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Album

Bob James

Two

Two is the 1975 album by jazz keyboardist and arranger Bob James, released on Creed Taylor’s CTI label. James’s smooth, funky jazz records became some of the most sampled in hip hop.

The break

His cover of Paul Simon’s “Take Me to the Mardi Gras” opens with bells and drums that Bronx DJs cut back and forth. Run-DMC built “Peter Piper” on it in 1986.

Sound and production

James arranged lush, polished jazz-funk with crisp drums and plenty of space, a combination producers kept returning to.

Legacy

Two and James’s first album, One, which includes “Nautilus,” are cornerstones of any sample-digger’s collection.

Tracklist & credits

Produced by Creed Taylor

  1. A1
    Take Me To The Mardi Gras
    5:50
  2. A2
    I Feel A Song (In My Heart)
    5:26
  3. A3
    The Golden Apple
    7:20
  4. B1
    Farandole
    8:24
  5. B2
    You're As Right As Rain
    5:29
  6. B3
    Dream Journey
    5:57

Tracklist and producer credits: Discogs. Gear credits: Breakbeat Archive, sourced on each credit.

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More from hip hop in 1975. The break: Take Me to the Mardi Gras, and the records that sampled it.

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