Search - Earth Wind & Fire, Melvin Van Peebles :: Sweetback's Baadasssss Song / Don't Play Us Cheap [2 on 1]

With Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, entertainment maverick Melvin Van Peebles created one of the most intriguing African-American movies of all time and one of the most fascinating soundtracks ever. On The Melvin Van Peebles Collection, we can hear the now-remastered and thoroughly frenetic 1971 effort along with his 1972 cast production of Don't Play Us Cheap. Sweet is the real gem here: an in-your-face precursor to hip-hop (just listen to the amazing "Come On Feet Do Your Thing") where Van Peebles and a young Earth, Wind & Fire combine funk with spoken word, gospel hymns with jazz. Brimming with all the restlessness of Public Enemy or James Brown, the soundtrack never lets up. Don't Play Us Cheap is almost as interesting. When Van Peebles couldn't fund this sequel to Sweet Sweetback, he simply turned it into this Broadway musical. More mainstream than any of his other projects (remember, Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song was required viewing for Black Panther members), Don't Play Us Cheap is an inspiring mix of blues, soul, and musical theater. Incredible. --Jason Verlinde