In Full Gear
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  link |
| Robert Christgau | (B+)[1] |
| Q |  link |
| Trouser Press | (favorable) link |
In Full Gear is the second studio album by American hip hop band Stetsasonic, released in 1988 by Tommy Boy Records.[2]
Music and lyrics
In Full Gear is a double album that draws on various influences in its hip hop style, including R&B, jazz, dancehall reggae, and rock influences. It also incorporates beat-boxing, sampling technology, and live band performance.[2] "Freedom or Death" and "Talkin' All That Jazz" discuss credos of revolution and sampling, respectively.[1] On "Float On", a remake of The Floaters' 1977 song of the same name, rapper Wise envisions "a woman with a realistic imagination, a woman who thinks for herself, whose thoughts are bold and free".[1]
Critical reception
In a contemporary review for The Village Voice, music critic Robert Christgau found the "well-meaning" band merely competent musically and said that their cover of "Float On" is "even ickier than the original". He was more enthusiastic about "Freedom or Death" and "Talking All That Jazz", and felt that In Full Gear succeeds on "a camaraderie that reaches deeper than the usual homeboy bonding".[1] In his own list for the Pazz & Jop critics poll, Christgau named "Talkin' All That Jazz" the seventeenth best single of 1988.[3]
Track listing
| # | Title | Producer(s) | Performer (s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "In Full Gear" | Prince Paul | Daddy-O, Frukwan, Wise, Delite |
| 2 | "DBC Let The Music Play" | DBC | Daddy-O, Frukwan, Wise, Delite |
| 3 | "Freedom Or Death" | Daddy-O | Daddy-O |
| 4 | "Float On" | Vincent F. Bell | Daddy-O, Frukwan, Wise, Delite |
| 5 | "Stet Troop '88!" | Wise | Daddy-O, Frukwan |
| 6 | "Pen & Paper" | Prince Paul | Daddy-O, Frukwan, Delite |
| 7 | "Music For The Stetfully Insane" | Prince Paul | *Instrumental* |
| 8 | "We're The Band" | Prince Paul, Daddy-O | Daddy-O, Wise, Frukwan |
| 9 | "Rollin' Wit Rush" | Prince Paul, Daddy-O | *Interlude* |
| 10 | "This Is It, Y'all [Go Stetsa II]" | Daddy-O | Daddy-O, Frukwan, Wise |
| 11 | "Extensions" | Daddy-O | *Interlude* |
| 12 | "Sally" | Prince Paul | Daddy-O, Delite, Wise |
| 13 | "Talkin' All That Jazz" | Prince Paul | Daddy-O, Frukwan, Wise, Delite |
| 14 | "It's In My Song" | DBC | Daddy-O, Frukwan, Delite |
| 15 | "The Odad" | Daddy-O | Daddy-O |
| 16 | "Miami Bass" | Prince Paul, Daddy-O | Daddy-O, Frukwan, Delite |
| 17 | "Showtime" | DBC | Wise, Frukwan, Daddy-O, Delite |
| 18 | "Talkin' All That Jazz [Dominoes Vocal Remix]" | Daddy-O | Frukwan, Daddy-O, Delite |
| 19 | "Talkin' All That Jazz [Dominoes Instrumental Remix]" | Daddy-O | *Instrumental* |
| 20 | "Talkin' All That Jazz [Dim's Radio Edit Remix]" | Dimitri | Frukwan, Daddy-O, Delite |
Charts
| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Top R&B Albums | 20 |
Singles
| Year | Song | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&B | Rap | Dance Sales | ||
| 1988 | "Sally" | 25 | — | — |
| 1988 | "Talkin' All That Jazz" | 34 | — | 25 |
| 1989 | "Float On" | 56 | 24 | — |
References
- ^ a b c d Christgau, Robert (September 27, 1988). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
- ^ a b Price, Emmett George (2006). Hip Hop Culture. ABC-CLIO. p. 295. ISBN 1851098674. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (February 28, 1989). "Pazz & Jop 1988: Dean's List". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
External links
- In Full Gear at Discogs (list of releases)
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