Urban Dance Squad's "Deeper Shade of Soul": C/D

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I haven't heard this song in at least 14 (?) years but it still pops into my head occasionally, which is for some reason deeply embarrassing to me. So I need to know definitively whether or not I should feel such deep, abiding shame. Classic or dud?

― footlog, Monday, 14 November 2005 22:34 (twenty years ago)

CLASSIC

― strongo hulkington's ghost (dubplatestyle), Monday, 14 November 2005 22:37 (twenty years ago)

i havent heard it for 14 years either tho, so it could be godawful

― strongo hulkington's ghost (dubplatestyle), Monday, 14 November 2005 22:37 (twenty years ago)

classic

just listened too

― dyngus Tatis (aarana), Monday, 14 November 2005 22:38 (twenty years ago)

No Kid has the better "synth" lines

― detoxyDancer (sexyDancer), Monday, 14 November 2005 22:42 (twenty years ago)

Klassich.

― blunt (blunt), Monday, 14 November 2005 22:43 (twenty years ago)

This may have been the first CD I ever sold back (wish I hadn't), but I still remember how good "Deeper Shade of Soul" and "No Kid" were (or seemed to be at the time).

Also, the "Deeper Shade" video (skateboarding action in a dry swimming pool).

― morris pavilion (samjeff), Monday, 14 November 2005 22:49 (twenty years ago)

"Multiply" by Jamie Liddell sounds exactly like this, but not even one tenth as good. Classic.

― edward o (edwardo), Monday, 14 November 2005 22:51 (twenty years ago)

They were a bit ahead of their time, weren't they?

― moley (moley), Monday, 14 November 2005 22:52 (twenty years ago)

i probably havent even thought of this song in 5 or 8 years but i will be singing that hook all week now. that's staying power.

― strongo hulkington's ghost (dubplatestyle), Monday, 14 November 2005 22:53 (twenty years ago)

xpost: pre-dated "Check Your Head" and "Rage Against teh Machine" so yeah.

― detoxyDancer (sexyDancer), Monday, 14 November 2005 22:55 (twenty years ago)

"Deeper Shade of Soul" is great

a lot of great stuff on their followup album
Life 'n Perspective of a Genuine Crossover is still pretty ahead

― milton parker (Jon L), Monday, 14 November 2005 23:08 (twenty years ago)

Not quite a classic, but pretty good all the same. I have fond memories of dancing to this at the long-defunct Red Room in the spring of '91. EMF's "Unbelievable" was then only availabe as an import and we felt quite privileged and alternative to be able to hear these two songs back to back.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Monday, 14 November 2005 23:11 (twenty years ago)

Classic. And it even sounded better live. Back in 95 (or was it 96) I was in a band that opened for UDS at a few of their shows and they were a riot to be around. And they definitely grooved.

― baht habit, Monday, 14 November 2005 23:24 (twenty years ago)

It's classic but "No Kid" is classic-er.

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Monday, 14 November 2005 23:25 (twenty years ago)

sort of have to blame them for beck, no?

― hstencil (hstencil), Monday, 14 November 2005 23:26 (twenty years ago)

I don't think so, no. They were their own crazy Dutch thing. I have "No Kid" on my iPod, I'm going to listen to it right...now.

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Monday, 14 November 2005 23:29 (twenty years ago)

Beck is a pretender (which is part of his charm, at least some of the time); these guys were funkier.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Monday, 14 November 2005 23:30 (twenty years ago)

Beck is underrated as a drum programmer

― detoxyDancer (sexyDancer), Monday, 14 November 2005 23:34 (twenty years ago)

Where are they now... (Well, the frontman anyway.)

― JoB (JoB), Monday, 14 November 2005 23:45 (twenty years ago)

Working link: http://www.softhes.com/

― JoB (JoB), Monday, 14 November 2005 23:46 (twenty years ago)

relative classic.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 00:15 (twenty years ago)

(Side note to The Good Dr. Bill -- is your name in ref. to Dr. Bill Harford??)

― morris pavilion (samjeff), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 00:20 (twenty years ago)

Classic -- just downloaded this and the song it sampled from and both are awesome.

― Mark (MarkR), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 00:32 (twenty years ago)

Someone wanna send it via YSI?

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 00:39 (twenty years ago)

Classic. Ahead of their time and deserving more credit.

"No Kid" is nice as well, esp. the electric version that was a b-side.

― Edward Bax (EdBax), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 00:46 (twenty years ago)

"Deeper Shade of Soul" was my least favorite track on the album, but yeah -- total classic. Ah, the early 90's. Misty water colored memories.....

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 00:49 (twenty years ago)

"Struggle for Jive" was a great track as well.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 00:49 (twenty years ago)

"Under the skin/We're in like twins"

The most '90s record imaginable. I like it still.

