Delivering Black, Rock and Ron To the Current Generation

Here's an album I didn't expect to get the big Sony re-release treatment: Stop the World, the first and only album by Queens trio Black Rock and Ron. Originally released on RCA/ BMG in 1989, the music was all produced by the group themselves, but has some noteworthy engineers, including Paul C., Jazzy Jay, Skeff Anslem and DJ Doc. I guess that's the big selling point over twenty years later - the sticker on the front boldly proclaims its, "Production by the Late, Great PAUL C",  which is dangerously close to the line of untruthfulness.  But, whatever the marketing reason, it's a dope album, and I'm glad to see it back on the market, giving younger audiences exposure to old school hip-hop beyond just the most famous, crossover hits.

All fifteen tracks are perfectly preserved here, but what I like like about these new versions is how they go the extra mile.  In this case, we're presented with a booklet which does a lot more than just carry over the track-listing, credits and dedications of the original booklet.  Most notably, it includes an all new interview with the group, the first with all three members in over twenty years. We're given some nice press photos and label scans, plus a full reprint of the Hip-Hop Connection cover story/ interview they did back in '89. And there's short quotes/ interview clips from various other hip-hop insiders about Black Rock and Ron, including Red Alert, Russell Simmons, Tragedy and even the guy who designed their logo! Basically, this will answer all your Black Rock and Ron questions and quell the lingering mysteries.

This CD - and yes, it's CD only... Sony always makes me sigh that way - mirrors the original CD release, thankfully including the two CD bonus tracks that weren't on the LP version, "My Hometown" and "Who's Got Next?" This is the really the best possible version of the US Stop the World on CD.

I specified "US" there, because the UK version of this album is wildly different, featuring many different songs and remixes (if you're wondering about the story behind that, you'll have to read the booklet's interview).* And here's another way Sony managed to make me sigh with this release... the second disc that almost was, but never got cleared. It would've included the songs from their debut 12" as The Vicious Four, and all the UK-only tracks.

I mean, just to illustrate how vast the differences between the two versions are, a rough CDR of the proposed bonus disc was sent to me, and it's 16 songs long.  Now granted, there's a little redundancy (two tracks seem to just be the bonus tracks on the official CD), and there's the two Vicious Four songs and an instrumental... but that's still over ten other songs and remixes - basically an entire second album!  There's remixes of songs like "Gettin' Large" and "I'm Tired," which interestingly are more street-oriented than the ones on the US album, which is geared more towards House tracks and stuff.  There's a track called "Cryin' the Blues," which turns out to be a remix of "Huffing and Buffing" from their Vicious Four 12", and remixes from their singles like "You Can't Do Me None" and "True Feelings." And there are all new songs like "We Be Wilin'/ Wild Thing" and "It's Raw." Even the UK-exclusive "Breaks" are here. Release both discs on vinyl, and you'd have the penultimate Stop the World experience any hip-hop head would have to add to their collection.

But let's not get too hung up on what could've been (though, if this sells like gangbusters, maybe an ultra-vinyl mega-set could still be in the cards down the line? Possibly? Extremely unlikely?). Even as a single disc set, this is a first-rate release that finds a deserving record that would normally be completely overlooked and gives it the first-class treatment. CD heads should be thrilled that this, of all albums, has been put back into print after twenty years. And even those of us with the original US LP in our crates should consider picking this up for the CD bonus tracks and the interviews, etc. Black Rock and Ron were some solid hip-hoppers from Queens who only occasionally veered too far into Run-DMC's lane, and the real disappointment is just that they never followed this up with a sophomore album.


*According to discogs, there's also a German version with an exclusive song called "Fresh" I wonder what the deal with that is...