RUN-D.M.C. - King Of Rock / hybrid SACD

Run-D.M.C. leaves no doubt about it's intent on King of Rock. The trio's hard-hitting sophomore album begins with a statement of purpose ('Rock the House') that serves as a stereophonic primer for the title track: a hybrid warning-anthem-theme song that swarms with justified boasts, heavy metal riffs, booming beats, cowbell accents, and dance-worthy grooves. The back-to-back tunes set the tone for a 1985 record that largely established the blueprint for the hip-hop that would follow for the next two decades - and which helped make rap a mainstream currency. 'It's not Michael Jackson/ And this is not Thriller,' the group broadcasts early on in the record. Truer words - and music recorded with such honesty, pride, rawness, and integrity - have seldom been committed to tape.