Harder Than You
Studio album by
24-7 Spyz
ReleasedMay 1, 1989
RecordedDecember 1988 at Platinum Island Studios, New York City, New York
Genre
Length41:20
LabelIn-Effect[1]
ProducerRobert Musso
Jimi Hazel
24-7 Spyz chronology
Harder Than You
(1989)		 Gumbo Millennium
(1990)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Chicago Tribune[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]

Harder Than You is the debut album by 24-7 Spyz.[6][7] It was released in 1989 via In-Effect.[8] The album contains elements of several genres. The group flirts with polka on "Tango Skin Polka," introspective political reggae on "Ballots Not Bullets," and speed metal with "Spill My Guts."

The band made a video for MTV for their cover of Kool & the Gang's "Jungle Boogie." The song was remixed into a dance version with extended electronic instrumental passages, and was popular on the club circuit.

Like many 24-7 Spyz albums, the recording is out of print.

Critical reception

Trouser Press wrote that the band "mixes and matches hardcore punk and tough-minded funk on Harder Than You to achieve a singularly potent blend ... It’s the band’s freewheeling sense of fun that makes [the album] such a visceral joy."[1] The Orlando Sentinel deemed the album "rock-ska-punk-funk-soul-reggae-hip/hop-metal-jazz-polka core."[9] The Encyclopedia of Popular Music praised the "stunning performances from the Jimi Hendrix-worshipping Hazel and the energetic Fluid."[4]

Track listing

  1. "Grandma Dynamite" - 3:45 (Fluid/Hazel)
  2. "Jimi'z Jam" - 2:25 (Hazel)
  3. "Spyz Dope" - 2:50 (Fluid)
  4. "Social Plague" - 4:41 (Skatore)
  5. "I Must Go On" - 3:01 (Fluid)
  6. "Ballots Not Bullets" - 4:24 (Fluid)
  7. "Jungle Boogie" - 3:37 (Fluid/Kool & the Gang/Puelm)
  8. "Spill My Guts" - 3:37 (Fluid/Skatore/Hazel)
  9. "Sponji Reggae" - 3:53 (Rose)
  10. "Tango Skin Polka" - 1:28 (Fluid/Hazel)
  11. "Pillage" - 4:40 (Fluid/Hazel)
  12. "New Drug" - 2:55 (Fluid)

Personnel

  • Rick Skatore — Bass, Vocals (TV Repairman)
  • Anthony Johnson — Drums (Electrician)
  • P. Fluid — Thoughtman (Plumber)
  • Jimi Hazel — Guitars, Vocals (Carpenter)

References

  1. 1 2 "24-7 Spyz". Trouser Press. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  2. ↑ "Harder Than You - 24-7 Spyz | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  3. ↑ Kot, Greg. "24-7 Spyz Harder Than You (In-Effect/Relativity) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)(STAR)This..." chicagotribune.com.
  4. 1 2 Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 304.
  5. ↑ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 723.
  6. ↑ "24-7 Spyz | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  7. ↑ "24-7 Spyz's Rock Isn't Colour-Conscious". Los Angeles Times. June 27, 1989.
  8. ↑ "Spins". SPIN. SPIN Media LLC. August 10, 1989 – via Google Books.
  9. ↑ "SPYZ SMUGGLES MUSIC FROM ALL GENRES". OrlandoSentinel.com.
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