Esg - South Bronx Story
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CD Details
Artist: EsgEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Import
CD Release Date: 2000-05-29
Music Label: Universal Sound
Soundtracks:
- You're No Good
- Moody
- UFO
- It's Alright
- Moody (Spaced Out)
- Tiny Sticks
- My Love for You
- Come Away
- Dance
- Parking Lot Blues
- Chistelle
- About You
- Erase You
- Get Funky
- Hold Me Right
- I Can't Tell You What to Do
Music reviews of South Bronx Story
Music Review: A triumph of pure innocence
Rating: 5 Stars
Having caught the attention of this from reading a Pitchfork review, I though about checking this out on amazon.com for some time, given that it was the only ESG recording available when I bought it.
Though I have always been repelled by punk's thuggishness, "A South Bronx Story" was the fruit not of thuggishness, but of pure childlike innocence that I had never heard before. The rhythms were indeed rather uncalculated but never noisy, and the vocals of Renee and her sisters possessed a beauty that can only come out of simplicity, as well as a romantic feeling that was could seemingly see both sides ("up, high, down low" being typical) rather than being sentimental.
The songs themselves are distinctly minimalist, chiefly relying on basslines and percussion, but the occasional guitar line is most distinctive because it is so untrained, notably on the famous "UFO", which really does need to be heard in its proper setting rather than as a sample. The dramatic, if not fiery, "Moody" is bound to give any listener an upbeat feeling with its almost real-life description of a girl looking for a lover: Renee never feels guilty of what she wants to say, she just says it. The same feeling permeates all of the first ten songs on the record, with the other highlight being the distinctive beat/minibeat rhythm of "Tiny Sticks" that yet again shows the way thuggishness is so opposed to expression. "My Love For You" might be purely a dance number, but never has something this accessible sound so charming, yet the voices of the Scroggins sisters seem able to bounce back and forward effortlessly and without strain. Even on more conventional numbers in the latter half of the record, like the funk-rock "Erase You" and "Get Funky," ESG failed to lose their trademark na?vete.
Like later trip-hop groups, ESG showed how beautiful simple rhythms can be for listening pleasure. This was not really something to dance to; it was music that shows the beauty of innocent simplicity. The pictures of the Scroggins sisters on the back cover are really charming and should be seen.
Description of South Bronx Story
Collection of the best tracks from the late '70s funk band. 15 tracks including 'You're No Good', 'Moody', 'UFO', 'It's Alright' and 'Moody (Spaced Out)'. 2000 release. Standard jewel case housed in a slipcase.The four Scroggins sisters (Renee, Deborah, Valerie, and Marie) and neighbor Tito Libran burst on to the music scene from left field in 1981 with the remarkable success of "UFO" and "Moody" off their debut 12-inch record. Thanks to the ascendance of hip-hop, the South Bronx was very much on the musical map at the time. But ESG's minimalist funk, which featured live instruments, was closer in spirit to what was coming out of the U.K. at the time--PiL, Gang of Four, and the Factory label (which released ESG's first three songs). Their approach also had kinship to New York bands Konk, Bush Tetras, and Liquid Liquid (the latter two would become their label-mates on the semi-legendary 99 Records). "Moody" entered permanent rotation at New York dance clubs such as the Paradise Garage, while "UFO" became a hip-hop building block, used as sample material for at least a dozen other records (and still counting). The appeal of the tracks lay in the taut interaction between Deborah and Valerie's bass and drums, abetted by Marie and Tito's congas as well as Renee's sparse but precise guitar and unadorned vocal style. The stripped-down nature of the sound lent itself to hip-hop producers' layering on top of it and has helped the music successfully weather the intervening decades--there's none of that "What were they thinking with that synthesizer sound?" problem that afflicts some early '80s music. The CD includes much of their 99 Records output and tracks from their self-titled 1991 release on the Pow Wow label. The 99 Records label itself went down in legal flames, and that Renee Scroggins' apparently owns the rights to the music is noteworthy in itself. But the historical significance and sheer listenability of the music make this a most welcome reissue. --Bob Bannister
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