Genius/GZA - Liquid Swords

 

Before you ask, no, I'm not going to be reviewing every Wu-Tang clan solo album in order. Firstly, I reviewed Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) before GZA's Words From the Genius, which already defeats the point of attempting to do every Wu release chronologically, and secondly, there's quite a lot of albums I haven't yet heard, and I don't want to wait to get U-God's Golden Arms Redemption before I allow myself to review Supreme Clientele (just to use an example). I'm therefore making it known with this review that covering every Wu release in order is not what I intend to do. Also, I know that technically, I should review Words From the Genius before this, but I don't have that album yet, and anyway, it's not a proper album really... Oh, to hell with it. I'm chomping at the bit to do this review, so let's get to it.

On Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), we saw quite a mix of different characters. We had Method Man, who was charismatic and funny. We had Ol' Dirty Bastard, who was zany and ridiculous. We had Ghostface Killah, who was aggressive and exciting. This was a group absolutely full of incredible and unique rappers. Therefore, the fact that mr. Gary "GZA" Grice stood out to almost everyone as the best lyricist in the Clan definitely has to mean something, doesn't it? Right. However, despite his clear level of talent, Method Man, Ol' Dirty Bastard and Raekwon did get chances to put their RZA-fied albums out before him - fair enough, I suppose, as he had an (admittedly unknown) album out already, released before the Wu-Tang were even created. However, by the time it was the Genius' turn to get a piece of work out, he was clearly  a far more unique and creative MC than the one who told women to "come do me", and the one who made a song about "what silly girls are made of" (yes, GZA actually did make a song with that title). However, no-one expected the sheer volume of substance that they were in for on GZA's first proper release after the formation of the Wu.

Liquid Swords was released late in 1995, and, as fans sat down outside the store to rip the packaging off that CD case, jumping into the liner notes with glee, immediately a problem was spotted - the tracks weren't listed in order. Not on the back cover (which very creatively told a story using all of the song titles), not inside the liner notes. To make things worse, while the total tracks listed on the album art was 15, there were only 13 songs on the disc itself. Pretty confusing. In fact, some of the song titles are still disputed to this day, and we'll talk more about that later. The lack of order in song titles notwithstanding, however, this album art was ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL, with the cover standing out as possibly the best album art of all time, no lie. The sketch of people fighting on a chessboard seen on the disc and in the booklet wasn't too shabby either. This definitely amped the hype up a notch, as did the tracklist that included features from all of the Wu-Tang members, and production entirely by The RZA (except for one track). In 1995, that was a sure-fire recipe for success, and as such, this album is today widely considered as one of the greatest albums of all time, full stop. But does it hold up in the eyes of someone who is literally living in the world today (an easy one, I know...)? Let's see.

All tracks are produced by The RZA, except where noted.

1. Liquid Swords

There's quite an argument about whether GZA does or doesn't name producer Pete Rock in the hook (if you don't believe me, go to the Genius Lyrics page), and that makes sense, as there's no argument as to whether this song is good or not - it just IS. Gotta be something to dispute, hasn't there? This song is incredible - the kung-fu sample perfectly sets up the atmosphere, the beat is haunting and banging at the same time, the hook is memorable, and GZA sounds even better here than he did on Enter the Wu-Tang. Absolutely brilliant way to start things off.

2. Duel Of the Iron Mic (feat. Ol' Dirty Bastard, Inspectah Deck & Masta Killa)

Even though this song is definitely the "Duel Of the Iron Mic" listed in the liner notes, as the titular phrase is repeated multiple times in the chorus, the booklet states that this song is supposed to feature Dreddy Kruger, and Dreddy Kruger alone. Maybe there's another version of this song, who knows? Anyway, this is almost as impressive as the first song - GZA delivers one of the best verses of all time, period, on this one, and the verses from INS and Masta Killa are both excellent too. The beat is beautiful as well, I might add. Brilliant stuff.

3. Living In the World Today

Slyly alluded to in my introduction paragraphs (go on, see if you can spot it), this is my favourite song on the whole album, for sure. The beat is absolutely incredible, with the bass just hitting you, and forcing you to nod your head, and the trumpets that come in during the hook sound perfect. Meanwhile, the hook is menacing and genuinely aggressive (I was a big fan of the Method Man cameo too), and GZA's verses show the art form of rap at its most potent. Absolutely UNBELIEVABLY good song.

4. Gold

GZA decides that what this album was missing so far was a song about drugs, so he decides to drop one here to please the streets. The results are very good, as well, with the loud beat injecting more power than the last one, and GZA's rhymes being captivating as ever. Jesus, this album is good so far.

5. Cold World (feat. Inspector Deck & Life)

Inspectah Deck is titled "Inspector Deck" in the booklet here - I don't know if that was intentional or not, if I'm honest. Anyway, this track is yet another perfect song. I will say that I was not a fan at all of the sung hook on this track (performed by Life) when I first went through the album, but now I think it's safe to say that it's grown on me quite a bit. GZA's ripping of "Twas The Night Before Christmas" for his first few bars was unexpected, but funny, and the rest of his verse was powerful. Surprisingly, Inspectah Deck actually comes through with an even more impressive verse, especially when you look at his final bars - "I’m not an actor but the author of a modern-day opera, where the main character is presidential papers, the dominant, factor". The delivery of that line really makes it for me. Anyway, this is yet another classic song.