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 00:50 (twenty years ago)

I remember this song being a nice sunny day jam.

Alex, you like New Kingdom, right? The world really did need an art-rock Urban Dance Squad, I swear it's true....love both those albums. Talk about "90s"

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 01:00 (twenty years ago)

Hell yeah..."Mexico Or Bust" and "Co-Pilot" found their way onto many a mixtape back in those days.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 02:08 (twenty years ago)

The original version by Ray Barretto (from his ACID album) was better.

― Rev. Hoodoo (Rev. Hoodoo), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 02:27 (twenty years ago)

"They were a bit ahead of their time, weren't they?
-- moley (dominakto...), November 14th, 2005."

i'd say they predated 311 by a couple of years. and one-upped 311 by a mile of talent...
blame them for beck???
hmmm...nah!
i blame beck for beck.

― eedd, Tuesday, 15 November 2005 12:58 (twenty years ago)

x-post Yeah, the second album was pretty ahead of its time, or at least just ahead of "Check Your Head."

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 13:29 (twenty years ago)

Please say a prayer for my demo.

Classic.

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 13:30 (twenty years ago)

Classic! I still listen to the Lifestyle & Perspectives album quite often.

What's Dud is the fact that UDS will be, unfortunately, forever rendered uncool-as-all-hell because of playing music akin to r*p m*t*l, even though the ins and outs were much more than just Hendrix + Chuck D = Blah.

Lifestyles is a really varied and entertaining album, worthy of a modicum of repect and the fact that no-one has come along yet and said 'UDS ARE TEH SUCK, GET ONE BOREDOMS PUSSIES' is heartening to me.

― mzui (mzui), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 13:39 (twenty years ago)

Life 'n' Perspectives of a Genuine Crossover, yes. The second album, way way better than the first. But no "Deeper Shade of Soul" on it, of course. Or indeed any decent single.

The most '90s record imaginable. I like it still
It's from '89 though :)

― naranjito (Koens), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 13:54 (twenty years ago)

Cuh, talk about undermining y'self, sorry I could never get the damn name of that album right.

― mzui (mzui), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 14:01 (twenty years ago)

haven't heard it in years, but loved it in high school - and I do think it was ahead of its time

― Dominique (dleone), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 14:02 (twenty years ago)

Yeah what a fine single this was! and 90's as hell, whatever year it actually came out - it has that smooth, dazed neo-hippie glow that a lot of early nineties alt-pop had but it's not so hippie that it puts me off (like, say, Edie Brickell).

― Banana Nutrament (ghostface), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 14:04 (twenty years ago)

(Side note to The Good Dr. Bill -- is your name in ref. to Dr. Bill Harford??)

Yes, and I think you're the first person to ever get this.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 17:23 (twenty years ago)

Your secret is out, and you must now create a new identity. I suggest "Ned's Minion," which has a ring to it, even if it is not accurate.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 17:24 (twenty years ago)

And, what, you're Darth Raggettous?

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 17:28 (twenty years ago)

"Where exactly... are we going... exactly?"

― morris pavilion (samjeff), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 17:30 (twenty years ago)

"This is my house."
"This is your house?"

"TAKE OFF YOUR CLOTHES"
"Take off..my clothes?"

"Do you have to go?"
"Do I have to go?..."

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 17:49 (twenty years ago)

And, what, you're Darth Raggettous?

Gotta start somewhere.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 17:50 (twenty years ago)

"He moved to Chicago? I wasn't... aware of that..."

"Here's my New York State Medical Board card."

Okay, Bill, let's -- let's cut the bullshit, all right?

― morris pavilion (samjeff), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 18:14 (twenty years ago)

I was better.

― Sk8master Tate, Tuesday, 15 November 2005 19:01 (twenty years ago)

if they'd made a video of "For The Plasters" from the second album I think it would have been a hit

― milton parker (Jon L), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 19:04 (twenty years ago)

I saw UDS open for Living Colour in 1990 and they really rocked. Everything was louder and faster live. And Rudeboy had some kind of weird jetpack transmitter that I guess was part of his cordless mic. "Prayer for My Demo" was a sheetmetal meltdown.

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 20:34 (twenty years ago)

The second album does deserve more love. The out-of-print reissues are worth tracking down for the live disc that came with each.

― Edward Bax (EdBax), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 20:59 (twenty years ago)

Zach la whateva sure did sound exactly like UDS dude the first time you heard RATM

― toe-foo (toe-foo), Wednesday, 16 November 2005 11:10 (twenty years ago)

That song sounded like two different records playing at the same time. I'm still baffled that it made the top 40.

― Patrick (Patrick), Wednesday, 16 November 2005 12:19 (twenty years ago)

complete classic.

when i was 13 i came up with at least 3 sets of alternate lyrics.

