Artist: Man Parrish

Album: Man Parrish

Year: 1982

Key Tracks: Hip Hop (Be Bop)

It's been awhile since I checked in but my pile of "virgin to my ears and I think anyone elses" vinyl has come to a close with Man Parrish.

I never heard of this artist previously but according to AMG he was a pioneer on the New York scene in the early 80's and combined disco, electronic, and funk to influence early hip-hop. Quite a feat. He did not make much music after this release. I'm not sure why. Maybe the ideas ran dry or he just was sick of the music business.

Whatever his reasons, when I first dropped the needle I was immediately struck by how strange this must have sounded in 1982. So many weird sounds but you want to dance to it. None of the other tracks match the impact of Hip Hop (Be Bop) but the album maintains the edgy feel throughout.

Top notch effort. Pick it up if you find it.