Public Enemy - Revolverlution Album Review

1. Gotta Give The Peeps What They Need
This song sounds like its produced by DJ Johnny Juice. Its really good...the beat is sparse, featuring a guitar and some nice percussion. Chuck D's voice is as good as always, and he spits some real nice shit...this has been in the "About Me" section of my profile for a bit a couple weeks ago:

"If y'all missin this, it's like dissin this / See ya uncle Sam pissin on this / He runnin' real low on my shit list / Take 'em all out wit the quickness"

2. Revolverlution
This sounds more funky...it sounds like a Prof Griff. Its not as good as GGTPWTN, but its really good follow up.

3. Miuzi Weighs A Ton - (live)
This is a live track from SF with a really impressive performance from DJ Lord (nh), with Chuck and Flav rhyming over it.

4. Put It Up
Unitenresting chorus + rather unintersting beat = skip

5. Can A Woman Make A Man Lose His Mind?
A funky beat, reminiscent of older PE tracks, and it's a Flav solo. Thats all you need to know about this song...its Flav talking about women.

6. PESA #1
Spoken word from Chuck D and Flav, who tell us to "stay in school and stay away from drugs." Although its great that these dudes are spreading a positive message...its not all that entretaining at all.

7. Fight The Power - (live)
Live from Switzerland in 1992. You can feel the energy on this performance (n/h)...good song overall.

8. Silly Techno Remix #1
What the hell is this?

9. Post Concert Arizona - (interview)
From the U2 tour. Its cool to listen to this and what happened after Arizona, but once you hear it once...

10. Son Of A Bush
Fuck yeah. Over a ill guitar and some weird synths (I think it's a Griff beat), Chuck D gets angry and fuckin kills it, attacking Bush:

"Bringin kilos to fill up silos
You probably sniffed piles
Got inmates in Texas scrubbin tiles
That shit is wild...
That shit is wild CIA child"

Chuck's intensity cannot be described...like i said, fuck yeah

11. 54321...BOOM
This one's a winner with samples of Chuck going "5", "4", "3", "2", "1", "Boom" on the chorus and a beat that uses a bunch of unidentefiable sounds. Chuck is Chuck. Nhjic.

12. Welcome To The Terrordome - (live)
Another Switzerland performance...the energy that PE brings to its shows is evident, and its really cool to listen to them doing such an incredible song 13 years ago.

13. Silly Techno Remix #2
Fuck this bullshit, no homo.

14. Get Your Sh*t Together
Fuck yeah! This one's another Johnny Juice beat with omnious horns, and Chuck D brings his trademark booming voice and intensity. The lyrics are incredible, for example this memorable quote: "Shit, my flag's always at half-mast." The chorus features some weird vocal samples being scratched and there is a point in which the beat switches up and a synth plays and there is some scratching. Overall, great song.

15. PESA #2
"Don't be a vulpture, know ya culture." Nothing against Black History Month, but you won't listen to this spoken word announcement more than twice.

16. Silly Techno Remix #3
This one's bearable, but not at all good.

17. Now A' Daze
The Minista of Information, Griff rhymes over this beat with bells and a piano sample (?). It's a layered beat, and Griff makes it enjoyable, but I'd rather listen to "Get Your Shit Together".

18. Silly Techno Remix #4
Some dudes from Argentina rap in spanish and mix in vocals from "Public Enemy #1" with their ridonkulous techno beat. What could possibly go wrong?

19. The Making Of Burn Hollywood Burn - (with Big Daddy Kane/Flavor Flav/Chuck D, interview)
The whole phone conversation that was sampled in "Burn Hollywood Burn." Another "interesting once, but I wont listen to it ever again" shit.

20. Gotta Give The Peeps What They Need - (DJ Johnny Juice - Paris Revolverlutionary mix)
A remix of the first track with everything the same aside from a verse from Paris in the middle and some samples to introduce him and then go back to Chuck. Interesting, but the original is better. Btw, Paris is the second most "no homo" name after Fab. Nhjic.

21. What Good Is A Bomb?
Another Griff solo? This one's Professor Griff attempt at Rage Against the Machine, which is weird cause Rage came from the PE sound, not the other way around. Anyways, this song is alright for what it is, that is, rap-rock. I don't know exactly what to think of Professor Griff doing some Zach de la Rocha 8th ocatve yelling amid guitar and turntable solos.

Overall
Chuck tried to do something different with this album as a whole. First off, it cut off the middle man, going with SlamJamz.com and such instead of with major record labels. Second, it attempted to mix up the format of albums, opting for diversity over cohesion. It does work as a half new shit/half live shit, but those silly techno remixes and those Public (Enemy) Service Announcements and phone conversations dont work out as well. Be ready to skip frequently for the really ill shit.

Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars