Even in the MP3 age, there are CDs worth searching out–and that require the search. “O.O.P., We Did It Again” is dedicated to great albums that are criminally out of print, and that aren’t necessarily likely to become available anytime soon.
The album: History Part 2: The Rough and the Smooth (1996), the second part of a semi-official trilogy by London-turned-New York DJ DB chronicling the rise of jungle/drum and bass.
Classic material: Coming between 1994′s perfect, epoch-defining History of Our World Part One and 1999′s techier Shades of Technology, The Rough and the Smooth is, like its title, divided between the boisterous tracks that document jungle’s evolution into the hard, dark stuff that defined its late-’90s and the spacier, overtly jazzy stuff that briefly turned it into the heppest coffee-table enhancer in the U.K. Aside from Omni Trio’s maudlin “Who Are You?”–shocking, considering how blindingly great Omni Trio’s ’90s singles tended to be–there isn’t a duff cut here, and the sequencing is equally strong.
Highlights: The opening sequence of Origin Unknown’s “Valley of the Shadows,” Renegade ft. Ray Keith’s “The Terrorist,” and Asylum’s “Da Base II Dark” is a killer 1-2-3, and Aphrodite’s “The Bomber” is as powerful a moment as any of the period’s gangsta-hardstep anthems. And amateur cultural historians wishing to hear just what people heard in the Steely Dan-smooth likes of L.T.J Bukem’s “Horizons” and Dave Wallace’s “Expressions” are advised to begin here if they can find it.
Why it’s out of print: Licensing is a bitch, isn’t it? At least that’s what I’ll assume keeps this album out of print. That and the fact that it’s a drum & bass mix from 1996, not exactly a growth industry over the past decade.
Chances it will return to print: Probably not great. You can find many of these songs elsewhere if you look hard enough, though as with any great DJ mix, it’s the way DB fashioned the whole that really stands out.
Cost for a used copy: At this time, Amazon has only one used CD, available for $34.99 plus ancillary costs.
Da Base 2 Dark! I filled in for DB at a show in Texas a few years back when his flight was cancelled. I sucked.
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