The surprising '80s album that never leaves our hi-fi test rooms
Apple Music recently named Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill as the greatest album of all time, and while it wouldn’t have been my personal choice (I’m more of a Nevermind or The Bends kind of guy), such accolades are so subject to the vagaries of opinion and taste that it’s barely worth getting het up over. There is no one greatest album of all time, and anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is likely to have a very big tantrum over a very small issue.
So let’s get it out of the way right now: this is not a dismantling of Lauryn Hill or a bid to change the rulings of yet another inane poll or ranking. Rather, it’s a chance to thrust into the spotlight another gem of a hip-hop album that you may want to add to your collection as you search for your system’s next treat to dive into (after you've finished Billie Eilish's latest). It is, of course, De La Soul's peerless 1989 masterwork 3 Feet High And Rising.
You may already own the seminal record, in which case you can look smug, close your laptop and go outside for some vitamin D. You may be a hip-hop fan who hasn’t got around to listening to it yet, or you may be a seasoned headbanger who won’t countenance anything beyond Slayer and Slipknot. Whatever the case, I urge you to give 3 Feet a chance, speaking as someone who used to have his metaphorical tent pitched firmly in the latter camp.
As an album to enjoy or use as a test record, it truly is one of the finest genre examples I can think of. Read one of our product reviews and time and again you’ll notice the inclusion of the Long Islanders’ works peppered across our pages, with the bulk of those tracks coming from the acclaimed 1989 release. De La Soul are test room staples, and 3 Feet High is their most well-stacked treasure trove of classic hits.
Why? Well, it’s beautifully constructed and put together for a start, with a soft yet clean production style that leans heavily on samples, skits and slightly off-the-wall genre incorporations. Hip-hop artists were often defiantly and understandably dogmatic in using musical styles of the same type in their mixes, but De La Soul were one of the first groups to integrate classic tracks from eclectic (and often quite traditional) bands or artists. Steely Dan on a rap record? Why not!
Such experimentation only served the quality of the tracks that resulted. When '80s hip-hop was becoming aggressive, hard-hitting (NWA, Public Enemy) and focused on a sort of encroaching materialism, 3 Feet High felt like an oasis within a storm of angry beats and angrier lyrical polemics. Public Enemy’s It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back may be great for testing bass, punch and dynamism, but the near-childlike innocence and simplicity offered by De La Soul's The Magic Number, say, provides a quirkier test of purity, organisation, timing and texture.
Alternative offerings have produced ample test fodder within our hallowed halls. Eye Know is my personal go-to, melding that same simple, easy quality with the sort of sharp, intuitive production that really makes a track click. Nothing here is overly complex, yet the various textures and tones – soulful guitar, assertive drums and rising horn samples – combined with that effortless lyrical dexterity make it a winner. Many systems can do numerous things well, but Eye Know offers a change of pace and style that some will latch on to and others will utterly allow to pass by. In that sense, it’s a track that speakers and set-ups either ‘get’ or they don’t, and with a little practice, you’ll quickly begin to figure out which is which.
Ultimately, for all this talk of testing, let’s not forget that music was meant to be enjoyed rather than analysed, and by these parameters, 3 Feet High only shines brighter. Its breezy blend of soul, easy listening, funk, psychedelic and soft rock influences marry to create an album that draws you in with its charms gently rather than barrelling you over with self-importance or sonic insistence, and while it may be a cliché, a warm summer night, a Bluetooth speaker (sorry, hi-fi aficionados), a chilled beverage and some soothing De La Soul will always ease the pain.
It can be tiresome to hear music bores (wait, is that...me?) evangelise over their favourite records, but trust me on this one. 3 Feet High And Rising pulls off that remarkable trick so indicative of the greatest albums ever, in that it effortlessly evokes the time and place in which it was made while sounding as fresh and timeless as a newly pressed release. Looking for your new test examiner or just the perfect summer record? It’s time you boarded the De La Soul train.
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