Sound Colour Vibration (Music | Art | Film | Technology | Science | Culture)

The first wave of solo LP’s from the prolific Wu-Tang Clan became the summation of one of the strongest collective gathering of releases in hip-hop history. GZA’s Liquid Swords was ini many ways at the apex of this era in the early and mid 90′s with the RZA producing some of the most raw and defining beats of his career for this album. With heavy sampling from the 1980 film Shogun Assassin, the framework of martial arts, chess, street knowledge and more for Wu-Tang Clan was set completely in stone by the time Liquid Swords came out and the film sample work adds that perfect touch that no other producer has been able to match.

“When the MC’s came, to live out the name…” is the anthemic and prophetic line that RZA and GZA begin the album with, giving way to one of the rawest and most complex albums in hip hop history. When speaking of classic hip-hop albums this is an album that has to be mentioned. Featuring many members of Wu-Tang Clan, GZA paved a channel of lyrical labrynths that has left the bar at the position he raised it too. One could only be lucky to have their album mentioned alongside Liquid Swords. 

Get On Down Records has been presenting some of the best reissues for hip-hop right now and this could possibly be the greatest reissue package I have ever seen for any artist and of any genre. For all of the producers, musicians and fans of the highly influential production work of the RZA, this expanded release includes the complete instrumentals for Liquid Swords. We have presented the entire collection of press photos Get On Down Records has presented online. Don’t hesitate to order, this will sale out quick.

-Erik Otis

+++

From Get On Down Records (www.getondown.com)

In the early to mid nineties and at the peak of his powers as a producer, Wu-Tang Clan mastermind RZA crafted a distinctive soundtrack at his basement studio in Staten Island. Whether or not he knew it at the time this haunting landscape of dusty samples, sharp snares and menacing urban gloom, would soon become a pillar of hip hop history. These instrumentals, peppered in with frequent interludes of dialogue from the classic samurai flick Shogun Assassin, became the core of the GZA’s 1995 sophomore LP Liquid Swords and would eventually be considered by many as each individual’s finest work.

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. Many would argue there is no greater MC to compliment the RZA’s production as well as GZA did on Liquid Swords.

The album featured appearances by the entire Wu-Tang Clan, and included 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). Under development for months, Get On Down has finally unveiled the latest, painstakingly crafted volume in it’s Wu-Tang reissue series, one which we hope will stand as a testament to this iconic and legendary piece of Wu-Tang history.

We are proud to present GZA/Genius’ Liquid Swords in a two disc deluxe “Chess Box” edition. Housed in a sturdy wrapped hard board two piece box, this edition of Liquid Swords spans across 2 discs. Disc one contains the official album version while disc two contains the full RZA produced instrumentals, available for the first time ever as an official release. Both discs have been completely restored with remastered audio from the original source tapes and have truly never sounded better.

As always with any deluxe Get On Down release, we have packaged this album with an array of extras, including; researched, in depth, full color liner notes with contributions from GZA himself, spanning across 20 pages, inner jackets and dust sleeves with memorable vintage artwork from the original release, and even a full wooden minature chess set, which can be played on the chess board printed and contained directly on the inner lining of the box. This is the Liquid Swords that both first time listeners and long-standing fans deserve.

CHECKMATE!

THE CHESS BOX 2xCD:
Full Album plus Instrumentals
Full Miniature Wooden Chess Set
Extended Artwork plus Liner Notes with GZA
PRODUCED BY RZA FOR WU-TANG PRODUCTIONS

All photos come from Get On Down Records