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What Does It All Mean? 1983-2006 Retrospective
by
What Does It All Mean? 1983-2006 Retrospective Image
Metascore
86

Universal acclaim - based on 18 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 16 Ratings

  • Summary: The two-disc set includes the 28-track "Nothing to Fear" on disc two.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. The A.V. Club
    100
    The Steinski myth has grown in the darkness of bootlegs, but this long-overdue release proves that the reality more than lives up to the legend.
  2. MSN Consumer Guide (Robert Christgau)
    100
    Buy it while you can.
  3. The Wire
    90
    While Steinski's work with DeFranco aka Double Dee, is the most dazzling--precisely because it avoids the pitfalls of run of the mill culture jamming and guerrilla media tactics--Steinski's solo tracks certainly have their own pleasures, even if they are more straightforwardly textural than his collabotation with Double Dee. [June 2008, p.57]
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  4. The New York Times
    80
    A reasonable first impulse is to try to identify all the sound sources; the inevitable second impulse is to marvel at how well he has chopped up and rearranged them into units of rhythm.
  5. Alternative Press
    80
    'The Motorcade Sped On,' a track that chops up funky beats with verteran newscaster Walter Cronkite reporting the death of President John F. Kennedy, is worth the price of admission alone. [July 2008, p.170]
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  6. Dusted Magazine
    80
    It's rare that historically important recordings are also essential listening, but this is such a case.
  7. Uncut
    60
    CD2 is a quirky new mixtape which proves he's still up to his old tricks. [Dec 2008, p.116]
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See all 18 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 13
  3. Negative: 2 out of 13
  1. ntretyuif.
    Jan 9, 2009
    10
    This will be in the hip hop hall of fame its classic sample based hip hop which birthed the golden age of hip hop.
  2. MattC.
    Aug 26, 2008
    10
    Great beats, great rhymes, great scratches, funky and fun.
  4. DomB.
    Sep 9, 2008
    10
    Great body of work. So good I actually went out & bought it!
  5. PauleyS.
    Aug 3, 2008
    9
    Nothing to Fear is sicknastygood. The oldies are real slick, too. This music makes me smile with glee.
  6. MycroftW.
    Sep 20, 2008
    9
    Worth your dollar for the Lessons alone. Grab it!
  7. SinclairS.
    Sep 1, 2008
    9
    This is absolutely amazing. Like a trip down mix-ology lane. Very Kid-Koalaish although obviously Steinski did it first.
  8. CM.
    Sep 7, 2008
    3
    I don't understand how this is the top rated record of the year. To me this sounds like a very average Cut Chemist mixtape. The record I don't understand how this is the top rated record of the year. To me this sounds like a very average Cut Chemist mixtape. The record suffers greatly from all the mix-ins and random clips of dialogue. At almost no point does Steinski allow the melody to stand alone and take the listener anywhere. Good technical mixing and cutting,but the beats are so-so and the melodies suffer from constant and incredibly annoying interruption. By no means should this collection be considered the best album to emerge from 2008.… Expand

See all 13 User Reviews

Awards & Rankings

11
#11 Best Album of 2008