Take the Bait

Ah, "Bait." What made Kool DJ Red Alert's mixed compilation albums so desirable were the exclusive promo songs by Bizzie Boyz, Total Control, DJ Premiere, King AmperRock, etc. And at the pinnacle of that impressive pile is The Ultramagnetic MC's tribute song, "Bait."

Straight from his radio show to his Red Alert Goes Beserk album (the first in his series), Red Alert had a killer jam on his hands. In 1987, the Ultramagnetics were fresh and exciting new artists at the top of their game. Their crazy flows ("on the mix, Red Alert, controlled by gamma light") and raw-as-fuck scratching laid over Bob James' classic "Nautilus" break. Everybody wanted to know where they could get this record. But they couldn't.

Neither Ultra's label, Next Plateau Records (which also put out Red's comps) nor Red's own label Let's Go saw fit to release this gem to the masses. Rumors still float around, and if you want to make a collector hump your leg, you can tell him you've seen a dusty old test pressing someplace... but it never happened. The best heads were going to get was the mixed version on Red's compilation album.

But it's not just the fact that this wasn't released without radio blends and some chatter on it. The album version was missing a whole verse and more! If you listen closely, you can hear a bit of human beat-boxing on the track... well, if you'd heard the complete version on the radio, you knew there was more of that (provided by none other than Greg Nice himself) and a second verse from Ced Gee!

It wasn't until 1997 that we'd heads would get their chance. Rock & roll label Roadrunner Records pressed up a limited (200 copies) run of 7" singles that featured the Red Alert Goes Beserk version of "Bait" on one side, and the extended version on the B-side. It was only given away when you purchased a full set of Ultramagnetic repress 12"s. Needless to say, they're pretty sought after and hard to come by.

That same year, Next Plateau put out an Ultramagnetic MCs compilation album called The B-Sides Companion, which featured all of their rare 12" B-sides (of which their were many), a new Ultra song or two, and "Bait!" Unfortunately, all of the songs were remixed and, well, basically ruined. It's got a lot of live instrumentation by William "Spaceman" Patterson and, yeah. Not much more to be said about that. It's a collection for completists only.

Eventually, "Bait (Original 12" Version)" (I don't know what 12" they're referring to... but this is the full-length version with the fourth verse intact) was included as a bonus track on a remastered rerelease of Ultra's debut album from 1988, Critical Beatdown. Now, this album has been repressed and reissued a number of times... once in 1997, once in 2001... but the one with "Bait" is the 2004 repressing. It's CD only, I believe, but what can you expect?

Most recently, in 2009, there was the release you see pictured above (yeah, we've finally gotten to it). It's a bootleg 45. The label claims it's "Bait" on both sides, but in actually, side A is the shorter version of "Bait" from Red's album, and side B is "Funky" (an Ultramagnetic song that was released on 12" in 1987... a remix of which was included on Critical Beatdown; but this is the remix that was only on the 12" single). It's made to look like it came out on Let's Go Records, and it's dated 1987, but of course that's all phony bologna.

Still, unless you're one of the lucky 200 who scored that 1997 release, or you've stolen some kind of epically coveted acetate from Red Alert's well-guarded stash, this is probably your only opportunity to own it on vinyl (well... except for the Red Alert LP, which - sense this is the shortened version on here anyway - is just as valid). It's pretty common and inexpensive. That's why I got it. (shrug)

The Chillologist pt. 3

The best for last. Especially if you have the LP since, while all of the Doctor Ice 12"'s had some original content, this is 100% new stuff... The first track is a remix of one of the best album tracks, "Word To the Wise." This "Funk Swing Remix" by Full Force (who actually produced every album track and all the 12" remixes for all of Doctor Ice's 12"'s on Jive), might not be as appealing to the die-hardcore crowd (hey, it's not every day I make up a bad pun!), as it adds keyboards and a general new jack swing kinda feel to the track (though not quite as pop as, say, a Teddy Riley mix might be). But it's still pretty fresh and adds some new elements, including an introduction by Kool DJ Red Alert[1] and a new breakdown. The rhymes are some fun freestyle lyrics ("'Cause I was born without ya, and I'ma die without ya. If you step off, I won't cry about ya"), with the third verse going into some storytelling "Lick the Balls"-type territory:

"I was known to act the fool
With a friend I thought was real cool.
We started rhyming 'cause that was my thang.
See, me and homie was kool and the gang.
But he did things I did not know...
Like kick MY rhymes... at his show.
What should I do - confront him or chill?
Put the lead in his grill? That's kinda ill...
Though the rhymes I write are invincible,
But it's not the raps, it's the principle
Of biting the Doctor's style?
...I hope he's not his mother's only child."
 
The second track is the most skippable, the "Dreadlock Remix" of his token reggae joint (remember when rappers had token reggae joints on their records?) "Feelin' Irie," performed as his alias, Dread Doc. Still, Doctor Ice was better at it than many - probably falling somewhere above Special Ed and below Heavy D - so "Feelin' Irie" was definitely a passable album track... The instrumental to this version goes for a bit more of a traditional reggae vibe, and a little less hip-hop. Decent, and a good thing for us Doctor Ice fans starved for more material, but pretty forgettable to most, I'm sure.
The b-side, though, is the real gem. A brand new track featuring Red Alert again, "Make You Feel Alright" is a showcase of classic old school samples over a simple drum break and bassline and a scratched chorus. At one point, the track cuts back to nothing but handclaps as Doc Ice rips it "New Rap Language style." Then the propmaster drops his signature, "yeeeaaaaahhhhhh" and the beat kicks back in as Doc continues to rap:

"You see the time is overdue, for me to kick to you
Wisdom... and my point of view.
It goes word for word; every eye's open.
If I was a crackhead, knowledge I'd be smokin'.
But I've the knowledge, and I'm the teacher of everyone else.
If they had Knowledge Across America, I'd stand by myself!
Doctor Ice, yo, don't mistake me. (Wha-wha-why is that?)
Because there's a lot of malpractice in the industry.
But I'm the funky MD; you've seen the hearthrob,
That's reason enough why I'm fit for the job.
And if you're not impressed by the gift that I shoot,
Sucka.... file a lawsuit."

Of course, DJ Red Alert's still on the air, but just for the sake of completeness, here's his website: http://www.kooldjredalert.com/ and his myspace page. Full Force are staying busy in the industry, too, writing and producing for a lot of acts, including Britney Spears and all kinds of crap you'd probably be better off not knowing about and just sticking with your memories. But, anyway, you can catch up with them on their site at: http://forcefulworld.com/, and their myspace page... be sure and check out the video they've got up of "Ain't My Type of Hype" with an animated E-Crof - The Force says, "Word!"


[1] Doc Ice was a Red Alert favorite back then; he'd spin "Nobody Move" on his show all the time... in fact, I think it wound up on one of Red Alert's Next Plateau albums.