Good Life: The Best of Pete Rock & CL Smooth
Encyclopedia
Good Life is a compilation of the best songs by golden age
hip hop
group Pete Rock & CL Smooth
. It contains singles and highlights from their two full-length albums and one EP, as well as leftover songs from soundtracks. It also contains the Pete Rock
single "Take Your Time," one of only songs that is not performed by CL Smooth.
Golden age hip hop
Hip hop's "golden age" is a name given to a period in mainstream hip hop—usually cited as being a period varying in time frames during the 1980s and 1990s said to be characterized by its diversity, quality, innovation and influence. There were strong themes of Afrocentricity and political...
hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
group Pete Rock & CL Smooth
Pete Rock & CL Smooth
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth are a hip-hop duo from Mount Vernon, New York. They made their debut with their 1991 EP, All Souled Out and followed with 1992's Mecca and the Soul Brother LP.-The Golden Age :...
. It contains singles and highlights from their two full-length albums and one EP, as well as leftover songs from soundtracks. It also contains the Pete Rock
Pete Rock
Peter Phillips , better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapper. He rose to prominence in the early 1990s as one half of the critically acclaimed group Pete Rock & CL Smooth...
single "Take Your Time," one of only songs that is not performed by CL Smooth.
Track listing
All songs are produced by Pete Rock and CL Smooth except "Lots of Lovin'" which contains additional production by Nevelle Hodge.| # | Title | Time | Songwriters | Performers | Original Album | Sample(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Lots Of Lovin' Lots of Lovin' "Lots of Lovin'" is the third and final single by Pete Rock & CL Smooth from their album, Mecca and the Soul Brother. This song is a love-ode to CL's partner and features one of Pete Rock's most sensuous productions; full of flutes and suave keyboard riffs. The song samples the Ohio Players cover... " |
4:46 | Peter Phillips Corey Penn Nevelle Hodge |
CL Smooth | Mecca and the Soul Brother Mecca and the Soul Brother Mecca And The Soul Brother is the critically acclaimed 1992 debut album from the Mount Vernon duo, Pete Rock & CL Smooth. The album contains their best known song, "They Reminisce Over You ." To date, Mecca and the Soul Brother has been widely acclaimed as one of the greatest Hip hop albums of all... |
|
| 2 | "Straighten It Out Straighten It Out "Straighten It Out" is the second single by Pete Rock & CL Smooth from their album, Mecca and the Soul Brother, which was released to critical acclaim in 1992. The song deals with bootleggers and sample clearance opportunists. Unlike the previous single, "They Reminisce Over You ", "Straighten It... " |
4:13 | Peter Phillips Corey Penn |
CL Smooth | Mecca and the Soul Brother |
Kool & the Gang Kool & the Gang are an American jazz, R&B, soul, and funk group, originally formed as the Jazziacs in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1964.They went through several musical phases during the course of their recording career, starting out with a purist jazz sound, then becoming practitioners of R&B and... Ernie Hines Ernie Hines is an American Soul musician. Hines was born in Mississippi in 1938. Educated in gospel, he soon learned to play guitar and he played with everyone from Slim Harpo to Clyde McPhatter... Mongo Santamaría Ramón "Mongo" Santamaría Rodríguez was an Afro-Cuban Latin jazz percussionist. He is most famous for being the composer of the jazz standard "Afro Blue," recorded by John Coltrane among others. In 1950 he moved to New York where he played with Perez Prado, Tito Puente, Cal Tjader, Fania All... Simtec & Wylie Simtec & Wylie were an American soul duo from Chicago active in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The group was composed of Walter "Simtec" Simmons and Wylie Dixon, and had a hard soul sound similar to that of Sam & Dave.... |
| 3 | "Anger In The Nation" | 5:33 | Peter Phillips Corey Penn Adofo Abdullah Muhammad |
CL Smooth | Mecca and the Soul Brother |
