Ghetto Gothic

Melvin VanPeebles | Format: Audio Cassette

Product Details

• Audio Cassette (April 4, 1995)
• Label: EMI Distribution
• ASIN: B00000EEHI
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential work from the inventor of Rap, January 7, 2002

By 

J. B Brent (Oak Ridge, Tennessee USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ghetto Gothic (Audio CD)

Before rap music had a name, Melvin Van Peebles was a pioneer of the form in the late '60s, when he released BRER SOUL, AIN'T SUPPOSED TO DIE A NATURAL DEATH and AS SERIOUS AS A HEART ATTACK on A&M Records. With GHETTO GOTHIC, Melvin's tunes are enhanced by an instrumental background which makes the scenes he creates more vivid than ever. "The Apple Stretching" is as good of a picture of everyday life in New York City as you can find, and listening to it is truly uplifting. "Lily" is a hip-hop remake of his '60s classic, which is also true of "It Just Don't Make No Sense." "There" contains a melodic undercurrent that will stick in your mind forever. The mark of a great innovator is that his work seems as 'cutting edge' today as it was in the beginning. Give GHETTO GOTHIC a spin and see what I mean. Then let's hope all of his vintage albums get a domestic reissue.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Same ole raggedy voice, June 19, 2004

By 

Johnny Heering "trivia buff" (Bethel, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ghetto Gothic (Audio CD)

This is a decent enough album. Melvin Van Peebles doesn't have a great singing voice, but most of the lyrics are spoken, anyway. He tells evocative tales of life as a black man in New York City. It's definitely not for everybody, but if you are into this sort of thing, you will probably enjoy it.