De La Soul came out of the New York suburbs, all designer sports wear and bling, just like all the other rap acts that were around at the time. Their first record 'Plug Tuning' was not a triumph, sounding more like a bad demo than a serious attempt at cashing in on the 'hip hop' market. A rethink of style, both musical and sartorial was called for. Out went the designer sports wear and sexist lyrics, replaced by baggy T's in tie dye and floral print. Humour was added to the mix and the 'Daisy Age' was born.
'Three Feet High And Rising' is a great record, critically acclaimed by the music press and the record buying public alike. In 2010 it was chosen by America's Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry and is on The Rolling Stone list of 200 Essential Rock Records and also their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
The humour is all pervading, in the irony of the lyrics, the performance by the band and the construct of the album, presented as a weird TV game show, the type of which can only exist in your dreams. Songs about squirrels digging up the garden, 'Potholes On My Lawn', personal hygiene, 'A Little Bit of Soap' make Three Feet High And Rising a delight to listen to even a quarter of a century on.
Can you tell, I love this album.
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