Skull Snaps
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Skull Snaps was a mysterious funk group that released one eponymous album on the small GSF label in 1973 before disappearing. They were in fact the group originally known as The Diplomats who had released numerous singles between 1963 and 1970 with middling success. Following the Skull Snaps sessions the group recorded a cover version of Manu Dibango's underground hit 'Soul Makossa', using the name All Dyrections, for the Budah label. Two years later they recorded one final single under the Skull Snaps name, 'Ain't that lovin' you' b/w 'Al's razor blade', for Grill records.
Skull Snaps' main claim to fame is not its quality, but that the drum breaks on it have been sampled numerous times on rap and hip-hop records; the familiar opening drum pattern of It's A New Day can be heard in songs by well-known acts such as Ol' Dirty Bastard and The Prodigy. The first person to sample "It's a New Day" was New Haven, CT Hip Hop artist Stezo on a song entitled "It's My Turn".
All this, coupled with the fact that it was a rare record, meant it often traded for $200 to $300 between collectors. It has now, however, been reissued in both vinyl and CD editions. The vinyl is identical to the original release (Though supposedly on better vinyl). In 2005, Australian reissue label Aztec Music released the first official re-issue on CD - a deluxe 6-panel digi-pak, remastered with two bonus tracks: "Al's Razor Blade" and "Ain't That Loving You"
Ten12 Records re-united all the original members of the Skull Snaps (Erv Littleton Waters, Sam O. Culley, and George Bragg) in 2005 in tandem with the band's first official release, Snapped/ I'm Your Pimp, since their 1975 single. Ten12 Records under the direction of Skull Snaps frontman Erv Waters plans to release the entire Skull Snaps catalog on CD/DVD with recordings from the original album plus five bonus tracks, "Al's Razor Blade," "Ain't That Lovin' You," "On Top Of It," "Soul Makossa," & "She's The One", with live footage and archived photos.
Skull Snaps meet the Audible Doctor Snapped (aside), I'm Your Pimp (bside) (2005 ten12 records-12-inch release)
- "Snapped" – 5:05
- "I'm Your Pimp (original take)" – 4:07
