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The Grandmaster's biggest Fan!!

David C. Burns | Harlem, New York | 06/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hello world, I am GrandMaster Flash's biggest fan. I have gone to almost every one of his parties dating back to 1976 when I was 14 years old. This includes: The Black Door, The Sparkle, The Dixie, The T-Connection, The Disco Fever, The P.A.L.,The Savoy Manor, The outside park jams and I was even at The Audobon Ballroom in 1976 just to name a few. This CD is exactly how Flash used to electrify every one of his parties! He used to change records so fast and go right to the breaks with uncanny precission. The only down side to this CD is that it doesn't come with a video. Yes, it does come with an extremely thorough book " The True Life Adventures of Flash ", and I was very impressed with how candid he allowed himself to be for this book. However, one of the reasons hundreds of people came from all of New York City's borough's to his party's was to see him DJ. Flash was an amazing showman. As I remember at times, he used to use three turntables. When he wanted to show off he would mix and cut behind his back (on time and on beat), with his tongue, his feet and without looking...(sometimes I thought he was a magician). But one of the biggest reasons was how he "fanned the fader" when he mixed,(this is evident in the movie "The Wild Style" when he had a cameo in his kitchen) or when he was mixing, sometimes you literaly did not know what turntable he was mixing from...Amazing! His facial expressions while doing all of this were always serious and said I don't care what other DJ tries to cut this record, I do it much better and faster with more flare and precission! The other notable reason people came from all over to see The GrandMaster, as evident in this CD, was to hear the endless breaks that Flash owned. Not only did he play the breaks that were "commercial" in that era but he oftened gave his fans treats by playing records that were not played by the average or not so average DJ. For example, he would play Earth,Wind and Fire's "Moment of Truth" or Manu Dibango's "Senga" just to name a couple. The only other Djs that would do this at that time were The original Jazzy Jay from the Zulu Nation and at times GrandWizard Theodore, both are my 2nd and 3rd all time favorite djs. These were records that us fans said "Oh yeah, I remember that record." Moreso, Flash was extremely keen,(in my opinion) on how long he played each breakbeat. Some beats were brought in and cut a few times and some were given extended play. In addition to all of this, Flash had the Furious Five mc's rapping over some of these breaks to really get the crowd into a frenzy. I have to say that this CD is for all to hear ( the young and the ones who grew up in my era.) The only other small downside to this CD is that he did'nt give us more of him being at the T-Connection and at the Disco Convention. So all you new and not so new dj's, take note! This is how it was done for real. Amazon, please email me when and or if GrandMaster Flash puts out a book, rare footage video, movie or another turntable mix CD. Still the biggest fan...David Burns.... originally from the Bronx, Peace!

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Short on the Grandmaster Flash flava

Frank F. Broughton III | 01/04/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Comments by Grandmaster Flash are true to form.What is missing is
'MORE' of the music he played (hits and non-hits) from the days he was at various parks in The Bronx.Also,I expected to hear more of Flash 'DOING WORK' with the music selected for this CD by showcasing his God given ability which is unlike no other.If these additions were added you have a '5 star' CD which is what the 'original' cut,mix,and scratch master truly deserved.I do not regret buying this CD but 'Flash' and fans deserve more of his mid 70's Bronx flava."

Liner notes great, but overall a weak collection

Andre M. | Mt. Pleasant, SC United States | 12/07/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The liner notes are an excellent look into the story of Joseph Saddler/Grandmaster Flash as well as that of the early days of rap music. It also pulls no punches as to the reasons for Flash's decline. But on the whole, this Cd's actual music collection is weak. Yes, it has some of his scratching techniques and features a few interesting interviews with some popuar New York street jams of the late 70s in the background. But these tunes featured in the mix are late 70s technopop that could easily be found elsewhere. There are two tantalizing snippets of Flash performing live at some street jams in 1979 and 1982, but these are all too brief, lasting for a few seconds apiece after fascinating starts. Perhaps a whole CD of one of Flash's live shows from this period (a'la the Cold Crush Bros. "Live in 82" or "Battle with the Fantastic Five") might be a better idea."