It all started last night when I heard Stevie’s Knocks Me Off My Feet. I’ve been singing that in my head since then and it has put me in the greatest mood. It’s the perfect soundtrack to the incredible Spring day outside today. Right now I am listening to all four disks of Stevie’s At The Close of a Century on shuffle. What can I say about Stevie? He knocks me off my feet ;).

Hey Love just came on and that makes me think of De La Soul. Incredibly – Three Feet High and Rising is 20 Years Old! Check out the incredible list of samples (according to wikipedia).

• “The Magic Number”
  Bill Cosby dialogue
  “The Crunge” by Led Zeppelin
  “Hit By a Car” by Eddie Murphy
  “Different Strokes” by Syl Johnson
  “Five Feet High and Rising” by Johnny Cash
  “Lesson 3 (History of Hip Hop Mix)” by Double Dee and Steinski
  Schoolhouse Rock song “Three is the Magic Number” (Performed by Bob Dorough)
  ABC by Jackson Five
  “Got to have soul!” from Putney Swope
  “Is This the Future ?” by Fatback Band
  “Get It Girl” by 2 Live Crew
• “Change in Speak”
  “Bra” by Cymande
  James Brown song (unknown)
  “Mary, Mary” by The Monkees
  “No Strings Attached” by The Mad Lads
• “Cool Breeze on the Rocks”
  “Hit It Run” by Run-D.M.C.
  “Rockin’ It” by Fearless Four
  “Lyte as a Rock” by MC Lyte
  “Rock the Bells” by LL Cool J
  “Crap Game” by Richard Pryor
  “Rock the House” by The B-Boys
  “The New Style” by Beastie Boys
  “Rock with You” by Michael Jackson
  “Shake You Down” by Gregory Abbott
  “Body Rock” by the Treacherous Three
  “Solid as a Rock” by Ashford and Simpson
  “Brooklyn Rocks the Best” by Cutmaster D.C.
  “Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll” by Mason, Vaughn & Crew
  “Bang Zoom (Let’s Go-Go)” by The Real Roxanne feat. Hitman Howie Tee
  “High Powered Rap” by Disco Dave & the Force of the Five MC’s (Crash Crew)
  “Night of the Living Baseheads” & “Cold Lampin’ With Flavor” by Public Enemy
• “Can U Keep a Secret?”
  “Got to Get a Knutt” by New Birth
• “Jenifa Taught Me (Derwin’s Revenge)”
  “Think (About It)” by Lyn Collins
  “Take the Money and Run” by Steve Miller Band
  “Soupy” by Maggie Thrett
• “Ghetto Thang”
  “Funky President” by James Brown
  “Trans-Europe Express” by Kraftwerk
  “Rock Creek Park” by The Blackbyrds
• “Transmitting Live from Mars”
  “You Showed Me” by The Turtles
  A-LM (Audio-Lingual Materials) French 7 Practice Record Set from Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc.
• “Eye Know”
  “Peg” & “FM” by Steely Dan
  “Remind Me” by Patrice Rushen
  “Make This Young Lady Mine” by Mad Lads
  “Sing a Simple Song” by Sly & The Family Stone
  “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding
• “Take It Off”
  “God Made Me Funky” by The Headhunters
• “A Little Bit of Soap”
  “A Little Bit of Soap” by The Jarmels
  “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King
• “Tread Water”
  “I Likes to Do It” by People’s Choice
• “Potholes In My Lawn”
  “Cookies” by Brother Soul
  “Little Old Country Boy” by Parliament
  “Synthetic Substitution” by Melvin Bliss
  “Magic Mountain” by Eric Burdon and War
• “Say No Go”
  “That’s the Joint” by Funky 4+1
  “Crossword Puzzle” by Sly & the Family Stone
  “You Got the Best of My Love” by The Emotions
  “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)” by Hall & Oates
  “Baby Let Me Take You (In My Arms) by The Detroit Emeralds
  “I’m Chief Kamanawanalea (We’re the Royal Macadamia Nuts)” by The Turtles
• “De La Orgee”
  “I’m Gonna Love You Just a Little Bit More, Babe” by Barry White
• “Plug Tunin’ (Last Chance to Comprehend)”
  “Intro” by Liberace
  “Stiletto” by Billy Joel
  “Midnight Theme” by Manzel
  “Son of Shaft” by The Bar-Kays
  “Written on the Wall” by The Invitations
• “Buddy”
  “Hit or Miss” by Bo Diddley
  “Girl, I Think the World About You” by Commodores
• “Description”
  “Poet” by Sly & the Family Stone
• “Me, Myself and I”
  “The Show” by Doug E. Fresh
  “Funky Worm” by the Ohio Players
  “(Not Just) Knee Deep” by Funkadelic
  “Rapper Dapper Snapper” by Edwin Birdsong
• “This Is a Recording 4 Living in a Fulltime Era (L.I.F.E.)”
  “Funk You Up” by The Sequence
  “Got to Get a Knutt” by New Birth
  “Feel the Heartbeat” by Treacherous Three
• “D.A.I.S.Y. Age”
  “My World” by The Rascals
  “Schoolboy Crush” by Average White Band

dillanthology.com

Review by David Jeffries

Kicking off with the perfect choice of “Runnin'” from the Pharcyde, Dillanthology 1 is an excellent sampler of late hip-hop producer J Dilla’s work for others, but it’s not an overview. Important tracks with Janet Jackson, Jaylib, Q-Tip, and others are missing, plus there are also no liner notes explaining why this man from Detroit was so influential and how he touched so many. One listen through, though, and even the newcomer will know why he’s so revered. Track after track of warm soul and head-bobbing beats fill the collection while great names from Amp Fiddler to Busta Rhymes all deliver, feeding off productions so attractive and balanced that they could make lesser artists seem brilliant. Nothing is below a B+ here but a proper solo J Dilla cut would have rounded the set out nicely, and with the rule of only one track per artist, his great work with Slum Village alone seems underrepresented. Still, if you’re a newcomer looking for that gateway drug or a devotee looking for an excellent mixtape, Dillanthology 1 is a no-frills solution.