With the recent release of her third solo album, I Am…Sasha Fierce (Music World/Columbia), Beyoncé Knowles committed not one but two of music’s cardinal sins. Though adapting an alter ego (the confusing Sasha Fierce) is hardly unforgivable, foisting a double album on the world, knowing full well that one would do just fine is not. Brevity being the soul of wit and all of that.
But B isn’t the first megastar to get overambitious. While R&B has often fared better on the double front—Sign o The Times and Songs In the Key of Life come to mind—rap hasn’t fared nearly as well. Over the next few days, VIBE.com is revisiting five “important” albums from major artists who simply couldn’t edit themselves properly. So we did it for them, beginning with Wu-Tang Clan's, Wu-Tang Forever.
Coming in at an insane 27 tracks, Wu-Tang’s sophomore effort was done in by everything that made their debut, Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (Loud, 1993), such an unmitigated classic: long posse cuts, dark and ominous production, bizarre and drawn-out street themes intermingling with Japanese kung-fu flick mythology. Spread over two hours, it’s enough to drown in. This newly trimmer version clocks in at twelve tracks, the same number as their debut, aiming almost solely for the fast, raw rap that made that debut one of hip hop’s greatest ever.
Take a look at the original track lists, then after the image, look at our track list and listen to it yourself.
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Forever
(Loud, 1997)
ACTUAL TRACKLIST FOR WU-TANG FOREVER
DISC 1:
1. Wu-Revolution feat. Poppa Wu/Uncle Pete
2. Reunited
3. For Heavens Sake feat. Cappadonna
4. Cash Still Rules / Scary Hours (Still Don't Nothing Move But The Money)
5. Visionz
6. As High as Wu-Tang Get
7. Severe Punishment
8. Older Gods
9. Maria feat. Cappadonna
10. A Better Tomorrow
11. It's Yourz
DISC 2:
1. Intro
2. Triumph feat. Cappadonna
3. Impossible feat. Tekitha
4. Little Ghetto Boys feat. Cappadonna
5. Deadly Melody feat. Street Life
6. The City
7. The Projects
8. Bells of War
9. The M.G.M.
10. Dog Shit
11. Duck Seazon
12. Hellz Wind Staff feat. Street Life
13. Heaterz feat. Cappadonna
14. Black Shampoo
15. Second Coming feat. Tekitha
16. The Closing
The cover of Wu-Tang Clan's "Wu-Tang Forever"
Our Tracklist
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