Tricks of the Shade

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Tricks of the Shade
Studio album by
The Goats
ReleasedNovember 3, 1992 (1992-11-03)
Genre
LabelRuffhouse
Producer
  • OaTie Kato
  • Joe "The Butcher" Nicolo
The Goats chronology
Tricks of the Shade
(1992) 		No Goats, No Glory
(1994)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic4/5 stars[2]
Rolling Stone4/5 stars[3]
The Village VoiceA[4]

Tricks of the Shade is the debut album by American hip hop group the Goats.[3] It was released on November 3, 1992 though Columbia Records sub-label, Ruffhouse Records and was produced by OaTie Kato and Joe "The Butcher" Nicolo. The album earned some critical acclaim, including 4 of 5 stars in its review by Rolling Stone,[3] and an A from Robert Christgau in The Village Voice.[4] Although largely touted as a theme album with a backstory following the two characters Chicken Little and Hangerhead as they make their way through Uncle Scam’s Federally Funded Welfare & Freakshow to find their mother who was jailed for attempting an illegal abortion, it was not a commercial success and did not reach any Billboard charts. The politically charged lyrics took aim at such figures as then-US President George H. W. Bush,[5] Christopher Columbus, and Daryl Gates.[6][3] Criticism and observations were made upon topics such as militarism, police brutality, patriotism, classism, and racism. Other persons mentioned in songs include Nelson Mandela, Willie Horton, Yusef Hawkins, Minnesota Fats and Leonard Peltier.[6][7] The artwork was done by Oatie's brother and former Goats member, Vinnie Angel.[7] In 2016, NME named it the 12th best album of 1993.[8] The album has since gone out-of-print.

Two singles were released from the album, "¿Do The Digs Dug?" and "Typical American",[6] the latter of which appeared on Ruffhouse Records' final release in 1999, the greatest hits compilation Ruffhouse Records Greatest Hits. "¿Do the Digs Dug?" was included on the 1992 Columbia Records Zebrahead soundtrack.[9]

Track listing[]

  1. "We Got Freaks" – 1:00
  2. "Typical American" – 4:36
  3. "Hangerhead Is Born" – 1:24
  4. "Whatcha Got Is Whatcha Gettin'" – 4:13
  5. "Columbus' Boat Ride" – 1:17
  6. "Ru Down wit da Goats" – 4:21
  7. "Cumin' in Ya Ear" – 3:51
  8. "Noriega's Coke Stand" – 1:30
  9. "Got Kinda Hi" – 3:23
  10. "Unodostresquattro" – 1:21
  11. "Georgie Bush Kids" – 1:17
  12. "Wrong Pot 2 Piss In" – 3:42
  13. "Hip-Hopola" – 4:42
  14. "Leonard Peltier in a Cage" – 1:24
  15. "¿Do the Digs Dug?" – 4:31
  16. "Carnival Cops" – 1:46
  17. "TV Cops" – 4:23
  18. "Tattooed Lady" – 1:36
  19. "Tricks of the Shade" – 4:19
  20. "Not Not Bad" – 3:29
  21. "Rovie Wade, the Sword Swallower" – 1:09
  22. "Aaah D Yaaa" – 3:26
  23. "Drive-By Bumper Cars" – 1:48
  24. "Burn the Flag" – 3:53
  25. "Uncle Scam's Shooting Gallery" – 2:46

Track listing (Radio airplay version)[]

  1. "Typical American" – 4:36
  2. "Whatcha Got Is Whatcha Gettin'" – 4:13
  3. "Ru Down wit da Goats" – 4:21
  4. "Cumin' in Ya Ear" – 3:51
  5. "Got Kinda Hi" – 3:23
  6. "Unodostresquattro" – 1:21
  7. "Wrong Pot 2 Piss In" – 3:42
  8. "Hip-Hopola" – 4:42
  9. "¿Do the Digs Dug?" – 4:31
  10. "TV Cops" – 4:23
  11. "Tricks of the Shade" – 4:19
  12. "Aaah D Yaaa" – 3:26
  13. "Burn the Flag" – 3:53

References[]

  1. ^ "Robert Christgau: Album: The Goats: Tricks of the Shade". www.robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  2. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Goats Tricks of the Shade". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Livy, Jof (1993-02-05). "Tricks of the Trade". Rolling Stone. 650. Archived from the original (Review) on 2008-09-18. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "Robert Christgau: Album: The Goats: Tricks of the Shade". www.robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  5. ^ Powers, Ann (March 4, 1993). "Review/Pop; First Things First in 90's Style Protests". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c Larkin, Colin, ed. (2000). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 175. ISBN 0-7535-0427-8.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Angel, Vinnie. "Skits for The Goats Tricks of the Shade". archived page of VinnieAngel.com. Archived from the original on 2016-04-01. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  8. ^ "Albums and Tracks of the Year: 1993". NME. 2016-10-10.
  9. ^ Zebrahead [Original Soundtrack] - Original Soundtrack | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2020-09-11


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