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2LP
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GET 54049LP
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2021 repress. Limited edition black and white vinyl. "There are many reasons why Wu-Tang Clan rapper GZA's second solo album Liquid Swords is considered one of the greatest hip-hop records of all time. Critics and historians point to GZA's raw, and starkly poetic lyrics which featured references to chess, crime and philosophy, as well as superb guest performances from his Wu-Tang Clan contemporaries. One can't comment on Liquid Swords' brilliance however without touching upon the production, courtesy of Wu-Tang's own mastermind RZA. Behind a hazy and murky backdrop of rare samples and classic boom-bap beats, RZA crafted a bleak atmosphere of urban dystopia for GZA's esoteric rhymes to flourish in, cribbing from a wide panoply of sources ranging from the dusty soul of The Bar-Kays and Ohio Players, the nostalgic jazz of Cannonball Adderley and Willie Mitchell, and even the experimental weirdness of Mothers Of Invention. In a retrospective 5-star AllMusic.com review of Liquid Swords, writer Steve Huey said of RZA's production: ''The Genius' eerie calm is a great match for RZA's atmospheric production, which is tremendously effective in this context; the kung fu dialogue here is among the creepiest he's put on record, and he experiments quite a bit with stranger sounds and more layered tracks.' These instrumentals, peppered with frequent interludes of dialogue from the classic samurai flick Shogun Assassin, became the core of the GZA's acclaimed sophomore LP. The full Liquid Swords instrumentals are now available in a white and black vinyl pressing, a nod to the chessboard art synonymous with the album's cover art. All tracks have been restored, with re-mastered audio from the original source tapes. Available on 2-LP, with the look of a silk-screened jacket we are excited to bring to you these Liquid Swords Instrumentals."
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2LP
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GET 54043LP
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2017 black vinyl repress. "According to legend, when the Wu-Tang Clan formed like Voltron on their debut album in 1993, GZA happened to be the head--an appropriate place for a man also called 'The Genius.' Yet at the time few could have predicted that his 1995 masterpiece Liquid Swords would be considered 'one of the most substantial lyrical journeys in hip-hop history' (Chicago Tribune). At the peak of his powers as a producer, Wu-Tang mastermind RZA crafted the album's distinctive soundtrack at his basement studio in Staten Island; a haunting landscape of dusty samples, sharp snares and menacing urban gloom, with frequent interludes of dialogue from the classic Samurai flick Shogun Assassin. Cerebral, strategic and precise with his words, GZA crystallizes a range of influences--from chess to kung-fu films to mob flicks and Eastern philosophy--into sharply delivered rhymes. The album features appearances by the entire Wu-Tang Clan, and includes the auspicious debut of Killah Priest on 'B.I.B.L.E.' Acknowledged as one of the '100 Best Rap Albums' (The Source) and 'Top 100 Records of the 1990s' (Pitchfork.com), Get On Down is proud to present Liquid Swords as it was intended to be experienced, on double vinyl with audio remastered from the original source tapes and the original iconic cover artwork from DC Comics artist Denys Cowan." Includes poster insert.
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