Where do the guitars on Run DMC's Rock Box come from?

February 7, 2007 1:39 AM

Where do the guitars on Run DMC's Rock Box come from?

The guitars are rockin', but they are also interestingly plaintive. Also, they're playing a few different riffs, with leads over them. This would mean they've sampled large sections of a song (which isn't chracteristic of Run DMC), or these are custom guitar parts played by a session musician. If it's a sample, what song was it sampled from? If it's a session musician, who was he (or she)?

I'm actually having some trouble finding their first album, so it could very well be in the liner notes, if anyone reading has it.

posted by ignignokt to media & arts (6 comments total)

The album credits Eddie Martinez with the guitar part.
posted by goetter at 3:15 AM on February 7, 2007

The video. The comment on this page is a bit ambiguous, but it leads me to believe it was at least recorded live and not sampled. If this is the case, it was probably edited down to the four bars and looped to give it that sound all the kids were crazy about back in them days.
posted by chillmost at 3:30 AM on February 7, 2007

Definitely recorded live in the studio and not sampled. Using this type of heavy guitar riff in hip hop was something of a trademark for Def Jam co-founder Rick Rubin - see Beastie Boys, other Run DMC tracks, etc. He's not credited on this album (other co-founder Russell Simmons is the producer here), but maybe everybody at Def Jam was into the same style?
posted by sluggo at 3:52 AM on February 7, 2007

Slayer were signed to Def Jam around that time, so I 'm sure they loaned their talents to a few of their roster-mates at the time, either personally or by sample. (For instance, isn't Kerry King in an early Beastie Boys video?)
posted by macdara at 7:27 AM on February 7, 2007

Not Slayer. On their first few albums, Run-DMC used a backing band called "Orange Krush." They're credited on the album that "Rock Box" is on. They're mentioned in this Rolling Stone review, and here's some info on them from Answers.com.

They're also referenced in the lyrics to "Sucker MCs"

Two years ago, a friend of mine
Asked me to say some MC rhymes
So I said this rhyme I'm about to say
The rhyme was Def a-then it went this way
Took a test to become an MC
And Orange Krush became amazed at me
So Larry put me inside, his Cad-illac
The chaffeur drove off and we never came back
Dave cut the record down to the bone
And now they got me rockin on the microphone.

"Larry" refers to Larry Smith, one of Russell Simmons' production partners and the bass player for Orange Krush.

And they may or may not be one of my all-time favorite music videos, the one for "King of Rock" featuring Larry Bud Melman.
posted by googly at 9:06 AM on February 7, 2007 [1 favorite]

Thanks, guys!

Yeah, it would have ruled if Slayer played on that (and would have been quite different). It looks like Orange Krush didn't do a whole lot other than Run DMC, which is unfortunate but good to know.
posted by ignignokt at 4:23 PM on February 7, 2007