They Said It Couldn't Be Done
They Said It Couldn't Be Done is the third album released by Grandmaster Flash, which followed the breakup of the Furious Five because of the departure of rappers Melle Mel, Scorpio, and Keith Cowboy. For They Said It Couldn't Be Done, Flash signed with Elektra Records and retained the services of Rahiem and The Kidd Creole. New rappers Lavon (Kevin LaVon Dukes), Mr Broadway (Russell Wheeler), and dancer Larry Love (Larry Parker) were added. It was originally released in April 1985. It was re-issued on CD in the US for the first time in 2005 (DBK Works dbk514).It was the first album the group released on a major label. It was produced by Gavin Christopher and Grandmaster Flash (the group). The album also included "Girls Love the Way He Spins," "Sign of the Times" "Paradise," and "Rock the House (Alternate Groove)." It was the first hip hop album released by Elektra Records.
| They Said It Couldn't Be Done | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 26, 1985 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 46:42 | |||
| Label | Elektra 60389 | |||
| Producer | Grandmaster Flash and Gavin Christopher | |||
| Grandmaster Flash chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The Village Voice | C+[1] |
Track listing
- "Girls Love the Way He Spins" – 6:34
- "The Joint Is Jumpin'" – 3:44
- "Rock the House" – 5:45
- "Jailbait" – 4:52
- "Sign of the Times" – 6:09
- "Larry's Dance Theme" – 3:21
- "Who's That Lady" – 5:26
- "Alternate Groove" – 5:26
- "Paradise" – 5:24
Personnel
- Grandmaster Flash – Arranger, spinner and background vocals
- The Kidd Creole – writer, arranger and background vocals
- Rahiem – Lead and background vocals, rapper, arranger and writer
- La Von Dukes – (Kevin L. Dukes) writer, rapper, arranger, Bass Guitar and background vocals
- Mr. Broadway – Rapper, background vocals
- Larry Love – Dancer, specializing in Electric Boogie, background vocals
Musicians
- Gavin Christopher – Drum machine programming, Simmons toms and percussion and OB8 synthesizer bass
- Grandmaster Flash, Dave Ogrin, and Paul Pesco – additional drum programming
- Gavin Christopher, Vince Madison, Dave Ogrin, Terry Marshall, Rahiem, and Grandmaster Flash – Keyboards
- Vince Madison and Gavin Christopher – Oberheim system programming
- Paul Pesco and Richard Davis – Guitars
References
- Christgau, Robert. "Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five [extended]". The Village Voice. Retrieved February 28, 2018.