Funky President "Funky President " is a funk song by James Brown. Released as a single in 1974, it charted #4 R&B. It also appeared on the album Reality. According to Brown the "funky president" of the song's title was meant to refer to U.S... " by James Brown James Brown James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr... Sing a Simple Song "Sing a Simple Song" is a 1968 song by the soul/rock/funk band Sly & the Family Stone, the b-side to their #1 hit "Everyday People". The song's lyrics, sung in turn by Sly Stone, Freddie Stone, Rose Stone, and Larry Graham, with spoken word sections by Cynthia Robinson, offer a simple solution for... " by Sly & the Family Stone Sly & the Family Stone Sly and the Family Stone were an American rock, funk, and soul band from San Francisco, California. Active from 1966 to 1983, the band was pivotal in the development of soul, funk, and psychedelic music... Les McCann Les McCann is an American soul jazz piano player and vocalist whose biggest successes came as a crossover artist into R&B and soul.-Biography:... |
| 4 | "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) "They Reminisce Over You " is a song by Pete Rock and CL Smooth, inspired by the death of their close friend Troy Dixon in 1990. The song was the lead single off their debut album, Mecca and the Soul Brother, released in 1992, and later became a staple of classic early 90s hip hop... " |
4:46 | Peter Phillips Corey Penn |
CL Smooth Pete Rock |
Mecca and the Soul Brother |
The Beginning of the End (band) The Beginning of the End was a funk group from Nassau, Bahamas. The group consisted of three brothers and a fourth member on bass. They released an album entitled Funky Nassau in 1971 on Alston Records , and the track "Funky Nassau - Part I" became a hit single in the U.S., peaking at #15 on the... Tom Scott (musician) Tom Scott is an American saxophonist, composer, arranger, conductor and bandleader of the west coast jazz/jazz fusion ensemble The L.A. Express.-Biography:Scott was born in Los Angeles, California... Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud "Say It Loud — I'm Black and I'm Proud" is a funk song written and recorded by James Brown in 1968. It is notable both as one of Brown's signature songs and as one of the most popular Black Power anthems of the 1960s. The song was released as a two-part single which held the number-one spot on the... " by James Brown |
| 5 | "Skinz" | 4:15 | Peter Phillips Corey Penn Maxwell Dixon |
Pete Rock CL Smooth Grand Puba Grand Puba Maxwell Dixon is an emcee best known as a member of the group Brand Nubian.-Biography:He made his debut with the group Masters of Ceremony. Its album Dynamite was hailed by critics, but probably due to lack of sales, the group soon disbanded, and Puba emerged as the lead emcee of Brand Nubian... |
Mecca and the Soul Brother |
Funky President "Funky President " is a funk song by James Brown. Released as a single in 1974, it charted #4 R&B. It also appeared on the album Reality. According to Brown the "funky president" of the song's title was meant to refer to U.S... " by James Brown The Coasters The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group that had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with "Searchin'" and "Young Blood", their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producing team of Leiber and Stoller... |
| 6 | "Take You There Take You There (Pete Rock & CL Smooth song) "Take You There" is the second single from Pete Rock & CL Smooth's second album, The Main Ingredient, released in 1994. The song samples "Keep Rising To The Top" by Keni Burke. It features vocalist Crystal Johnson on the chorus. The B-side is a remix of the album track "Get On The Mic" from The... " |
4:45 | Peter Phillips Corey Penn Keni Burke Alan Felder Norma Jean Wright |
Pete Rock CL Smooth |
The Main Ingredient |
