In the early to mid nineties and at the peak of his powers as a producer, Wu-Tang Clan mastermind RZA crafted a distinctive soundtrack at his basement studio in Staten Island. Whether or not he knew it at the time this haunting landscape of dusty samples, sharp snares and menacing urban gloom, would soon become a pillar of hip hop history. These instrumentals, peppered in with frequent interludes of dialogue from the classic samurai flick Shogun Assassin, became the core of the GZA's 1995 sophomore LP Liquid Swords and would eventually be considered by many as each individual's finest work. Cerebral, strategic and precise with his words, GZA crystallizes a range of influences - from chess to kung-fu films to mob flicks and Eastern philosophy - into sharply delivered rhymes. Many would argue there is no greater MC to compliment the RZA's production as well as GZA did on Liquid Swords. The album featured appearances by the entire Wu-Tang Clan, and included the auspicious debut of Killah Priest on ''B.I.B.L.E.''
The Liquid Swords two disc deluxe ''Chess Box'' edition is housed in a sturdy wrapped hard board two piece box. Disc one contains the official album version while disc two contains the full RZA produced instrumentals. Both discs have been completely restored with remastered audio from the original source tapes and have truly never sounded better.
As always with any deluxe Get On Down release, there are plenty of extras: Researched, in depth, full color liner notes with contributions from GZA himself, spanning across 20 pages. Inner jackets and dust sleeves with memorable vintage artwork from the original release. And even a full wooden minature chess set, which can be played on the chess board printed and contained directly on the inner lining of the box.
Please note: due to the weight and size of this box set there will be an extra shipping charge for most orders, depending on shipping address and the size and contents of the order. We will contact you for approval of any extra charges before shipping. | |
