Playlist Help Needed (Wu-Tang Content)

[effetebomb]

So I am trying to come up with a solid Wu-Tang Playlist (no more than 2 CDs) to try to introduce the clan in a way that is both accessible and compelling. I have eliminated well over 200 tracks, leaving at the moment 94 (Yes, I know 300ish tracks is inadequate for a proper Wu collection, I don't even have some of the classics like "Iron Man" or "OB4CL" ) that I am trying to whittle down to the finest 30 or so. I am way to engrossed in a lot of these tracks to be comfortable with just chopping them away.

What are your absolute must-haves? What deep-cuts are worth a spot on a mixtape of this stature? Anything not on the list below that you feel needs to be? The target audience is my wife, who is an ODB fan, and an old friend who has never heard any wu-tang songs.

i guess for fun i'll show you whats currently on my list.

RZA #1 The Dead Science
RZA #2 The Dead Science
RZA #3 The Dead Science
RZA #4 The Dead Science
RZA #5 The Dead Science
RZA #6 The Dead Science
RZA #7 The Dead Science
Shakey Dog Ghostface Killah
Major Operation Ghostface Killah
9 Milli Bros (feat Wu-Tang Clan) Ghostface Killah
Ghostface Xmas Ghostface Killah
The Sun (ft. Raekwon, Slick Rick & RZA) Ghostface Killah
All in Together Now GZA/Genius
General Principal GZA/Genius
Liquid Swords GZA/Genius
Cold World GZA/Genius
4th Chamber GZA/Genius
Shadowboxin' GZA/Genius
He's A Rebel Inspectah Deck
Back To School ft. RZA Masta Killa
The Day After Masta Killa
Dirty The Moocher Ol' Dirty
Dont Go Breaking My Heart (featuring Macy Gray) Ol' Dirty
01 Intro Ol' Dirty
02 21 Intoxicated Ol' Dirty
06 12 Free Interlude Ol' Dirty
08 08 Stand Up Ol' Dirty
14 17 Raw Interlude Ol' Dirty
18 19 Control Interlude Ol' Dirty
Brookyln Zoo Ol' Dirty Bastard
Shimmy Shimmy Ya Ol' Dirty Bastard
Got Your Money Ol' Dirty Bastard
Rollin' Wit You Ol' Dirty Bastard
Nigga Please Ol' Dirty Bastard
Good Morning Heartache Ol' Dirty Bastard
All In Together Now Ol' Dirty Bastard
I Can't Wait Ol' Dirty Bastard
Give It To Ya Raw Ol' Dirty Bastard
Smoke (with Method Man) Ol' Dirty Bastard
Raw Hide Ol' Dirty Bastard
Honey (ODB Remix) Ol' Dirty Bastard
Fire (Dirty Dirty Alt. Version) Ol' Dirty Bastard
Snakes Ol' Dirty Bastard
Lift Up Ya Skirt (Mixtape) Ol' Dirty Bastard
Method Man- PLO Style Ratatat
Beanie Sigel & Dirt McGirt- When You Hear That Ratatat
Cameo Afro RZA
Fatal The RZA
Unleash Me Feat. Prodigal Son & Christbearer RZA
Yakuza Oren 1 The RZA
Banister Fight The RZA
Flip Sting The RZA
Sword Swings The RZA
Intro (feat. Understanding) RZA
You Can't Stop Me Now (feat. Inspectah Deck) RZA
Booby Trap (feat. Dexter Wiggles) RZA
Try Ya Ya Ya (feat. Monk & Thea van Seijen) RZA
Drama (Monk & Thea van Seijen) RZA
O Day RZA
Don't Be Afraid RZA
Show U Love RZA
Glocko Pop (feat. Wu-Tang Clan) RZA
Must Be Bobby RZA
Do U (feat. GZA the Genius, Prodical) RZA
Black Widow, Pt. 2 (feat. ODB) RZA
N.Y.C. Everything (feat. Method Man) RZA
Mantis (feat. Masta Killa, Tekitha) RZA
Slow Grind French RZA
Kiss of a Black Widow (feat. ODB) RZA
Slow Grind Italian RZA
Protect Ya Neck (Bloody Version) Wu-tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing Ta Fuck Wit Wu-tang Clan
Shame On a Nigga Wu-tang Clan
Da Mystery of Chessboxin' Wu-tang Clan
Triumph (Feat Cappadonna) Wu-tang Clan
Gravel Pit Wu-tang Clan
Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off) Wu-tang Clan
Uzi (Pinky Ring) Wu-tang Clan
Shaolin Wordwide Wu-tang Clan
Skit Wu-tang Clan
Intro (Shaolin Finger Jab)/Cha Wu-tang Clan
Bring Da Ruckus (Remix) (Mixtape) Wu-Tang Clan
Deadly Dartz Wu-Tang Clan
I Can't Go To Sleep ft. Isaac Hayes (Live Version) Wu-Tang Clan
St. Ides Commercial Wu-Tang Clan
Enter the Wu-Tang Wu-tang Clan
Cuttin Headz Wu-tang Clan
Campfire Wu Tang Clan
rushing elephants Wu Tang Clan
unpredictable feat dexter wiggle Wu Tang Clan
the heart gently weeps feat erykah badu dhani harrison and john frusciante Wu Tang Clan
wolves feat george clinton Wu Tang Clan
sunlight Wu Tang Clan
life changes Wu Tang Clan



