The Club Mix of T La Rock‘s “Breaking Bells” manages to improve on an already incredible track by adding a new verse from Terry and letting cut ‘n paste masters Omar Santana and Chep Nunez get busy with Mantronik and Louie-Lou’s killer beat foundation. This results in the final two minutes of the song consisting of frantic drum fills, “sounds of the safari” percussion and cow bell solos that makes this record one of the finest moments in electro hip-hop’s brief reign at the top.
The flipside (or “Y” side in the case of all Fresh 12″s) contains the non-LP goodness of “Bass Machine”, which boasts one of the most punishing 808 drops you’re likely to hear, but “Breaking Bells” still comes out on top, and stands as T La Rock’s best record that isn’t “It’s Yours”. After all, he reminds us that “on a scale of intelliegence, I’m rated a ten” leaving us “reluctant to atttend the performance of another vocalist”. Who I am to argue?
T La Rock – Breaking Bells [Club Mix] (Fresh, 1986)
but “Breaking Bells” still comes out on top, and stands as T La Rock’s best record that isn’t “It’s Yours”.
Robbie in “breaking bells” is better than “live drumming with the country boy” shockah !!
Where is Drew Huge..? He needs to make with more info about those unreleased Terry La Rock cuts he’d had the privilege of hearing
Did you get that “Lost Tapes” T La Rock album from a couple of years back? I missed out on that one.
MAN THAT BREAKING BELLS JOINT WAS SOO TIGHT!! AHEAD OF ITS TIME AND I WISH YOU CAN PROVIDE BASS MACHINE FOR DOWNLOAD CUZ I CAN’T FIND THAT JOINT ANYWHERE.HOLLA
This T La Rock shit is amazing (well, aside from that Funkmaster Flex crap). But thanks for putting me on to a cat I never would have heard of otherwise. He’s in my top 3 favorite rappers now, and I’m trying to find everything I can on him.
That’s for giving the heads-up on this remix, Robbie. Big love – Cee
T La Rock “The Lyrical King” is being re-released on CD August 23, 2005 it will include the original 10 tracks plus 5 bonus tracks including “It’s Yours” “Breaking Bells”
my homeboy nikoless skratch and i included this version on our “turntable of contents” mixtape from a couple years back. tsg = devastating to yo ears.
Breaking Bells is IT for me. Other cats at the time and even now can’t compete. Where is Terry now?
Here’s the tracklisting for the CD reissue:
1. Lyrical King (From The Boogie Down Bronx)
2. Back To Burn
3. Tudy Fruity Judy
4. Having Fun
5. Three Minutes Of Beat Box
6. Bust These Lyrics
7. This Beat Kicks
8. Big Beat In London
9. It’s Time To Chill
10. Live Drummin With The Country Boy
11. It’s Yours (12″ Radio Mix – 1984)
12. Breakdown (12″ Version – 1985)
13. He’s Incredible (12″ Version – 1985)
14. Breaking Bells (12″ Version – 1986)
15. Bass Machine (12″ Version – 1986)
I was gonna post “He’s Incredible” next but since it’s on there I’ll do “T La Rock Rockin’ The Party” instead.
‘Breaking Bells’ is one of T’s best songs. There’s an edited version of it on the European version of the ‘Lyrical King’ album (which I have) instead of ‘Having Fun’.
What label is that CD reissue coming out on? Do you know whether it will be available in Europe?
It’s probably on Fresh Records, manufactured and distributed by Traffic Entertainment Group like the Just-Ice albums ‘Back To The Old School’ (TEG-76501) and ‘Kool & Deadly’ (TEG-76503).
Funny you say that, cause I just bought that Just-Ice “Old School” Reissue yesterday. Man, “Cold Gettin’ Dumb” was some hard shit.
Just-Ice may have hated Mantronik, but that album is a classic. I’m not mad at Just-Ice though for changing producers. As a BDP fan I love ‘Kool & Deadly’ just as much. One of the best albums KRS ever produced.
“Cold Gettin’Dumb” Parts 1 & 2 are all-time top ten material in my book.
The first three Just-Ice albums are worth having, although “The Desolate One” kinda goes downhill after the first two songs.
“The first three Just-Ice albums are worth having”
Yes, they are. :)
http://home.wanadoo.nl/marcreijnhoudt/Just-Ice.JPG
I think all 6 Just Ice albums are worth having.
“Girls and Guns” has a couple of good tracks but “Masterpiece” is unlistenable.
“I think all 6 Just Ice albums are worth having.”
There are seven albums.