Keni Burke Kenneth M. Burke , better known as Keni Burke, is an American R&B, soul, funk, and jazz singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist who began his career as a member of the 1970s soul outfit, the Five Stairsteps.-Five Stairsteps:As a member of the Five Stairsteps, Burke wrote the... Black Heat Black Heat was a 1970s funk band founded by King Raymond Green and discovered by Phillip Guilbeau. Their albums include Black Heat , No Time To Burn and Keep On Runnin. The group had one hit single, "No Time to Burn", which reached #46 on the U.S. Billboard Black Singles chart... Oliver Sain Oliver Sain was an American saxophonist, songwriter, bandleader, drummer and record producer.... |
| 7 | "The Creator" | 4:44 | Peter Phillips Maxwell Dixon |
Pete Rock | All Souled Out All Souled Out All Souled Out is an EP by Pete Rock & CL Smooth. It was released in the summer of 1991 to rave reviews and spawned a modest hit in "The Creator".... |
Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All... Eddie Bo Edwin Joseph Bocage was an American singer and New Orleans-style pianist. Schooled in jazz, he was known for his blues, soul and funk recordings, compositions, productions and arrangements... Mar-Keys The Mar-Keys, formed in 1958, were an American studio session band for the Stax label from Memphis, Tennessee, in the 1960s. As the first house band for the label, their backing music formed the foundation for the early 1960s Stax sound.-Career:... King Curtis Curtis Ousley , who performed under the stage name King Curtis, was an American saxophone virtuoso known for rhythm and blues, rock and roll, soul, funk and soul jazz. Variously a bandleader, band member, and session musician, he was also a musical director and record producer... |
| 8 | "Mecca & The Soul Brother" | 5:59 | Peter Phillips Corey Penn |
Pete Rock CL Smooth |
All Souled Out |
Eddie Hubbard Charles Edward "Eddie" Hubbard was an easy-listening disc jockey and radio personality in Chicago, at such radio stations as WIND and WGN. At WGN he co-hosted a popular show with Jack Brickhouse.-Early Years In Chicago:... ESG (band) ESG are a band that emerged from the South Bronx, New York, U.S. in the early 1980's. Trouser Press called it "one of the most dynamic bands that New York could offer at the top of the '80s." ESG have been influential across a wide range of musical genres, including hip hop, post punk, disco,... |
| 9 | "It's Not A Game" | 4:22 | Peter Phillips Corey Penn |
CL Smooth | "It's Not a Game" promo single |
The Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers are a highly influential, successful and long-running American music group consisting of different line-ups of six brothers, and a brother-in-law, Chris Jasper... Willie Henderson (musician) Willie Henderson is an American soul musician. Henderson moved to Chicago with his family while still a child, and began playing the baritone saxophone. He gigged with Otis Rush, Syl Johnson, Alvin Cash, and Harold Burrage while in his twenties, and began working for Brunswick Records in 1968... |
| 10 | "I Got A Love I Got a Love "I Got a Love" is the first single from Pete Rock & CL Smooth's second album, The Main Ingredient, released in 1994. The song is a horn and guitar-driven love-jam, which sees CL exploring his "ladies man" persona which he first introduced on "Lots of Lovin'". It samples "Ain't Got the Love " by The... " |
5:11 | Peter Phillips Corey Penn David Lewis |
CL Smooth | The Main Ingredient |
Mel and Tim Mel and Tim were an American soul music duo active in the 1960s and early 1970s, and best known for the hit, "Backfield in Motion" . They are also well known for: "Hope, Life's Goal" and "Starting All Over Again" .-Career:... Billy Joel William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to... |
| 11 | "All The Places" | 5:41 | Peter Phillips Corey Penn Larry Mizell Fonce Mizell |
CL Smooth | The Main Ingredient |
Donald Byrd Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II, is an American jazz and rhythm and blues trumpeter. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd is best known as one of the only bebop jazz musicians who successfully pioneered the funk and soul genres while simultaneously remaining a... |
| 12 | "Searching Searching (song) "Searching" is the third and final single by Pete Rock & CL Smooth from their album, The Main Ingredient. This is a downtempo and mellow song about relationships, with singer Vinia Mojica performing the chorus. Released just prior to the breakup of the group, the song received very little... " |
