Blade - The Lion Goes From Strength To Strength (1993) (CD) (FLAC + 320 kbps)
Blade carved himself a career out of sheer will power. Despite cementing a fierce reputation on the UK hip-hop scene in the mid-80s, the Armenian-born rapper’s attempts to court a major deal came to nought. Resourceful as ever, he went it alone. Yet running his own ship was fraught with danger one pirate attack from a nearby European stronghold leaving the rarely flush Blade in serious career-threatening arrears after he ploughed every last penny into 1992’s debut LP Survival Of The Hardest Workin’. While many would have raised the white flag, Blade concocted an ingenious solution asking his loyal fans to stump up in advance for his next album. Blade repaid the willing faithful in droves. An intense 16-day studio stint yielding the 26-track magnum opus THE LION GOES FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH (NO COMPROMISE) hip-hop’s first double album.
Its considerable fluency and power was all the more remarkable considering the shift in Blade’s personal circumstances: his father had just passed during a visit from Iran, while his girlfriend was pregnant with his first child. And while its skits were more living therapy than light relief, there’s no mistaking the potency of solid diatribes like Hold Your Own, Fuck The System and Start The Revolution the titles emblematic of their author’s triumph over bitter odds.
1 Keep It Goin’ On 6:10
2 Fade ‘Em Out 4:48
3 Music For Universal Pleasure 1:03
4 100% 4:18
5 How To Raise A Blade 1:59
6 No Compromise 3:30
7 Hold Your Own 5:19
8 Bedroom Demo 4:40
9 Pisstake 0:44
10 Take It To The Edge 4:56
11 …Or Get Crushed Like A Pumpkin 5:45
12 Heads Are Forever Boppin’ 4:03
13 Shut The Fuck Up 0:38
14 Silence Is Better Than Bullshit 2:00
15 The Lion Goes From Strength To Strength 6:57
16 Survival Prelude 1:26
17 God Give Me Strength 4:25
18 Fuck The System 3:21
19 Dark And Sinister Featuring – MC Mell’O’ 6:37
20 Suck On My Electric Guitar 3:33
21 Exit 0:29
And the goodies just keep on coming. Eternal gratitude.