― m bott, Wednesday, 16 November 2005 21:34 (twenty years ago)

three years pass...

Fast Lane:

― moley, Saturday, 14 March 2009 06:32 (seventeen years ago)

it seems early nineties hiphop/funk/pop is the only place you see a frontman dance like that :)

― Ludo, Saturday, 14 March 2009 11:06 (seventeen years ago)

four months pass...

Listening to the remarkably titled Mental Floss for the Globe right now in the middle of a great CD purge (yes, I'm old and still own compact discs). I'm leaning towards tossing it onto the "sell/snap in half/use as coaster" pile, but "Struggle for Jive" is staying my hand.

― Alex in NYC, Tuesday, 14 July 2009 14:32 (sixteen years ago)

Rip it first; you have no idea when you will one day have a burning desire to hear "Fast Lane" and that's not really something you're going to want to buy again.

― suddenly, everything was dark and smelly (HI DERE), Tuesday, 14 July 2009 14:38 (sixteen years ago)

yeah-eah-eah-eah

― you just le freaked out our director of GOOD TIMES (Whiney G. Weingarten), Tuesday, 14 July 2009 14:48 (sixteen years ago)

this song was the originator of the whole Three Six Mafia/Jamie Foxx/Jeremih "chopped up vocals as chorus gimmick" imo

― you just le freaked out our director of GOOD TIMES (Whiney G. Weingarten), Tuesday, 14 July 2009 14:49 (sixteen years ago)

Ah, I crumbled and kept it.

― Alex in NYC, Tuesday, 14 July 2009 18:06 (sixteen years ago)

one year passes...

Still love this record. Still ahead of their time.

Question for anyone located closer to the Netherlands than I am :
I have heard multiple times over the years that the first pressings of "Mental Floss" in the Netherlands contained some uncleared samples that were pulled by the time it was released in America.

I'm looking for evidence...or better yet...a copy of said CD.

― Edward Bax, Friday, 4 February 2011 04:44 (fifteen years ago)

this song was the originator of the whole Three Six Mafia/Jamie Foxx/Jeremih "chopped up vocals as chorus gimmick" imo

― you just le freaked out our director of GOOD TIMES (Whiney G. Weingarten), Tuesday, July 14, 2009 10:49 AM (1 year ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

^good post i dont remember makin

― odd taran wild'n gang killam all (Whiney G. Weingarten), Friday, 4 February 2011 04:50 (fifteen years ago)

Saw them live in NYC around the time of the debut, I think at the Marquee. Good show, good debut. Although I think that I have all of the reissued CDs - all of which come with bonus discs IIRC - that came out years later, I still really only rememeber listening to the debut. And it's been years since I listened to that. Will rectify, maybe now...

― NYCNative, Friday, 4 February 2011 13:00 (fifteen years ago)

I'm looking for evidence...or better yet...a copy of said CD.
― Edward Bax, Friday, February 4, 2011 5:44 AM (8 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Discogs has this info: http://www.discogs.com/reviews?master=96033

― willem, Friday, 4 February 2011 13:05 (fifteen years ago)

Listening now... And I did see them at The Marquee, I have the ticket stub tucked into the jewel case. The date was October 20, 1990.

The reissues are on Triple X Records.

I also remember having the limited edition puzzle package of the second release:

http://www.spirit-of-metal.com/les%20goupes/U/Urban%20Dance%20Squad/Life%20%27n%20Perspectives%20of%20a%20Genuine%20Crossover/Life%20%27n%20Perspectives%20of%20a%20Genuine%20Crossover.jpg

The puzzle fell apart unfortunately...

― NYCNative, Friday, 4 February 2011 13:11 (fifteen years ago)

I had two different cassingles of this. One had Hitchhike HD as a b-side; the other had a live version of Deeper Shade of Soul. On the live version, in between the "Deeper Shade of Soul...Yeah-eah-eah-eah" samples, there was a guy yelling "Deepashadasoul!" which became an injoke among my high school friends.

You can hear it in this youtube clip at about 1:40 and 1:44.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXR2ydZqQzg

― Catsupppppp Grind (kkvgz), Friday, 4 February 2011 13:24 (fifteen years ago)

xp: plus, I was a huge fan of Life 'n Perspectives of a Genuine Crossover and only really stopped listening to it when I stopped listening to cassettes.

― Catsupppppp Grind (kkvgz), Friday, 4 February 2011 13:25 (fifteen years ago)

Classic if only for introducing me to the beyond-classic source sample, but also cheesy.

― Pete Scholtes, Friday, 4 February 2011 16:40 (fifteen years ago)

one year passes...

23 years on, the groove on the album (acoustic) version of "No Kid" is still one of my favorites ever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD4LbET-1LQ

― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 15 July 2012 17:25 (thirteen years ago)

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