The Definitive Groove Collection: Sugar Hill Records [Remaster]

Performer: Various Artists
Producer: Edward Fletcher; Rhondo Robinson; Cheryl Cook; Joey Robinson, Jr.; Michael "Mike Dee" Johnson; Leland Robinson; Melle Mel; Reggie Griffin; Sylvia Robinson; Charles Norbeck (Compilation)
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Audio Remasterers: Dave Schultz; Dan Hersch; Bill Inglot. Liner Note Authors: Charles Norbeck; Oliver Wang. As rap engulfed the clubs of New York in the late 1970s, Sugar Hill executive Sylvia Robinson brought together three MCs and dubbed them the Sugarhill Gang. As is now legend, their 1979 single "Rapper's Delight" became rap's first smash hit. Three years later, labelmates Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five took things a step further and paved the way for generations of hip-hop social commentary with the cutting track "The Message." Both are included (in long form) on DEFINITIVE GROOVE: SUGAR HILL RECORDS, along with other classics from these artists, as well as from the Treacherous Three (featuring a young Kool Moe Dee), Funky 4 + 1, and many others. The series of Definitive Groove Collection compilations issued by Rhino in 2006 were all well-selected, thorough overviews of their subjects, and the Sugar Hill Records one is no exception. Compiling 24 of the old-school rap label's best cuts and sequencing them chronologically, the compilation is practically definitive: all of the key songs are here, from the long version of "Rapper's Delight" to Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five classics like "The Message" and "White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)," and so are a number of more obscure label highlights, like the long version of Trouble Funk's "Hey Fellas" and the Rick James interpolation "All Night Long (Waterbed)" by Kevie Kev. Back in 1997, Rhino did release an even more definitive Sugar Hill collection, The Sugar Hill Records Story, which clocked in at five CDs; however, the 24 songs here adequately cover the highlights of the label, so only Sugar Hill fanatics need the box set. Besides, the pristine sound quality of The Definitive Groove Collection alone makes it a worthwhile choice for anyone in the market for Sugar Hill music. The packaging is likewise premium, with detailed track-by-track credit information and an essay by Oliver Wang. ~ Jason Birchmeier

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.25