Adventures of Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel & the Furious Five: More of the Best

Full performer name: Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five/Melle Mel.
Personnel: Joseph "Grandmaster Flash" Saddler (DJ); Melvin "Melle Mel" Glover, Eddie "Mr. Ness/Scorpio" Morris, Keith "Cowboy" Wiggins, Nathaniel "Kid Creole" Glover, Guy "Raheem" Williams (vocals).
Producers include: Sylvia Robinson, Joey Robinson, Joseph Saddler, Vincent Castellano, Grandmaster Flash.
Compilation producer: David McLees.
Includes liner notes by Shannita Williams-Alleyne.
Audio Remasterers: Chris Clarke; Daniel Hersch.
Liner Note Author: Shannita Williams-Alleyne.
Photographer: Hemu Aggarwal.
This collection continues where THE BEST OF GRANDMASTER FLASH left off, compiling lesser-known singles from 1981 to 1987 from the rapper's career. Characteristic of Flash's smooth approach to the new urban art form that was 1980's rap music, the tracks here show a heavy reliance on slow-jamming soul samples and soulful stylings; despite a heavy electronic presence, they're built on organic grooves and colored with earthy vocals.
Grandmaster Flash revolutionized pop music with his own brand of organic electro-pop, and you can hear that revolution in songs such as "Internationally Known" and "Sign of the Times." Several other noteworthy tracks make this record an essential part of the early rap fan's collection, including "Style," Flash's interpretation of the Peter Gunn theme, and an extended scratch version of "U Know What Time it Is." Other essentials here include "Vice," from the TV show MIAMI VICE, and "World War III," both fine examples of Flash's socially conscious songcraft. There's not a bad track on the entire disc, and as a piece of history, THE ADVENTURES OF GRANDMASTER FLASH, MELLE MELL AND THE FURIOUS FIVE delivers the goods.