‘Back To The Old School’
‘Kool & Deadly (Justicizms)’
‘The Desolate One’
‘Masterpiece’
‘Gun Talk’
‘Kill The Rhythm’
‘VII’
You can preorder the new T La Rock on Amazon, for all y’all haters.
“…but “Masterpiece” is unlistenable.”
I forgot what it sounded like (clue one), so I played the old tape (clue 2) again. Its horrible! Now I remember why I never bought that album. Who came up with that album title?! Can I not own this album and still call myself a Just-Ice fan?
I heard that mix on The Dirtchamber Sessions by Liam Howlett and always wanted to hear it in full, it’s soooo tight. CHEERS
Is Masterpiece that bad????? I thought I liked the album when it first dropped. Grandmaster Flash produced some tracks on it.
Just have another listen then. :)
http://home.wanadoo.nl/marcreijnhoudt/MasterpieceExample.rm
Thanks Lotus I haven’t heard this since 90-91 when I had the tape
wow this was shitty the production is very,very bad
I like “Music” a little but they rest of shitty ass songs
I hope they do not re-release this album
The 1993 album ‘Gun Talk’ was a big step back in the right direction, but not because the return of Mantronik who produced the first five songs. Only ‘Gangster Style Rap’ was a nice song imo. The other five songs were produced by O.C. Rodriguez Jr and those were pretty dope. Those beats could easily have been on the 1991 Main Source album ‘Breaking Atoms’. Just imagine Large Professor rhyming over them. The reggae breaks in these tracks were nice too. But unfortunately this album was released about two years too late. It sounded dated at the time.
All due respect, but Grandmaster Flash has no business making beats based on that “Masterpiece” material.
Yeah “Gun Talk” had some good tracks on it. I’ve got the EP after that with “Cenci” and a few other bits which isn’t bad either. Remember how Just was on America’s Most Wanted for shooting a drug dealer? Dude’s gully as fuck.
‘Kill The Rhythm’ (1995) is a full length album (11 tracks), not an EP. To me it sounds and looks like a collection of demo’s and remixes. The N.Y. Tapes side with production of KRS-One and O.C. Rogriguez isn’t bad, but again these tracks sound like they should have been released a couple of years earlier. The S.F. Tapes side (was Just-Ice hiding from the police in San Francisco?) was hardly worth listening to. Maybe that’s why you remember it as an EP. ;)
I’ve just got the four track vinyl sampler from that.
T La Rock also had a 12 inch runaway and love blind, There is an acapella on runaway so pick that up do some remixes for it. I didabout 3 or 4 remixes to runaway. Cant forget the LP from T called On a warpath. It was never released by fresh because those crooks claimed bankruptcy and robbed all of fresh artists there dough. On a Warpath resurfaced somehow overseas and i picked that up in 2000. T La Rock also did a track with Percee P and rhyma called no time for jokes but it was never released.
I am looking forward to hearing bass machine good quality, No matter how many times I make a copy of bass machine on cd the quality seemed bad.
I am very disapointed Nitro was not on the Lyrical King cd, This track was only on the rap pack 2 release. Maybe that will be rereleased in the future.
‘Nitro’ was on the first ‘Rap Pack’ album. ‘Bass Machine’ was on the second.
here`s a great new interview with just ice and loads of others with the pioneers..
http://www.jayquan.com/
Nice interview. Thanks for that link. :)
whats your problem with “just ice masterpiece”
its aggressiv shit……
My problem with that album is the weak production.
Word spoken to me by the man T La Rock himself in regards to the production of ‘Breaking Bells’:
“Breaking Bells was produced by me and Louie Lou,
Mantronic had little to nothing to do with that track.”
kevin>>…not true, mantronik was producer for that track
i didn’t even know those last 3 lps were even released
tronik, those were words, told to me by the man T La Rock himself, as he’s a very good friend of mine…so if you wanna take that issue with him be my guest
Corrections.
Breaking Bells was produced by Me (TlaRock) And my DJ at the time Louie Lou.
Edits were performed by Omar Santana under my supervision. myspace.com/tlarock1
I want this to be clear and understood, Here are the facts
As far as production on Breaking Bells goes, Mantronik performed little to none of the production.I produced the record with DJ Louie Lou. I then spent six hours in the edit lab with Omar Santana. Omar would feed off of my Ideas and we made music magic.
So which tracks were (co)produced by Mantronik?
Mantronik barely qualifies for co production for “This beat kicks” The reason being he only spent two hours in the studio, The two hours he spent in the studio were actually the first two hours of the recording session. He doesget full
production credit for, “Back to Burn” & “Bass Machine”
This information provided by the real T La Rock.
myspace.com/tlarock1