The reviews can be so scattered - the other day I heard the song, 'It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday' - and I thought, "man, I gotta review that album". Turns out I'd never gotten to any Boyz II Men yet - and that song was off this - their first record. Perfect! 'Cooleyhighharmony' came out in 1991 (holy cow - people in my generation are getting OLD!) and is a sick 9x platinum. I think most of those sales were piggybacking the major hype surrounding the single 'Motownphilly' back in the day. Which by the way, why did the group have to name all their stuff with no spaces? Was that cool back in the day? Anyhow, this is named after the film 'Cooley High' and the album is dedicated to the group's tour manager Khalil Roundtree - who was murdered in Chicago in 1992. This album was reissued in 1993 after the popularity of a certain track off the 'Boomerang' soundtrack - perhaps you've heard of it? A little track called 'End Of The Road'? Yeah, we all know it. I haven't heard it in probably 10 years - but I probably still could recite every last word. This album started with a small 10 tracks - but the reissue contains 17. Not a bad bump in a couple years. We all know this album, and we all know the band. I won't sit back and tell you that the album is so amazing you need to rush out and buy it or whatever - but it's a really nice throw back joint. There are a couple songs on here I forgot about - which was a nice surprise. 'Motownphilly' isn't going to make my Top 3, and that should tell you something - given how big it was. This is so worth going back on today if you're looking for something to whisk you away to the early 90's. Or even if you're just a B2M fan.
TRACK LISTING:
1. Al Final del Camino (Spanish Version)
2. Please Don't Go
3. Lonely Heart
4. This Is My Heart
5. Uhh Ahh - (sequel version)
6. It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday (Original Version)
7. In the Still of the Nite (I'll Remember)
8. Motownphilly (Radio Edit)
9. Under Pressure
10. Sympin (Radio Edit)
11. Little Things
12. Your Love
13. Motownphilly (Original Version)
14. Sympin (Original Version)
15. Uhh Ahh (Original Version)
16. It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday (Radio Edit)
17. End of the Road
Listen To Samples
Top 3 Tracks:
1. It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday
2. End Of The Road
3. Please Don't Go
FINAL RATING:
4 out of 5 stars
this is 20 years old?! i suddenly feel very out of touch with today's youth and their questionable taste in music. 'motownphilly' was one of my favorite songs when i was about 11. and i know what you mean about remembering the lyrics - i was shocked SHOCKED! i tell you at how many janet songs i remember at the show when i hadn't put on a janet album in years. the #1 thing that comes to mind when mentioning boys II men though is when they were on that christmas episode of fresh prince and they named the kid "nicholas michael shawn nathan wanye banks" after the group sang at the baptism.
ReplyDeleteand wasn't one of them married to brandy for a while?
ReplyDeleteWow. Going old school with that Fresh Prince reference. You're dating yourself janny.
ReplyDeleteI was never big on motownphilly. Not really sure why either. End of the Road was my BIIM jam when I was a kid.
i am ok with that - i am pretty sure i know every word to every episode of fresh prince.
ReplyDeleteWow. I tried watching that show one morning when I couldn't sleep. I had to shut it off...it wasn't anywhere near the show I remembered as a kid. It was basically unwatchable.
ReplyDeleteI'll keep it in my memory bank as something good.