Planet Rock: The Album

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Planet Rock: The Album
Planet Rock: The Album cover
Studio album by Afrika Bambaataa
Released 1986
Genre Old school hip hop
Electro
Length 43:05
Label Tommy Boy Records
TBLP 1007
Producer Fats Comet Productions: Keith LeBlanc, Doug Wimbish, Skip McDonald
Professional reviews
Afrika Bambaataa chronology
Planet Rock - The Album
(1986)		 Beware (The Funk is Everywhere)
(1986)

Planet Rock: The Album is an old school rap album by Afrika Bambaataa & the Soulsonic Force, released in 1986 (see 1986 in music), as a collection of previous singles. The song "Planet Rock" was one of the earliest hits for hip hop and remains one of its pioneering recordings. The single's liner notes credit Kraftwerk with the song. In creating the track, portions of Kraftwerk's "Trans Europe Express" were used, along with portions of songs by Captain Skyy and Ennio Morricone. Rather than sampling these works digitally, the phrases were re-recorded in the studio. "Planet Rock" is also cited as the first electro funk record. "Renegades of Funk" was covered by Rage Against the Machine on their Renegades album.

Contents

[edit] Track listing

  1. "Planet Rock"
  2. "Looking for the Perfect Beat"
  3. "Renegades of Funk"
  4. "Frantic Situation"
  5. "Who You Funkin' With?"
  6. "Go Go Pop"
  7. "They Made a Mistake"

[edit] Personnel

  • Arthur Baker - Producer, Mixing
  • Keith LeBlanc - Producer
  • Latin Rascals - Remixing
  • Afrika Bambaataa - Producer, Mixing
  • John Aquilino - Illustrations, Hand Lettering
  • Jay Burnett - Mixing
  • Albert Cabrera - Remixing
  • Skip McDonald - Producer
  • Tony Moran - Remixing
  • John Robie - Producer, Mixing
  • Rae Serrano - Producer, Mixing
  • Adrian Sherwood - Mixing
  • Andy Wallace - Mixing
  • Doug Wimbish - Producer
  • Leroy Evans - Producer
  • Monica Lynch - Art Direction
  • Steven Miglio - Artwork, Design
  • Fats Comet - Producer, Mixing
  • M.C. G.L.O.B.E.

[edit] Music sample

Planet Rock (sample)

Short sample of "Planet Rock", originally released in 1982 by Afrika Bambaataa and Soulsonic Force, but also included as track #1 on Planet Rock - The Album
Problems listening to the file? See media help.


[edit] Miscellanea

  • The song "Planet Rock" was ranked by Rolling Stone at #237 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
  • Video Mix Productions made an original video for "Planet Rock" using live performance and NASA footage (pd) which Tommy Boy licensed from Danny Cornyetz and Jessica Jason in 1981. Video Mix did "Looking For The Perfect Beat" also. The video broke the color barrier by playing on MTV News and later was a staple of a cable channel in New York, Video Jukebox.
  • The drum machine used was a Roland TR-808
  • "Planet Rock" went on to become the first certified gold vinyl 12" single, a new format at the time
  • The orchestra stabs were provided by a rented Fairlight CMI