I'm sure there are maybe a few easy cuts left in there but its just all so good!

[less_cunning]

Raekwon. "Shoes."

Ghostface. "Nutmeg."

oh wait hold up this is your playlist not mine...

[effetebomb]

Raekwon. "Shoes."

Ghostface. "Nutmeg."

oh wait hold up this is your playlist not mine...

nonono! specific song picks are exactley what i'm looking for!

I'll check those out...

[less_cunning]

i liked "MGM Grand" from the second Wu album. cuz its funny. Ghost & Lex Diamonds big willie style @ a boxing match...

that Raekwon song is "Sneakers." not "Shoes." its from the Immobilarity tape...

[WaveForm3]

Seriously!??!

C.R.E.A.M.

Bring the Ruckus

[less_cunning]

yeah throw some Sunz of Man on that too...

[tigerdriver]

ghostface-the watch
method man - mr. sandman
raekwon - criminology

and of course:

mariah carey feat. odb - fantasy

[Antero]

Ghostface: "Shakey Dog," "The Champ," "Be Easy," "Alex (Stolen Script)," "Apollo Kids," "Nutmeg," "Wildflower"
Raekwon: "Criminology," "Incarcerated Scarfaces," "Can It All Be So Simple (Remix)," "Ice Cream"
Method Man: "Tical," "Bring The Pain," "Method Man" (counts for his solo listings)
Meth & Red: "Blackout," "Dangerous Emcees"
GZA: "Liquid Swords," "4th Chamber," annnnd... "Duel of the Iron Mic," maybe? Not sure on this.
ODB: "Shimmy Shimmy Ya," "Brooklyn Zoo," "Got Your Money"
Masta Killa: "Queen," "School"

I'm actually not very familiar with RZA's solo output, but there's that one song, "Domestic Violence" or something? "You ain't shit, your daddy ain't shit, your brother ain't shit..." That's amazing stuff.

U-God... sorry U-God.

Deck... not much of a solo career either, though his guest verses and Wu verses are usually great. There's one song called "That Nigga" which is great, but it also sounds nothing like a Wu song, more like Mos Def/Talib Kweli or something!

That's 26.

Then from the full group, let's say "Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off)," "Gravel Pit," "Triumph," "Campfire," and anything off of 36 Chambers.

In fact, let's say two more RZA tracks, then "Bring Da Ruckus," "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'," "Ain't Nothin' Ta Fuck Wit," and "C.R.E.A.M." That would get you to exactly...

...naturally...

...36.

[Antero]

mariah carey feat. odb - fantasy

This always blows my fucking mind. Who had the idea to do this? What a bizarre pairing!

[less_cunning]

mariah carey feat. odb - fantasy

This always blows my fucking mind. Who had the idea to do this? What a bizarre pairing!

they both apparently grew up in the same area as kids. like when ODB raps, "Me & Mariah/Go back like babies & pacifiers..." like apparently that literally is true... plus. Puffy is on this track doing his Puffy adlibs which makes it even bizarre/hilarious--

i don't think the Red & Meth stuff should be include. Reggie Nobles was never a member of Wu-Tang Clan nor did he ever rap on any Wu-Tang albums. IMO...

[effetebomb]

Seriously!??!

C.R.E.A.M.

Bring the Ruckus

I've never been super in love with CREAM? I don't know why, but it was a deliberate omission.
I have the remix of bring da ruckus, which i prefer to the original.

yeah throw some Sunz of Man on that too...

i am completely unfamiliar with the Sunz albums. is there a single song that is definitive? that deserves its place amongst the more iconic wu offerings in a relatively small list like this?
I asked myself those questions about killarmy and I couldn't find a single track that felt compelling enough.

ghostface-the watch
method man - mr. sandman
raekwon - criminology

and of course:

mariah carey feat. odb - fantasy

meth and ghost tracks under consideration.
there is only two songs from OB4CL on iTunes but i'll track down criminology. ( i have the Disciples of the 36 live, but the recording is unimpressive to say the least)
I've got fantast on my tentative list there. I love ODB so much. (life changes= ) Then there is the lesser known collaboration of ODB and Macy Gray on the cover of Elton's "Don't go breaking my heart" that is every bit as bizarre and stellar.

