Taste the Secret

Ugly Duckling | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 17, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Emperor Norton
• ASIN: B00009IC1F
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #212,506 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Opening Act

2. Turn It Up

3. Meatshake

4. Dumb It Down

5. Abigail Silk

6. Energy Drink

7. The Drive-Thru

8. Mr. Tough Guy

9. Pass It On

10. La Revolucion

11. Potty-Mouth

12. Daisy

13. The Confrontation

14. Rio De Janeiro

15. I Wanna Go Home

16. Goodnight Now

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meat to the Shizake, June 20, 2003

By 

J. Williams "j_bird" (Riverside, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Taste the Secret (Audio CD)

Believe it or not, there was a time when hip-hop wasn't about how thugged out were. Or, how much Ice you rocked. As a long time Hip-Hop head, I remember those days well. It was fun, back then Biz was "Pickin' Buggers" The Fat Boys were "Crushin" Nobody was packing guns, 50-Cent would have been considered a "Wanksta" Between then, and now, a lot has changed. What's the last Hip-Hop album you remember buying that was free of foul langauge, and no, the "edited" version doesn't count sorry.
Ugly Duckling, take it back to those days, you won't like this album if you have to "keep it real" and want to hear about sex and voilence, there is simply none of that here. But if you want one of the truest, most original albums ever released, run out and pick this up. The album tells a story of a fast food chain "MeatShake" and their competition with the "Veggie Hut" which is across the street. It might sound, well dumb, but believe me it's not. This album is overflowing with personality and humor, and there are absolutly no curses.
The album starts on a high note, with Dizzy & Andy rappin about being an "Opening Act" and the crowd hating them, this is a funny track. And one point they call out "somebody say ho!" and get zero responce, repeated nothing, repeated, "you suck!" you can't help but smile at this track. Track #3 "MeatShake" you start to see how nutts this album is. Andy raps about the shake made from meat that their chain serves, the lyrics are original and witty, this is a hilarious track. They go on to "Dumb it Down" talking about how you gotta be extra simple to make it in todays market. This could be a diss to 50-Cent's (even tho it's not) UD's are anything but dumb. "The Drive-Thru" is possibly my favorite track, it has somebody in the "MeatShake" drive-thru, and Dizzy rapping the menu to the customer. And the dude is thrown off by everything "having meat in it" At one point
"(May a take your order?)/yeah my wife would like a shake/(ok, what flavor would you like, we got Chicken, Pork or Steak) huh?" You have to hear it to appericate it, because reading it just makes it sound stupid. I've listened to the album about 10 times since 4 days ago [when it came out] I still find myself smiling at the originality and humor packed thru it. The track ends with him insulting the customer because they don't want a meatshake and telling the "hippies" to go across the street to the "Veggie Hut" Which later leads into one of the funniest songs I've heard in a long time. "The Conferentation" Where Brianna from the "Veggie Hut" troops over to confront Dizzy about serving meat. "(What has an animal ever done to you?)/It filled me up... Hay save the attack/(I guess I just respect life)/I have it for a snack" Again, you must hear it to be able to appericate it. It's not stale, dumbed concepts here, it seems the humor works everywhere. Other standout tracks "Mr. Tough Guy" which calls out the people who act mean for no good reason (50-Cent's perhaps?) & "Potty Mouth" where they talk about people who cuss for no good reason.
The concept behind this album isn't good on it's own. It seems, well dumb. But, the lyrics are so original, and threw-out the album there are "skits" witn commericals and jingles for "MeatShake" But best of all, there's Young Einstien's production, which is beyond wonderful. It's so funky. A couple of the samples he uses sound like they were lifted straight from a 70's game show [a good thing] He ranks up there with Cut Chemist and Kut Masta Kurt when it comes to diggin in the crates and creating that classic sound.
I don't think I dislike any song on here, lyrics or production wise. And the throw back to classic hip-hop, without the cursing and voilence has me feeling like I was a kid again. Listening to a group who could be real, without fronting. It's nice to see a group that is comfortable enough to be themselves. They don't take themselves totally seriously, but they love Hip-Hop, and all 3 have immense talent. Shame that 50 will go on to be the biggest artist of the year. If there's some [any] justice in this world, the trio of Andy, Dizzy & Young Einstien will get some props for this incredible release. I'd love to see a Platinum Plack & a Grammy nod.

bottom line, BY IT! it's a fun album that is overflowing with humor, and with no objectional songs or lyrics. Parents will have no problem letting the little one listen to it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure Entertainment, August 16, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Taste the Secret (Audio CD)

Taste the Secret pushes hip-hop to a new depth and sophistication while retaining the classic elements that has made UD such explicitly pure entertainment. I've listened to the album 20 times by now and each time find new discoveries and levels...both comic as well as commentating on hip-hop culture. UD is to hip-hop what punk was to rock - refusing to sell out to pop top 20 while retaining what classically gave rock its appeal. This album will leave you in stitches with lyrics that drip with wit as well as substance all while walking you through the right of passage most of us went through growing up - fast food Americana.

I highly recommend this album.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not their best, but...., November 15, 2004

By 

David W. Kincannon II "Hip Hop/Musical Theatr... (Denver, CO, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Taste the Secret (Audio CD)

In the annals of hip hop, plenty of different movements have come and gone. The message folks were replaced by the gangstas. The gangstas were replaced by the rappers who just want to have fun. The funsters were replaced by the deep thinkers, and the deep thinkers were replaced by the gangstas. Through it all, most of the movements have stayed around, they've merely moved out of the mainstream. Well, the fun rappers are alive in the underground, and, along with a handful of others (Pigeon John, LA Symphony, Dirtburg, etc.) Ugly Duckling is headlining the movement, even if they're not headlining the tours.

With Fresh Mode and Journey to Anywhere, Dizzy Dustin, Andy Cooper and Young Einstein showed us that they were students of old school hip hop. Throwing rhymes back and forth, finishing each other's sentences, upbeat rhymes about goin' out on Friday Night, scratchin' the dickens out of old vinyl, etc. were (and still are) a breath of fresh air. Taste the Secret takes the same style, and mixes it up with a quirky theme that provides one of the most disgusting (but funny) hip hop songs I've ever heard (MeatShake). There are some extremely high quality tracks on this album, my favorite of which is Turn It Up, a call to...well...turn it up. Opening Act is a fun track that explains UD's position in the hierarchy of touring hip-hop. Potty Mouth is an entertaining track that exposes the use of curse words as a crutch/marketing gimmick. The cd as a whole is pretty good, but these three tracks stand out in my mind. The picture is this, Taste the Secret is a step back for the group, but considering that they were already about 4 steps ahead of most hip-hop, so it's not a huge deal.