6. Labels

Standing out from the crowd by being a lot more hardcore than some of the more chilled out previous songs, this one, contrary to popular belief, is one of the best on the whole album. GZA delivers one of his most impressive verses of all time, mentioning pretty much every active (at the time) label in the music industry, putting each name into a cleverly thought out bar, over some hardcore RZA production that sounds excellent. Xzibit and DJ Premier also sampled the line "And Ruff up the motherfuckin' house" later on on their 2002 collaboration "What a Mess", which I shockingly heard before this song (a sin, I know). Brilliant track.

7. 4th Chamber (feat. Ghost Face Killer, Killah Priest & RZA)

Probably the most popular track on this album, and for good reason. The production is incredibly ahead of its time on this one, and the verses from each MC are all excellent, especially that of mister Dennis Coles, who provides an incredible verse that is surely one of his best pre- Ironman. Surely at least THAT deserves correct spelling of his name in the liner notes in return? Alas not, apparently. The film sample towards the start is also powerful. Great posse cut track.

8. Shadowboxin' (feat. Method Man)

More a Method Man song than anything else, as he handles about 75% of this one, "Shadowboxin'" is the second in a row that seems to be universally loved, and once again, it ain't too difficult to see why. The verses from Method Man mesh perfectly with the production on this one, and GZA's short verse that pops up in the middle is one of the best on this entire LP. It also, of course, inspired the little line above the Copyright notice on my home page - "we reign all year round, from June to June, while niggas bite immediately if not soon". A classic line, made even better by the "if not soon" on the end, almost making the line seem like part of a conversation. Incredible song.

9. Hell's Wind Staff / Killah Hills 10304

Now, this is an interesting one. According to streaming, this track covers two of the songs listed on the tracklist, with the "Hell's Wind Staff" part presumably being the skit that occurs here before the song starts up. I don't know if that's true, though, and the fact that just two years later the Wu put a song with the same title on their Wu-Tang Forever group album (well, it was spelt slightly differently, but you get the picture) further dismantles this case - why would they use the same title twice in two years? Anyway, once we get past the skit, we do get a phenomenal beat and a dope verse about drug dealing (and the illegal importation of immigrants) from The Genius, which makes this track absolutely worthwhile, despite the skit lessening replay value for me.

10. Investigative Reports (feat. Raekwon the Chef, Ghost Face Killer & U-God)

And, with this one, we have now seen features from every single official member of the Clan (not counting Cappadonna). This track is EXCELLENT, with all the MCs going in on their verses, and the beat  sounding quite harrowing (in a good way, of course) in actual fact. The restriction of U-God to just the hook was a little harsh, as a verse from him on here would have been appreciated, but otherwise this is yet another great posse cut track.

11. Swordsman

Very controversial. In the booklet, "Swordsman" is listed as featuring Killah Priest, whereas the listed but not-actually-on-the-album track "Unexplained" is presented as a solo track. Neither of the titular phrases are mentioned in this song, so surely this song is "Unexplained"? However, for some reason, people decided it was "Swordsman", and the Killah Priest listing was a mistake, and it's been left at that. Huh. Once we get past the confusion, this song is excellent. The repeated use of the word "motherfucker" in the hook will probably turn off the more weak-hearted and weak-minded listener (yes, I'm dissing those that don't like swearing in songs), but past that, this is a really chill and vibey song. One of the best on the track listing. 

12. I Gotcha Back

The lead single, which is odd, as this is easily the least radio-friendly song here, and trust me, this album AIN'T meant for the radio. The odd choice is explainable, though - the song was originally made for the Fresh soundtrack, but managed to end up on this album as well, something seen frequently on these early Wu releases (see Raekwon's "Heaven and Hell", Ghostface's "Winter Warz" and Ghostface's "Motherless Child"). The track is good, with a great film sample to end things off, and GZA's interpretation of the word "crime" (he sees it as an acronym for "criminals robbing innocent motherfuckers everytime") is something that I think should be more acknowledged. That bloody hook does drag on though.

The following is listed as a bonus track.

13. B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth) (feat. Killah Priest) (prod. 4th Disciple)

A Killah Priest solo showcase, and one that honestly does seem to last for quite a long time for some reason, despite only being four-and-a-half minutes in length. This track is also notable for containing the only non-RZA beat on this whole LP, which makes a lot of sense, as this beat sounds nothing whatsoever like the rest of this album. It actually sounds quite modern, as if the song were made in the 2000s, and transported back, a la Andy's Time Machine (English viewers will understand). Still, a good track, but seems out of place on this project.

Overall, Liquid Swords is every bit the masterpiece that every reviewer on this Earth has made it out to be during its 28 years of existence. The beats are all excellent, and GZA does not disappoint on any of these songs. Even his guests don't ever let him down, all providing some of the best verses they had in them, especially Inspectah Deck, who honestly steals "Cold World" for himself if you ask me. And it's just remarkable how damned consistent this thing is. Every song is on a very similar level, with the prospect of "skipping" seeming almost as ridiculous as taking out the CD tray and eating it, and there isn't really any flaws to speak of here. I suppose that "B.I.B.L.E." sounds a little out of place, and the skit before "Killah Hills 10304" should have at least been separated to another track for when you want to play the song in a public setting. However, the concept of a "bloody awful song" is certainly not to be located anywhere near this project, and every moment is vital. I wouldn't change a thing about this if I'm honest. If you haven't listened to this yet, make it your first priority (after all, GZA seconds me on this), and if you have, go listen to it again - it'll make your day better, I promise.

Best Tracks: Literally all of them

Worst Tracks: are you joking me???

You may also enjoy reading:

Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Method Man - Tical

All images taken from Discogs