Michael Wright, Guy O'Brien, John Richard Deacon, Joseph Saddler, Angela Brown | 7:06 |
No. | Title | Composer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
8. | "Message II (Survival)" | Sylvia Robinson, Melvin Glover | 6:46 |
9. | "New York, New York" | Sylvia Robinson, Edward G Fletcher, Reginald Lamar Griffin, Melvin Glover | 7:19 |
10. | "The Adventures of Grandmaster Himself" | Unknown - see '2010 Expanded Edition' notes | 5:45 |
11. | "The Message (Instrumental Version)" | Edward G Fletcher, Clifton Chase, Sylvia Robinson, Melvin Glover | 7:11 |
No. | Title | Composer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
8. | "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel" | Sylvia Robinson, Melvin Glover, Gabrielle Jackson, Clifton Chase, Gwendolyn Chisolm, Cheryl Cook, Michael Wright, Guy O'Brien, John Richard Deacon, Joseph Saddler, Angela Brown | 7:06 |
9. | "The Message (Instrumental Version)" | Edward G Fletcher, Clifton Chase, Sylvia Robinson, Melvin Glover | 7:08 |
10. | "New York, New York" | Sylvia Robinson, Edward G Fletcher, Reginald Lamar Griffin, Melvin Glover | 7:25 |
11. | "Message II (Survival)" | Sylvia Robinson, Melvin Glover | 6:46 |
12. | "The Birthday Party" | Sylvia Robinson, Melvin Glover | 8:19 |
13. | "Freedom (Instrumental Version)" | Sylvia Robinson | 8:13 |
- Sample credits
- "She's Fresh" contains samples from "It's Just Begun" by The Jimmy Castor Bunchand "The Lovomaniacs" by Boobie Knight.
- "It's Nasty" contains samples from "Genius of Love" by Tom Tom Club.
- "It's a Shame" contains samples from "Mt. Airy Groove" by Pieces Of A Dream.
- "The Incredible Bongo Band, "Rapture" by Blondie, "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen, "8th Wonder" by The Sugarhill Gang, "Monster Jam" by Sequence, "Glow of Love" by Changeand "Life Story" by The Hellers.
Personnel
- Grandmaster Flash (Joseph Saddler) – turntables, drum programming, Flashformer transform DJ device, background vocals
- The Kidd Creole(Nathaniel Glover Jr.) – lead and background vocals, writer and arranger
- Keef Cowboy (Keith Wiggins) – lead and background vocals, writer and arranger
- Grandmaster Melle Mel (Melvin Glover) – lead and background vocals, writer and arranger
- Scorpio (Eddie Morris) – lead and background vocals, writer and arranger
- Rahiem (Guy Todd Williams) – lead and background vocals, writer and arranger
- Doug Wimbish - bass
- Skip McDonald- guitar
- Reggie Griffin, Prophet Sequential
- Gary Henry, Dwain Mitchell - keyboards
- Keith Leblanc- drums
- Ed Fletcher - percussion
- Chops Horn Section - brass
Charts
Album
Chart (1982) | Peak position |
---|---|
New Zealand Albums ( RIANZ)[14]
|
14 |
UK Albums Chart[8] | 77 |
U.S. Billboard 200[8] | 53 |
U.S. Top Black Albums[15]
|
8 |
Chart (1983) | Peak position |
Australian (Kent Music Report) | 78[16] |
Singles
Year | Single | Peak chart positions | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
U.S. Hot 100 [17][18] |
U.S. R&B [17][18] |
U.S. Club Play
|
NZ
[14] |
|||
1981 | "It's Nasty (Genius of Love)" | — | 22 | — | — | — |
"Scorpio" | — | 30 | — | — | 77 [20] | |
1982 | "The Message" | 62 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 8 |
References
- ^ "The Message". AllMusic.
- ^ Allmusic. Retrieved May 11, 2013.
- ^ a b Christgau 1990, p. 270.
- ^ Larkin 2006, p. 308.
- ^ a b Lewis et al. 2004, p. 341.
- ^ Pitchfork Media. Retrieved May 11, 2013.
- ^ Hull, Tom (April 26, 2021). "Music Week". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Strong 2004, p. 619.
- ^ Palmer, Robert (December 22, 1982). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (February 22, 1983). "Pazz & Jop 1982: Dean's List". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved May 11, 2013.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (August 24, 2020). "1982: Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five—the Message". sole.digital. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
- ISBN 0-7893-1371-5.
- ^ Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - The Message (Vinyl, LP, Album). Discogs. Retrieved on July 27, 2010.
- ^ a b "Discography Grandmaster Flash". charts.nz. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
- ^ "The Message - Furious Five, Grandmaster Flash, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five : Awards". Allmusic. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
- ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ a b "Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five". Rolling Stone. July 8, 2009. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
- ^ a b Billboard chartings. Accessed October 17, 2009.
- ^ "The Official Charts Company - Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 27, 2010.
- ^ a b "The Official Charts Company – Grandmaster Flash". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 27, 2010.
Bibliography
- ISBN 067973015X.
- ISBN 0195313739.
- ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ISBN 1841956155.
External links
- Groups Official Website
- The Kidd Creole's Official Website
- The Message (Adobe Flash) at Radio3Net (streamed copy where licensed)
- The Message at Discogs (list of releases)