Category: P.M. Dawn

P.M. Dawn – Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience (1991)

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Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience is the debut album by American hip hop group P.M. Dawn. It was recorded at Berwick Street Studios and Gee Street Studios in London. The album features soul vocals and stream-of-consciousness raps by Prince Be and unconventional samples by producer DJ Minutemix.

It may not have been embraced by the entire hip-hop community, but P.M. Dawn’s ponderously titled debut Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience was a startling reimagination of the music’s possibilities.
In the post-De La Soul age, hip-hop seemed open to all sorts of eccentrics, but P.M. Dawn was still difficult for purists to accept: They were unabashed hippies whose sound and sensibility held very little street appeal, if any. Of the Heart… is soaked in new age spirituality and philosophical introspection, and a song title like “To Serenade a Rainbow” is likely to raise eyebrows among more than just skeptical b-boys.
It’s true that there’s some occasional sappiness and navel-gazing, but it’s also true that the group’s outlook is an indispensable part of its musical aesthetic, and that’s where Of the Heart… pushes into the realm of transcendence.
It still sounds revolutionary today, although you’d have to call it a Velvet Revolution: It’s soft and airy, with ethereal vocal harmonies layered over lush backing tracks and danceable beats. The shimmering ballads “Set Adrift on Memory Bliss” (built on an unlikely sample of Spandau Ballet’s “True”) and “Paper Doll” were the hits, but they aren’t quite representative of the album as a whole.
Some tracks, like “Comatose” and “A Watcher’s Point of View (Don’t ‘Cha Think),” are surprisingly funky and driving, and there’s also an even more explicit nod to the dancefloor in the Todd Terry hip-house collaboration “Shake.”
The more reflective raps (“Reality Used to Be a Friend of Mine,” “Even After I Die,” “In the Presence of Mirrors”) strike a fascinating balance between those sensibilities, and there’s still little else like them. In the end, Of the Heart… is enormously daring in its own way, proving that pop, R&B, and hip-hop could come together for creative, not necessarily commercial, reasons.

 

Track listing

  1. “Intro” (Attrell S. Cordes, Chick Corea) – 0:57
  2. “Reality Used to Be a Friend of Mine” (Cordes) – 4:40
  3. “Paper Doll” (Cordes, Gil Scott-Heron) – 4:53
  4. “To Serenade a Rainbow” (Cordes, Hugh Masekela) – 3:48
  5. “Comatose” (Cordes, Sylvester Stewart) – 4:53
  6. “A Watcher’s Point of View (Don’t ‘Cha Think)” (Cordes, Tom Johnston) – 4:13
  7. “Even After I Die” (Cordes, Dennis Coffey) – 3:57
  8. “In the Presence of Mirrors” (Cordes) – 4:02
  9. “Set Adrift on Memory Bliss” (Cordes, Gary Kemp) – 4:10
  10. “Shake” (Cordes, Todd Terry) – 3:18
  11. “If I Wuz U” (Cordes) – 4:43
  12. “On a Clear Day” (Cordes) – 5:22
  13. “The Beautiful” (Cordes) – 5:21

All songs written by Attrell Cordes, except where noted.

 

Sample credits

  • “Intro” contains a sample of “Imp’s Welcome” performed by Chick Corea.
  • “Paper Doll” contains a sample of “Angola, Louisiana” performed by Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson. This was not noted in the album’s liner notes at the time of the album’s pressing.
  • “To Serenade a Rainbow” contains a sample of “Child of the Earth” performed by Hugh Masekela and a sample of “Din Daa Daa” performed by George Kranz.
  • “Comatose” contains a sample of “Thankful and Thoughtful” performed by Sly and the Family Stone and a sample of “I Walk on Guilded Splinters” performed by Dr. John.
  • “A Watcher’s Point of View (Don’t ‘Cha Think)” contains a sample of “Feelin’ Down Farther” performed by The Doobie Brothers.
  • “Even After I Die” contains a sample of “Garden of the Moon” performed by Dennis Coffey.
  • “Set Adrift on Memory Bliss” contains a sample of “True” performed by Spandau Ballet.
  • “If I Wuz U” contains a sample of “Pocket Calculator” performed by Kraftwerk.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.

  • Cally – art direction
  • Andy Earl – photography
  • Scott Harding – engineering
  • Frankie Laine – photography (assistant)
  • P.M. Dawn – production
  • John Sherwood – engineering
  • Tyrell (The Computer Wiz) – engineering

Notes
Released: August 6, 1991
Recorded: Studio Berwick Street Studios and Gee Street Studios in London
Genre: Hip hop
Length: 54:15
Producer: P.M. Dawn

Label – Gee Street / Island