Urban Monarchy is not just a male-female group but also a concept, a movement, a new direction in the predictable world of todayâs rap music. Group members Big City and M.J. Sanders had been on separate musical journeys for over 10 years then decided to join forces after they both realized they shared a serious passion for hip hop. Both had a musical vision to bring royalty to the concrete jungle.
The Mighty U. M.,Urban Monarchy,Bench Mark Entertainment,Pop,Rap,Rap & Hip-Hop
Average customer rating:
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Starship - Greatest Hits
Starship Manufacturer: Delta ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B0000A4GB4 Release Date: 2003-07-08 |
Tracks:
- We Built This City
- Find Your Way Back
- Sara
- Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now
- Jane
- It's Not Over ('Til It's Over)
- No Way Out
- Fooled Around and Fell in Love
- Layin' It on the Line
- Stranger
Customer Reviews:
Rerecorded and chopped up songs.......2004-06-29
On the plus side, the rerecorded songs sound great. "We built this city" and "Nothing's gonna stop us now", given all the times I heard them, sound quite different with a stripped down production, louder guitars and minus Grace Slick's voice. Without Grace being there, Mickey Thomas handles all lead vocals. It's interesting to hear him sing verses in songs that were originally handled by Grace Slick.
So the new versions of the songs sound good, which is why I give the album two stars. The songs from 'Greatest and Latest' were licensed for several Starship budget compilations in the US, such as 'Forever Gold', 'Greatest Hits-Delta' (this compilation right here) and 'Greatest Hits-Brilliant.'
The Delta company that put out this cd, for some reason, decided to cut short three of the tracks on this cd. The rerecorded version of "We built this city" runs over six minutes long on 'Greatest and Latest' as well as the other US budget compilations. On this cd it is under five, as the label chops out the great closing instrumental to the song. The new recording of "Fooled around and fell in love" was originally five and a half minutes long on other cd's it appeared on, but here it is again under five minutes. Additionally, the rerecorded track "Stranger" is also five and a half minutes long, or so, and that is also chopped up to under five minutes.
I don't understand the decision since it is only ten tracks and the cd clocks in at roughly fifty minutes. They could have fit the extra 40 or so seconds cut out of those 3 tracks. It all sounds like a hatchet job or bad radio edit. Additionally, the 'Greatest and Latest' import has the full set of 14 rerecorded songs and this one only uses ten of those new recordings.
The point is, the rerecorded tracks sound great. This collection of them, though, sucks. If you want to hear the new versions, get the import 'Greatest and Latest' off Ebay, which has all 14 rerecorded songs. Otherwise, pick up 'Forever Gold' or 'Greatest Hits-Brilliant' (both under the Starship name).
Pretty ordinary or worse - even the big hits.......2004-03-10
However, as a child I must admit to adoring their hits "We Built This City", "Sara" and "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" as a child, so that my interest in them when I was wanting to collect the commercial music of that decade is understandable.
It was clear to me even back in 1996, though, that whatever the catchiness and apparent (not real) charisma of Grace Slick on "We Built This City" and especially "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now", the rest of the material included on Starship compilations (they're all naturally much the same) was horrible by any standards. Basically, it had the loud pomposity and thickly produced electric guitars that even then I could recognise as having almost no substance or feeling in them. Thus, even before I began exploring new styles of music, it appeared to me that Starship had nothing to offer me.
There was nothing memorable about any of their earlier songs with Paul Kantner - not one remotely memorable hook - and his vocals and those of Mickey Thomas sounded mumbled with thinner (but no less airy) production. Indeed, as they are produced, most of the material on this album sounded and sounds literally featureless and really boring. Even the two ballads "Sara" and "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" have lost the tenderness and beauty they once gave me.
Whilst Starship might not deserve to be so high on Blender's list of the worst bands ever, their music was still of little if any value.
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The Mighty U. M.
Urban Monarchy Manufacturer: Bench Mark Entertainment ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B0000U4PUQ Release Date: 2003-10-21 |
Tracks:
- Drama
- Skit
- D-Dot C-Dot
- Ride Wit Us
- New Mafia
- The Mighty U.M.
- Skit
- Roll Out
- Skit
- 411-69*69
- Da Sot
- I Smell Doe
- Get Wit Me
- Skit
- Rules 2 Da Game
- Skit
- What I Want
- Jump Out There
Product Description
Urban Monarchy is not just a male-female group but also a concept, a movement, a new direction in the predictable world of today’s rap music. Group members Big City and M.J. Sanders had been on separate musical journeys for over 10 years then decided to join forces after they both realized they shared a serious passion for hip hop. Both had a musical vision to bring royalty to the concrete jungle.Dance Music:
- The Turnaround: A Long Awaited Drama [Explicit Lyrics]
- The W.E.T. EP [Explicit Lyrics] [EP]
- Urban Renewal Supplement 1.5
- Vol. 2-Building With Bricks [Import]
- Watchout [Explicit Lyrics]
- Way You Move [CD-single] [Import]
- Welcome to da Bottom [Explicit Lyrics]
- Whoomp! Here It Is: Hip-Hop Hits
- Wild Thing and Other Hits
- Yup! [CD-single]
Dance Music
Cunning Stunts [Import] [Limited Edition] [Original recording remastered]
Lebendige Vergangenheit: Set Svanholm
Introduction to Bill Coleman: 1934-1943
Love Songs [Original recording remastered]
Maximum Mary J. Blige: The Unauthorised Biography of Mary J. Blige [Import]
Estar de Moda, No Esta de Moda
Live at Kennedy Center [Import]