where were you the day hip hop died?: dig this! (v. 1)

dig this! (v. 1) - “have i told you lately…”

fun fact about your fearless blogger here: i am a collector of vintage records. well, perhaps “collector” isn’t the right term. it’s more like i’m a hoarder of vintage records. there is nothing like digging through dusty old stacks of vinyl for hours on end searching for that one rare gem. i’m talking soul, rock, blues, movie soundtracks, polka…whatever i can get my mitts on. a lot of times, i think i get more of a thrill from searching than i do from finding (sometimes. i once found an audio reading of khalil gibran’s “the profit” for 65 cents at a goodwill. what?!) first the album cover catches your eye (anything with a naked woman on the cover almost always ends up in the “buy” stack). then you flip the jacket over and look for the year the record was recorded (as a general rule, if it was recorded after 1977…leave it! just say no to disco.). without even knowing it, you’ve somehow trained your eyes to spot (from across the room) the insignias and logos of record labels that you know have produced numerous classic albums (stax, blue note, kudu, westbound). over the years, you develop the skill and discipline of…well…a person who is very skilled and disciplined (sorry. fresh outta metaphors). it’s truly an experience like no other. i like to get chummy with the owner of the shop and find out what day he/she puts out new records. that way you can try to beat all of the other dj’s, producers, and fellow hoarders to the punch. most record shop owners wont tell you this but they usually have a secret stash of records locked away somewhere. show them that you are serious about your record digging and they will eventually lead you right to it. aaaahhhh…the memories.

but anyway, that’s not why we’re here. i really just wanted to introduce you all to the first in a series of posts i call “dig this!” it’s pretty simple. every once in a while, i’ll post a record that i feel my fellow producers, djs, and just general lovers of good music would enjoy. sometimes it will be an entire album, other times it will be just one cut. sometimes i’ll make them available for download, other times i won’t.

today’s digital treat is something of a no-brainer. it’s not what i would consider a rare record at all. it’s been covered. it’s been sampled. in fact, i’m pretty sure you’ve heard it somewhere before. if not, shame on you…and you’re welcome. actually, i’m posting this record mainly because it’s been playing in my head ever since i woke up this morning. i’m not even sure where i heard it last but i can’t seem to shake it. and i’m not complaining because in my opinion, it is one of the greatest soul records of all time.

my people, without further ado, i give you william bell’s “i forgot to be your lover.”