So why is Wu-Tang Clan’s Chamber Music on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
During the long research process in compiling this wacky best 1,000 albums ever project, there were some albums (and some bands and artists too, generally) I really struggled with.
Sometimes it was because they are “important” in some respect with regard to pop culture or the public consciousness or some such. I pondered if these albums were particularly important to me – the czar and overseer of this massive pop cultural project? And with others, I loved them dearly at one time in my life, but at my current (ripe old-ish) age, did I feel nearly the same way? And then how does all of that translate out into the actual “rankings” of this colossal best albums project contraption?*
* An extreme example of this: “Weird Al” Yankovic in 3-D was one of the first albums I ever owned, and on vinyl, no less! I loved it dearly when I was a little kid – and still find it quite fun! – but alas it didn’t quite make the cut for inclusion on the best 1,000 albums ever.
And then there are other albums. Albums like Wu-Tang Clan’s Chamber Music.
I didn’t necessarily expect Chamber Music to climb all the way to #182 of the best 1,000 albums ever when all was said and done, but it’s the kind of album that demanded it, if you can dig. It’s an album where every single time that I throw on tracks like “Kill Too Hard” or “Radiant Jewels” or “Evil Deeds,” they melt my very brain and delight me endlessly.
The Wu-Tang Clan does that at their very best, and on Chamber Music the Wu-Tang Clan is often in full effect.
“Kill Too Hard” – featuring Inspectah Deck, RZA, U-God, and Masta Ace – opens with a classic soundbite from an old Kung Fu movie before launching into a track boasting a magnificent organ hook and a capella singing accompaniment, over which we get absolutely fierce bars from one of the greatest hip hop collectives in the world.
“Radiant Jewels,” which features Sean Price, Raekwon, RZA, and Cormega, is my favorite track on Chamber Music at the moment, mostly because its string sample and cinematic soundscape – quintessentially RZA-world production in other words – is flat-out iconic and catchy in equal measure.
And “Evil Deeds,” this time showcasing RZA (who seems to be in his Bobby Digital mode here), Havoc, and Ghostface Killah, has a bombastic, jumping piano hook and somewhat sinister bassline.
There are also a number of interstitial-style tracks on Chamber Music that feature RZA doing his galactic wizard of Buddhist/world religion philosophical Shaolin thing. If you dig this kind of thing (as I do), it’s always good stuff. Example: “Supreme Architecture.”
And meanwhile, the track I can’t stop listening to while writing this piece is the mid-tempo “Harbor Masters,” which uses an odd and brooding bassline over which Ghostface Killah, Az, and Inspectah Deck provide their rap stylings in a super exciting and surprising way.
Pop culture stuff that has something to do with Wu-Tang Clan’s Chamber Music
For more wild RZA philosophications with weirdo-glorious musical backing, I highly recommend Guided Explorations, which offers a full half-hour’s worth. And honestly, it’s legitimately inspirational.
Some stats & info about Wu-Tang Clan – Chamber Music
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Hip Hop, Rap, East Coast Rap, Gangsta Rap
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 3 out of 5 stars
- When was Chamber Music released? 2009
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #182 out of 1,000
Wu-Tang Clan’s Chamber Music on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Wu-Tang Clan’s Chamber Music that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
Ain’t nothing gon’ stop kid from getting his due. No, your feets not big enough to fit in his shoe.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.