West Coast Connection Forum
DUBCC - Tha Connection => West Coast Classics => Topic started by: woof on July 07, 2016, 02:54:08 PM
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For such a beloved album and given its close ties with both Dr. Dre, and NWA in general, it’s hard to believe that No One Can Do It Better has not received a CD reissue in the U.S.—ever. While there was a Japanese issue of the CD that saw release in 2015 and a vinyl reissue that was produced in April for Record Store Day, Real Gone Music‘s expanded reissue is a first for the US. Even better, they included some rare promo and 12-inch-only remixes for bonus tracks.
In the hip-hop world, it’s well known that the D.O.C. was in a horrific car accident that changed his voice after his solo debut was released. Lots of hypotheticals have been pontificated throughout the years about what more he could have brought to the hip-hop world if life would have turned out differently. Unfortunately, we’ll never know.
However, Wax Poetics had the opportunity to speak with Aaron Kannowski who was a central figure in getting this reissue to see the light of day. Kannowski, who hails from the Dallas area (where the D.O.C. also came from), had been a long time fan of the album. His work for Real Gone Music on other projects had earned him the ability to pitch ideas for the label to consider. Even though Real Gone Music has never dipped into the hip-hop world, they’re interested in a wide variety of genres especially titles ripe for a reissue on CD or vinyl. Given that it has been twenty-five-plus years since No One Can Do It Better, an excellent opportunity presented itself.
Not only did Kannowski bring the initial idea to the table, he also had the opportunity to speak with the D.O.C. through the power of the internet to help bring an understanding to how the album was put together, tracks recorded, and other odds and ends that have found their way into the liner notes he penned for the release. Kannowski also was keen on providing some key remixes and other b-sides from the singles of the era for the project. Having tracked down the various promo CDs they appeared on and having paid premium prices for them, he wanted to make sure that they were available to the general public again. “Working with an eighty-minute CD capacity left us with about thirty minutes of space to fill. The only tracks related to the album that had never been on CD were mixes from the singles. We included as many as we could fit with the leftover space, which are all the of A-side mixes from the original 12-inch mixes,” per Kannowski.
It helps the hip-hop reissue market when radio companies are forming old school hip-hop stations. Dallas, as it so happens, was one of the early markets to host one. Says Kannowski, “I was thrilled when Radio One decided to put classic hip-hop on in Dallas, and it seems to be a growing format. There are now dozens of stations testing out the format, and Radio One’s ‘Boom’ branded stations are on in Houston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Columbus. Locally, the station is Boom 94.5, and The D.O.C. is in regular rotation. Dallas has been a great test market. It’s a growing area with a diverse group of people. The format is new, but hopefully it will stand the test of time. Many of the songs they are playing are now twenty to thirty years old, and they bring back a lot of great memories for people who grew up listening to hip-hop.” More specifically to The D.O.C.’s legacy, he goes on to say, “Considering the NWA and related albums on which he contributed lyrics such as Straight Outta Compton, Eazy-Duz-It, and The Chronic, as well as his own album, his influence on hip-hop music has been widespread. Not many artists can say they wrote songs for albums that regularly land on greatest albums of all-time lists. No One Can Do It Better has been critically acclaimed since it was released, and is often cited among the best hip-hop albums ever recorded. That’s a pretty incredible accomplisment.” Couple that with new classic hip-hop model and The D.O.C.’s depiction in last year’s critically hailed Straight Outta Compton film, and it’s ushered in a renewed interest for a younger generation to hear.
Track list:
1. It's Funky Enough (4:29)
2. Mind Blowin' (3:35)
3. Lend Me An Ear (3:19)
4. Comm. Blues (2:17)
5. Let The Bass Go (3:41)
6. Beautiful But Deadly (5:11)
7. The D.O.C. And The Doctor (4:06)
8. No One Can Do It Better (4:49)
9. Whirlwind Pyramid (3:46)
10. Comm. 2 (1:19)
11. The Formula (4:11)
12. Portrait Of A Masterpiece (2:28)
13. The Grand Finale (4:39)
14. Mind Blowin' (Remix) (4:25)
15. The D.O.C. And The Doctor (Noisy Mix) (4:29)
16. The Formula (Funky FM Mix) (5:37)
17. It's Funky Enough (Acapella) (0:43)
18. It's Funky Enough (Instrumental) (4:22)
19. Somethingtabumpinyacar (3:22)
20. The Formula (Instrumental) (4:07)
https://www.amazon.com/No-One-Can-Better-Expanded/dp/B01EBB4NBU
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Kannowski who did the remastering said there isn't added compression
kanno1ae
Forum Resident
Location:
Dallas, Texas, USA
You'll be happy to know there isn't any added compression or hard-limiting. I did the mastering, although Rhino required we use the original album's credits (with Big Bass Brian as mastering engineer).
