Rocktrospectiva: The Largely Forgotten Album "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" Turns 35

Released on 16 March 1990 "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, was the soundtrack to the 1990 New Line Cinema film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Soundtrack spawned two singles "Spin That Wheel" and "Turtle Power".

 

It was released by SBK Records and contained a collection made up mostly of hip-hop and new jack swing styled tracks who were pretty hip at the late 80's early 90's with several film score cues at the end. 

 

A largely forgotten album from the first motion picture related to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles who made their worldwide debut in the late 80's and early 90's, came in a time when these were the fifth selling toy item and this motion picture was designed to further imprint the accessible, memorable characters, even though the movie effects now it seems like something pretty much primitive compared the latest one, but pretty much in depth that was the magic of this first movie of the franchise, a particulary odd one, but that was the way early in the 90s.

 

The soundtrack were formidable, containing tracks that basically catch up the sound that dominated pop radio in the late 80's and early 90's a collection full of good rap/hip hop, new jack swing, and some R&B tracks. Partners in Kryme's hit single "Turtle Power" was awesome,  as is John Du Perez's martial arts movie theme, other tracks deliver the swinging, punchy sound's of early nineties R&B just like "Spunkadelic's "9.95" and Johnny Kemp's "Let The Walls Come Down", and of course rap/hip hop tunes such as M.C. Hammer's "This Is What We Do" released during the time when Hammer was the hip hop king, and of course some dance rap tunes pretty much in the sound of Technotronic's Hi Tek 3 in collaboration with Ya Kid K in "Spin That Wheel". 

 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Track List: 

 

1. This Is What We Do

2. Spin That Wheel

3. Family

4. 9.95

5. Turtle Power

6. Let The Walls Come Down

7. Every Heart Needs A Home

8. Ninja Thieves

9. Splinter's Tale I & Splinter's Tale II

10. Turtle Rhapsody 

Rocktrospectiva: One Of The Best-Selling Hip Hop Albums "Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em" Turns 35

Released on 12 February 1990, "Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em" was the third studio album by US rapper MC Hammer, produced, recorded and mixed by Felton Pilate and James Earley, the album was made on a small budget of around $10,000 and recorded on a modified tour bus between May 1988 and November 1989. The album spawned six singles "Help The Children", "Dancin' Machine", "U Can't Touch This", "Have You Seen Her", "Pray" & "Here Comes The Hammer", the smash hit "U Can't Touch This" which reached the top 10 at the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number one in Australia, Netherlands, New Zealand and Sweden, and number 3 on the UK Singles Chart. Following the album's success, Hammer embarked on the Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em World Tour, which stretched from 1990 to 1991 with 144 dates, grossing over $32 million.

 

MC Hammer's previous album, Let's Get It Started, had sold over 1.5 million units in the United States by the end of 1989, but he was not satisfied with the platinum success, instead, he chose to deviate from the standard rap format in his next album. Even though some purists criticized him for being more of a dancer than a rapper.

 

While on tour in the summer of 1988, Hammer started to record his third studio album on a modified tour bus. After spending part of his advance from Capitol Records on $50,000 worth of equipment for the back of the tour bus, he used his free time on the road to record his next album. Capitol marketed the album by sending free cassette singles and a personalized letter to 100,000 children, most of whom were Black or Hispanic. The letter, signed by Hammer, asked young people to phone MTV and request his video.

 

The album was supported by the single "U Can't Touch This"; follow-up singles included "Have You Seen Her" (a cover of the Chi-Lites) and "Pray" (a beat sampled from Prince's "When Doves Cry" and Faith No More's "We Care a Lot"). Most of these singles were notable for sampling other high-profile artists: "Dancin' Machine" sampled The Jackson 5, "Help the Children" (also the name of an outreach foundation Hammer started) interpolates Marvin Gaye's "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)", and "She's Soft and Wet" sampled Prince's "Soft and Wet".