Ghostface: "Shakey Dog," "The Champ," "Be Easy," "Alex (Stolen Script)," "Apollo Kids," "Nutmeg," "Wildflower"
Raekwon: "Criminology," "Incarcerated Scarfaces," "Can It All Be So Simple (Remix)," "Ice Cream"
Method Man: "Tical," "Bring The Pain," "Method Man" (counts for his solo listings)
Meth & Red: "Blackout," "Dangerous Emcees"
GZA: "Liquid Swords," "4th Chamber," annnnd... "Duel of the Iron Mic," maybe? Not sure on this.
ODB: "Shimmy Shimmy Ya," "Brooklyn Zoo," "Got Your Money"
Masta Killa: "Queen," "School"

I'm actually not very familiar with RZA's solo output, but there's that one song, "Domestic Violence" or something? "You ain't shit, your daddy ain't shit, your brother ain't shit..." That's amazing stuff.

U-God... sorry U-God.

Deck... not much of a solo career either, though his guest verses and Wu verses are usually great. There's one song called "That Nigga" which is great, but it also sounds nothing like a Wu song, more like Mos Def/Talib Kweli or something!

That's 26.

Then from the full group, let's say "Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off)," "Gravel Pit," "Triumph," "Campfire," and anything off of 36 Chambers.

In fact, let's say two more RZA tracks, then "Bring Da Ruckus," "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'," "Ain't Nothin' Ta Fuck Wit," and "C.R.E.A.M." That would get you to exactly...

...naturally...

...36.

I could see a lot of these getting on there. 36 tracks is a really good idea, though i did wanna pepper in some of the under 20 second skit/shorts to smooth song transitions. Hmmm.... maye i'll have 36 songs. and a bonus third disc that says do not listen till XMAS and it will have ghostface XMAS on it.

i clearly need to round out my rae and meth catalogs... hmmmm... I used to have Blackout, but it got stollen before i had a computer music library. I can barely remember anything about it other than the smoke colored jewel case. I don't know if I need to go down that road again.

"school" is almost a certain inclusion, along with "shakey Dog" (Oh my god that track is insane), "4th chamber" and most of the wu group cuts you listed. i gotta figure out a good balance, which you certainly have here, but like i said, I am a little lacking in some of the members.

"RZA as Bobby Digital in Stereo", and "Digi Snacks" are both top tier wu solo albums, in my opinion. Domestic Violence is definitely a great cut (I freaked out the first time i heard it), but I'm kind of shying away from it because both of the people I am making this for are girls. and one of them is my wife. there is some subtext there that i dont think would be appropriate.

gonna try to have a rough draft by today. thanks everybody for your help so far!

[less_cunning]

like i said. i think its relative. i hate recommending stuff to people anyway unless i am really ecstatic about it. different personal tastes:

i was never that big of a fan of Meth or ODB so i'd probably have more Cappadonna & U-God on my 2 discs. probably throw a Shyhiem track on there too. definitely Sunz of Man becuz they espoused some of the more conscious "free the dome" type stuff that the Wu alwayz tried to do but never had a enough of. there's some Posi stuff on Ghostface's 1st album.

[effetebomb]

like i said. i think its relative. i hate recommending stuff to people anyway unless i am really ecstatic about it. different personal tastes:

i was never that big of a fan of Meth or ODB so i'd probably have more Cappadonna & U-God on my 2 discs. probably throw a Shyhiem track on there too. definitely Sunz of Man becuz they espoused some of the more conscious "free the dome" type stuff that the Wu alwayz tried to do but never had a enough of. there's some Posi stuff on Ghostface's 1st album.

"sun" is one of my favorite wu tracks... its so posi.

sorry if i sounded hostile about sunz, i really wasn't trying to be. what track(s) do you particularly recommend?

[less_cunning]

i'd have to try & back-track. most of the stuff i remember i never really had the actual copies. just stuff i recorded off the radio. so i don't know the song titles. i think one of the Sunz of Man albums didn't get released due to label stuff. really i was into Killah Priest.

it does kind of get a bit difficult/obscure when delving into the Wu past the original 9 members. i must admit. i am not a big hardcore Wu fan either. i think i stopped being actively into Wu-Tang after the double album & the last one i bought was the Immobilarity tape.

[effetebomb]

no problem. there is a huge amount of back material to sort through. i have 19 must haves right now. trying to decide what holes need filling. thanks