CD-Charts Position 1
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It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

by: Public Enemy

Release Date April 03, 2000
First bona fide Rap album I ever bought back in the late '80s. I confess, it was Thrash Metal veterans, Anthrax constantly banging on about them that convinced me!
Great album with perhaps the most intelligent lyrics ever written for a Rap cd - even though I don't agree with many of the opinions expressed, I respect them.
A production that was way ahead of the time, with great beats, basslines & samples, with a near perfect vocal balance between the intense and angry Chuck D and the more eccentric Flavor Flav. It's easy to see why this had appeal to the Metal crowd with it's heavy, urban tone, militaristic imagery and incendiary attitudes. Indeed, one track, She Watch Channel Zero features a sample of the riff from Slayer's Angel ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 2
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We'll Live and Die in These Towns

by: The Enemy

Release Date July 09, 2007
I really like this album as it has an amazing energy and anger that reminds me of the Clash. This was a bit of grower for me and I really appreciate what it's all about; the drudgery of every day life,with abit of economic harshness and nights out thrown in. They are singing about Britain Now. My favourite track of all is 'Away from Here' because there is no other song at the moment that captures how god damn tedious every day life is:'I am sick and tired / of working to be retired'. Alot of the songs also have an anthemic quality about them ('You're not alone', Had Enough). It only get fours stars though as I am perfectionist. There are just a couple of songs I don't care for ('This Song is About You' is a bit wet) but if you like old school rock ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 3
Average Rating:

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Power To The People And The Beats - Public Enemy's Greatest Hits

by: Public Enemy

Release Date August 01, 2005
This really is a great greatest hits album, the old schoolstyle of rapping used here is really effective to the great beats.
Frequent use of the words ' sucker mc' shows the old skool style.
This is better than a lot of the new skool playas and hip hop legends like these will help save the game.
Tracks like public enemy no.1 show chucky d's great style of rapping, and you really have to get this.

CD-Charts Position 4
Average Rating:

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We'll Live And Die In These Towns

by: The Enemy

Release Date July 09, 2007
I really like this album as it has an amazing energy and anger that reminds me of the Clash. This was a bit of grower for me and I really appreciate what it's all about; the drudgery of every day life,with abit of economic harshness and nights out thrown in. They are singing about Britain Now. My favourite track of all is 'Away from Here' because there is no other song at the moment that captures how god damn tedious every day life is:'I am sick and tired / of working to be retired'. Alot of the songs also have an anthemic quality about them ('You're not alone', Had Enough). It only get fours stars though as I am perfectionist. There are just a couple of songs I don't care for ('This Song is About You' is a bit wet) but if you like old school rock with ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 5
Average Rating:

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Fear Of A Black Planet

by: Public Enemy

Release Date July 13, 1995
Public Enemy's other Classic album after 1988's It Takes..., an album that transcends it's genre & one of the soundtracks to urban life of the early '90s - Rap fans, Metal fans, all different walks embraced this music, recognising it's aggression & lyrical intensity as a common denominator. A sheer wall of sound, with layers & depths unseen before in the Hip Hop world.
It follows the same blueprint as it's predecessor, but with more of a nod to the 'old' black music; Soul, Blues, Motown in it's rhythms and samples.
It feels like a concept album as the songs & lyrics mesh so well together.
STILL VERY AGGRESSIVE - but not in the oafish style of the 50 Cent's of the world. Lyrics with meaning - before the guns and bling took over. ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 6
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Yo! Bum Rush The Show

by: Public Enemy

Release Date August 10, 1995
Whilst the other tracks are far from fillers, this debut album is allabout 'Public Enemy #1' which established the atonal sound of laterclassics such as 'Welcome to the Terrordome' with it's funk/jazz guitarquick stabs rather than longer, melodic riffs.

CD-Charts Position 7
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Apocalypse 91 The Enemy Strikes Black

by: Public Enemy

Release Date July 13, 1995
After the previous 2 albums, both bona fide rap AND music classics, this was a let down - the production is excellent BUT the songwriting feels
kind of 'by numbers'.
The opening couple of tracks are excellent with some real aggression but by the time you're 3 or 4 tracks in, it's unremarkable! And it feels like it's almost playing it safe.
Metal fans (that includes me!) should enjoy the team up with Thrash legends, Anthrax, on Bring Tha Noize, but there's a LOT of filler inbetween the good stuff at the start and then this final track!
Basically, not the best place to start, but a few good tracks - IF you can get it at a fair price....

CD-Charts Position 8
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The Doomsday Machine

by: Arch Enemy

Release Date August 22, 2005
Firstly: this albulm is packed with top-notch guitar melodies and shredding all the way through. About two-thirds of this albulm consists of that hardcore riffage complete with great vocals that have been written and delivered to Arch Enemy's standard. One third of the albulm, i'm sad to say; is complete filler, even if the production is of high quality. It's mainly problems with the songwriting on the duff tracks, but to be fair there's plenty of awesome tracks here to help you oversee the less pleasant aspects to the albulm. Definitely worth getting if you own and liked 'Anthems of Rebellion'. The price is very attractive also.

CD-Charts Position 9
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Muse Sick-N-Hour Mess Age

by: Public Enemy

Release Date August 17, 1998
A standout album in the PE collection, with the live drum sounds adding an extra dimension not found on other hip-hop albums. Compared to 'Nation..' and 'Fear of a black planet', this album stands up well, offering the listener the traditional PE values over funky sample-led grooves. Chuck D is on top form here as well as a more prominent contribution from Flava Flav than on previous releases.

PE remain a beacon of awareness in a sea of misinformation.

5 stars, no doubt.

CD-Charts Position 10
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How You Sell Soul To A Souless People Who Sold Their Soul

by: Public Enemy

Release Date August 13, 2007
OK.. so you can't sell sand to the arabs, and this album may only appeal to young'ish 'old-school' rap fans, or, ageing music fanatics who like to dabble through all sorts of genres (me being the latter... White and Scottish.. Oh My God!!)

Public Enemy are pass-masters at what they do, they've been flying high for so long, leading a tradition steeped in rockin beats, wax lyrical poetic verbs, and riffs an loops that get embedded in your brain. HYSSTOSPWSTS is no different a creation from them, and lives up to what you would expect from a band who are deeply inspired by what they see in the world, to write about it and keep you coming back for more.

From politics, to freedom of speech, war and psychopaths, to good damn fun and giving the finger to souless ... Read More: