Red Hot And Blue

 

Red Hot + Blue is a compilation album from 1990, which was conceived as a tribute to Cole Porter and on which well-known musicians recorded contemporary cover versions of songs by the famous Broadway and film composer.

The album is the first in a series of benefit albums released by the Red Hot Organization in support of AIDS relief projects in various countries.

I also bought the album back then and was amazed at what great songs Cole Porter wrote and how they could be interpreted in a contemporary way. When I listened to the album again recently, I had the idea of creating a series of songs with red, hot and blue in the title. Stay tuned to see what comes in the next few weeks.

The Low End Theory

 

At the beginning of the 90's, more and more new sounds came over from the other side of the Atlantic. Bands like Beastie Boys, De La Soul or Jungle Brothers used to sample fragments of songs and included them into their hip hop sound. It seemed like any other music is gone and this kind of sound will rule the future. Glad that it didn't happened in this way but this genre developed well and still got it's corner in music. For me New York's A Tribe Called Quest were those who made an outstanding album with The Low End Theory back in 1991. Their trademarks are a massive bass and a laid-back jazzy atmosphere with steady grooves. Their masterpiece is now re-released and still worth to be listened from time to time.

A Tribe Called Quest - Excursion

A Tribe Called Quest - Check The Rhime

A Tribe Called Quest - Scenario

Red Hot + Blue

 

One of the most obscure compilations of recent decades appeared in 1990. There have always been albums on which musicians have been honoured. This album, however, is something special. It was released by the Red Hot Organisation, a charity to support HIV/AIDS relief worldwide after a spike in deaths among artists and intellectuals in NYC. I can't say why Cole Porter's music was used as the main theme, but the fact that so many artists from so many different musical genres recorded their versions is remarkable. Every song could have been written by David Byrne, Iggy Pop, Jungle Brothers, The Pogues or Sinnéad O'Connor. And that is probably the greatest praise for Cole Porter's songs, which have lost none of their fascination even after more than 30 years.

Pain

Never thought to hear something new by De La Soul. They brought a new kind of HipHop to our ears back in the late 80's. Together with bands like Jungle Brothers and A Tribe Called Quest they were the spearhead of soul-influenced rap. This is a track from their upcoming album. And it has a real good bass-line and a steady flow. This could probably be a summer favourite for many.