 

"Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em" received mixed reviews from critics, yet received five nominations at the 1991 Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, becoming the first hip hop record to be nominated in this category, as well as winning five awards at the 1991 American Music Awards. The album is considered MC Hammer's mainstream breakthrough and a commercial juggernaut. It peaked at number one for twenty-one weeks on the US Billboard 200, becoming the first rap recording from a solo artist to top the pop chart, and was the best-selling album of 1990. 

 

It was also the first hip hop album to be certified diamond in the US, was certified platinum in several countries, and was one of the best-selling hip hop albums worldwide. Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em was also criticized for its sampling of songs by other musicians and also dissed in music videos of artists such as The D.O.C., Ice Cube, Digital Underground,LL Cool J, Hammer. However, LL Cool J would later compliment and commend Hammer's talents on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop, which aired in 2008.

 

Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em Track List:  

 

1. Here Comes The Hammer

2. U Can't Touch This

3. Have You Seen Her 

4. Yo!! Sweetness

5. Help The Children

6. On Your Face

7. Dancin' Machine

8. Pray 

9. Crime Story

10. She's Soft And Wet

11. Black Is Black

12. Let's Go Deeper

13. Work This 

Rocktrospectiva: El Exitoso Y Pionero "Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em" Cumple 30 Años

Tercer disco en la carrera del rapero MC Hammer, que vio la luz el 12 de febrero de 1990 bajo el sello Capitol bajo la producción de Felton Pilate y James Early. El disco alcanzó el mega éxito y llego al No. 1 por 21 semanas en el Billboard, y abrío las puertas para que el Hip Hop comenzará a ganar más preponderancia.

Del disco se lanzaron cuatro singles "U Can't Touch This", "Pray", "Have You Seen Her", y "Here Comes The Hammer",  que permitieron darle al genero un nuevo nivel de popularidad y accesibilidad a las masas, destacamos por supuesto el famoso "U Can't Touch This" que tenía como base rítmica el tema de Rick James "Super Freak", y gracias a este tema que el disco logro llegar a lo más alto y su popularidad todavía se sigue utilizando hasta la fecha en un sin número de programas y recopilaciones en todo sentido de la palabra. Pero el disco también tenía otros aportes por ejemplo la hermosa balada rap "Have You Seen Her" era un cover the Chi-Lites que también marcó época y por supuesto la movida "Pray" que tenía como base rítmica "When The Doves Cry" de Prince y "We Care A Lot" de Faith No More, que le permitío llegar al No. 2 y en el Reuno Unido fue 8, y es que era la época de los samples y bases rítmicas antes que llegaran a ser prohibidas del todo, pese a todo eso, el disco marcó un logro y una época, le permitío a Hammer llegar a realizar una gran gira a nivel mundial y hasta ganarse un contrato con la PepsiCo., además que el disco fue aclamado y llego a ser el primero del genero que alcanzo estatus de diamante.

Pese al éxito, MC Hammer no era aceptado por otros representantes del genero como Ice Cube o Digital Underground quienes se burlaban constantemente del rapero por ser muy pop, incluso LL Cool J también se burló del rapero en el genial single "Mama Said Knock You Out" pese a que este también tenía pinceladas de pop rap, aunque después reconocería la capacidad de Hammer en especial por su forma de baile que era todo un genio, y es que esa era la época del genero y que en realidad lanzó sus mejores temas antes de volverse violento y sin sentido, además que por el excesivo uso de samplings tuvo una fuerte crítica en contra, que le hizo perder mucho dinero en temas legales.

En Guatemala, el disco pegó fuerte y llegó a rivalizar en popularidad con la otra mega estrella del pop rap, Vanilla Ice, fue una época marcada por estos dos, en donde competían por popularidad y capacidad de baile pero que no iba más allá, una sana rivalidad avivada por la MTV y la radio y que hoy forman parte de nuestros recuerdos de adolescente.

Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em Track List:

1. Here Comes The Hammer

2. U Can't Touch This

3. Have You Seen Her

4. Yo!! Sweetness

5. Help The Children 

6. On Your Face

7. Dancin' Machine

8. Pray

9. Crime Story

10. She Soft And Wet

11. Black Is Black 

12. Let's Go Deeper

13. Work This