5:06 | Peter Phillips Corey Penn |
CL Smooth | The Main Ingredient |
Roy Ayers Roy Ayers is an American funk, soul, and jazz composer and vibraphone player. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at Polydor Records beginning in the 1970s, during which he helped pioneer jazz-funk .- Biography :Ayers... Mountain (band) Mountain is an American hard rock band that formed in Long Island, New York in 1969. Originally comprising vocalist and guitarist Leslie West, bassist Felix Pappalardi and drummer N. D. Smart, the band broke up in 1972 before reuniting in 1974 and remaining active until today... Joe Farrell Joseph Carl Firrantello , known as Joe Farrell, was an American jazz saxophonist and flutist. He is best known for a series of albums under his own name on the CTI record label and for playing in the initial incarnation of Chick Corea's Return to Forever.-Biography:Farrell was born in Chicago... |
| 13 | "Good Life" | 3:53 | Peter Phillips Corey Penn |
CL Smooth | All Souled Out |
The Meters The Meters are an American funk band based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Meters performed and recorded their own music from the late 1960s until 1977... Eddie Kendricks Eddie Kendricks was an American singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group The Temptations, and was one of their lead singers from 1960 until 1971. His was the lead voice on such famous songs as "The Way You Do The Things... |
| 14 | "One In A Million One in a Million (Pete Rock & CL Smooth song) "One in a Million" is a song by Pete Rock & CL Smooth, recorded for the soundtrack to the film, Poetic Justice. The song contains a mix of jazzy-horns over a sumptuous baseline, with a chorus sung by CL Smooth, and scratches and cuts by Pete Rock. The song contains a sample from Brother Jack... " |
4:04 | Peter Phillips Corey Penn Jack McDuff |
CL Smooth Pete Rock |
Poetic Justice (Music from the Motion Picture) |
Jack McDuff "Brother" Jack McDuff was an American jazz organist and organ trio bandleader who was most prominent during the hard bop and soul jazz era of the 1960s, often performing with an organ trio.-Career:... The J.B.'s The J.B.'s were James Brown's band during the first half of the 1970s. On record the J.B.'s were sometimes billed under various alternate names such as The James Brown Soul Train, Maceo and the Macks, A.A.B.B., The First Family and The Last Word... Young-Holt Unlimited Young-Holt Unlimited were an American soul and jazz instrumental musical ensemble from Chicago, Illinois.Drummer Isaac "Red" Holt and bassist Eldee Young, formerly members of Ramsey Lewis' jazz trio, formed a new outfit called the Young-Holt Trio with pianist Don Walker in 1966... |
| 15 | "Death Becomes You" | 4:13 | Peter Phillips Corey Penn Tommy Guest |
CL Smooth YG'z Yg'z The YG'z was an American East Coast hip hop group that recorded the EP Street Nigga on 1993.The group is not to be confused with the popular hip-hop group by the same name that is more commonly known as Young Gunz.... Pete Rock |
Menace II Society (The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Menace II Society (soundtrack) Menace II Society is the name of the official soundtrack for the movie of the same name. It was released May 26, 1993 by Jive Records. It peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and at number 11 on the Billboard 200... |
Clifford Jordan Clifford Laconia Jordan was a jazz saxophone player. While in Chicago, he performed with Max Roach, Sonny Stitt, and some rhythm and blues groups. He moved to New York City in 1957, after which he recorded three albums for Blue Note. He also recorded with Horace Silver, J.J. Johnson, Kenny... |
| 16 | "Take Your Time" | 4:31 | Peter Phillips Carl McIntosh Jane Eugene |
Pete Rock Loose Ends Loose Ends (band) Loose Ends was a successful British R&B band that had several urban contemporary hits. The trio was formed in London in 1980, initially comprising vocalist and guitarist Carl McIntosh, vocalist Jane Eugene, and keyboard player, writer and founder Steve Nichol... |
Soul Survivor | |