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/the-d-o-c-no-one-can-do-it-better-expanded-edition-from-real-gone-music-6-3-16.527416/
(http://i380.photobucket.com/albums/oo244/kanno1ae/DOC-CD-back.jpg)
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I copped the vinyl on record store day, doesn't sound any better than that 8)
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^^Props.
"Bridgette" was recorded during this era too, but cut from the album (Explicit Content?).
Portrait Of A Masterpiece (Hip Hop 12" Extended Mix) was dope (Non-Dre)
https://www.youtube.com/v/6kFXXSk2qrU
DOC Hold on Dre stop the beat, let me catch my breath
Dre Aiyyo man, why ya stopping that was funky
DOC To catch my breath
Dre Alright you got it?
DOC Yeah
Dre Kick it
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Been looking for the remixes on CD for a while now, pretty dope news.
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There are no leftovers from this album. How fuckin incredible is that? That means everything they recorded made the final cut. Chemistry level l: infinity.
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No Bridgette? Too bad, I can do without the accapella.
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bridgette is a classic jouint, why they even leave it off the album in the first place
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There are no leftovers from this album. How fuckin incredible is that? That means everything they recorded made the final cut. Chemistry level l: infinity.
bridgette was a leftover…..sure they had at leas a couple joints they started on n never finished too. nearly impossible for every single joint to make a project.
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a must buy for the collection 8)
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a must buy for the collection 8)
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No Bridgette? Too bad, I can do without the accapella.
Alll the bonus tracks are from promo CDs that guys own
Bridgette was cut to its explicit content and later ended up on some Dr. Dre bootleg comp
And I doubt Atlantic would allow it to be added
(http://i380.photobucket.com/albums/oo244/kanno1ae/DOC%20promos.jpg)
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Sounds amazing.
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I got the album so
Could someone just hook me up with the acapella??
Thanks in advance
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No Bridgette? Too bad, I can do without the accapella.
Alll the bonus tracks are from promo CDs that guys own
Bridgette was cut to its explicit content and later ended up on some Dr. Dre bootleg comp
And I doubt Atlantic would allow it to be added
(http://i380.photobucket.com/albums/oo244/kanno1ae/DOC%20promos.jpg)
Dope collection! But doesn't change my mind that leaving out Bridgette doesn't disappoint me.
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Th DOC said at his Speaking Tour last year in Australia that this album was recoded in 12 days.
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Just got my copy in the post and there's a sticker on it saying The Gangsta Rap Classic. I know there's one song with N.W.A, but i never thought of this as a gangsta rap record, didn't think D.O.C. went gangsta til after his accident (or writing for others). Anyone else agree?
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Just got my copy in the post and there's a sticker on it saying The Gangsta Rap Classic. I know there's one song with N.W.A, but i never thought of this as a gangsta rap record, didn't think D.O.C. went gangsta til after his accident (or writing for others). Anyone else agree?
Gangsta rap by affiliation
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just ordered this thnks to this thread. I got the tape of it from awhile ago but I never got the CD. I was just hoping this would have those Fila Fresh songs on it as well.
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just ordered this thnks to this thread. I got the tape of it from awhile ago but I never got the CD. I was just hoping this would have those Fila Fresh songs on it as well.
Then buy N.W.A & The Posse CD.
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just ordered this thnks to this thread. I got the tape of it from awhile ago but I never got the CD. I was just hoping this would have those Fila Fresh songs on it as well.
Then buy N.W.A & The Posse CD.
Or the fila fresh crew lp.
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Honestlythis remaster sounds great i recommend it to anyone.
So many great albums could do with a remaster. A proper remaster like this not just turn tbe volume up remaster.
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just ordered this thnks to this thread. I got the tape of it from awhile ago but I never got the CD. I was just hoping this would have those Fila Fresh songs on it as well.
Then buy N.W.A & The Posse CD.
I already own it, why would I need to buy it again? Would still be nice to have other DOC songs instead of an acapella and instrumental of Funky Enough
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