run dmc Archives - Vinyl From The Vault

Run-D.M.C. “King of Rock”

sfilzen — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 18:54:26 +0000

Run-D.M.C. “King of Rock” 1985. Profile Records (original pressing). King of Rock was Run-D.M.C.’s second album and boasts some big firsts: it was the first rap album released on the cd format, one of the first hip hop albums to very heavily incorporate the heavy rock and dancehall genres (with Yellowman’s appearance on “Roots, Rap, Reggae” – a top pick of mine), and was the third (which is close to first!) rap record to go to platinum. One other fun fact: the lyrics for “Can You Rock It Like This” were written by LL Cool J when he was only 16. King of Rock went to #52 on the album chart (and to #12 on the hiphop chart though it wasn’t called that at the time) and spawned four singles, all of which charted though not nearly as high as they should have on the main Billboard chart. I’m most familiar and fond of the title track “King of Rock” which is all swagger, riffs and rhymes with a stellar 80’s video featuring Late Night with David Letterman‘s Larry “Bud” Melman (actor Calvert DeForest). Run-D.M.C. also released “You Talk Too Much,” “Jam-Master Jammin’” and the aforementioned “Can You Rock It Like This” which, besides the rockin’ guitar (courtesy of Eddie Martinez who did most of the shred work on the album) has a early/mid-80’s new wave synth vibe – very 16 Candles-esque, a bit reminiscent of Psychedelic Furs “Love My Way.” It’s a great song; that track plus “King of Rock” and “You’re Blind” were all also featured in the 1985 film Krush Groove.

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Run-D.M.C. “Tougher Than Leather”

sfilzen — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 18:27:57 +0000

Run-D.M.C. “Tougher Than Leather” 1988. Profile Records. If you need a pick-me-up, throw Run-D.M.C.’s fourth LP on and get ready to dance your a** off. Classic 80’s hip hop with a rock edge and a who’s who of samples; it went to #9 in the US and to #13 in the UK. What I did not know: producer Rick Rubin directed the band in the ’88 “crime” film (also titled Tougher Than Leather) in which “Run-D.M.C. must find and punish the evil drug lord-record company executive who murdered their friend. Along the way, they encounter racist bikers, blonde bimbos, and the Beastie Boys.” (Wiki) Apparently it is not good – you can watch it in its entirety here (maybe I will at some point, not now). The record, however, is fantastic. I love it all but if I had to choose, my top pick is “Mary, Mary,” a Monkees cover (not released as a single but rather included as a cereal box prize in 1969) which changes the lyrics – Run DMC’s version samples the original so much that the song’s credits go solely to Michael Nesmith. It’s ridiculously infectious and ass-shaking and went to #75 in the US and #86 in the UK. I also love the album opener “Run’s House” (also the name of Rev. Run’s reality tv show) which samples The Soul Searchers and James Brown, and the funky “Papa Crazy” which samples The Temptations’ “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone.” The title track “Tougher Than Leather” combines serious 70’s funk with heavy metal guitar shredding, as does “Miss Elaine.” The only track I don’t love is the album closer, “Ragtime,” mostly because it is, indeed, ragtime and it’s not a style I’m fond of and rap over ragtime doesn’t improve on it.

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Run DMC “Raising Hell”

sfilzen — Tue, 16 May 2017 17:16:52 +0000

Run DMC “Raising Hell” released on yesterday’s date, May 15th, 1986. Profile Records. This LP, Run DMC’s third studio album, is a new acquisition: I received it for Mother’s Day on Sunday but I’ve had a cassette of Raising Hell since the fall of ‘86 (and it’s further evidence of a lifetime of odd musical pairings as apparently I thought Charlie Sexton’s Pictures for Pleasure would make a good B-side).

Raising Hell was, of course, a significant development in popular music history. Run DMC’s collaboration with Aerosmith on “Walk This Way” on the recommendation of album producer Rick Rubin was brilliant and ridiculously popular, becoming the first rap song to crack the top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and helped resurrect Aerosmith. Raising Hell was the first rap album to hit #1 on Billboard’s Top R&B album chart and it peaked at #6 on the Billboard album chart. Run DMC released three other singles from the LP besides “Walk This Way” – “You Be Illin’” which hit #29, “It’s Tricky” went to #57 (and still one of my faves) and “My Adidas” which failed to chart on the main US charts but did manage to teach a generation how to incorrectly pronounce Adidas – it isn’t pronounced ah-DEE-duhs; it’s AH-dih-dahs.

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