https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auct...m-wu-tang-clan
Do we have all these songs folks?
The Wu-Tang demo [Sotheby's Auction]
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auct...m-wu-tang-clan
Do we have all these songs folks?
no not all of them. some have come out but its a question of quality that interests me on some of those. there is alot here. give it a shot Ringz. Maybe RZA will buy these back. Damn i really wish i had money for stuff like this. Peace.Originally Posted by Cilvaringz
Looks like there's some unreleased in there...
Tape 1:
Prince Rakeem- Various Songs
1. Gotta Have Game
2. Illusion of Love
3. Life is a Struggle
-Illusion of Love has leaked both as a song and instrumental (more on that w/ another tape), don't remember Gotta Have Game out there and Life is a Struggle would of course be an early version of See The Joy which I think there's live freestyles of that verse but I don't think a full song is out there outside of the BOAP version
Tape 2
Wu-Tang Clan- 6 New Tracks (very rough 4 Track demos 3/24/92 for Monica Lynch)
1. Wu-Tang Master
2. Problems
3. After The Laughter
4. The Wu's Coming Thru
5. Cutting Heads
6. Enter The Wu-Tang
7. Enter The Wu-Tang instrumental
-This seems to be the main demo that's circulated online forever, so nothing new here except maybe to produce some better audio rips off the tape
Tape 3
Prince Rakeem- Station IDs 8/1/91
-Seems to be station identification drops RZA recorded for the Tommy Boy EP promotion. Don't think there'd be much music wise here but always could be a soundbite to grab.
Tape 4
Prince Rakeem
1. Sexcapades
2. Deadly Venom
- nothing new here
Tape 5
Wu-Tang Clan- 3/3/92
1. Illusion of Love remix (Remix by RNS [Tee Tee])
2. Illusion of Love original mix
3. Enter The Wu-Tang (instrumental only)
4. Pass the Bone feat The Genius
- Here you have 2 mixes of Illusion of Love and the leaked version switches halfway through, so these might be the only ones in full complete. Also you get the info with this tape that RNS did the remix and that Pass The Bone was circulated as a Rakeem/Wu-Tang track feat Genius as well
Tape 6
Prince Rakeem- New Demos
1. Enter the Wu-Tang
2. Perversion
3. Mad Flavor
4. Problems
5. You've Been Boned instrumental
-3 potential unheard tracks here
Tape 7
It All About Me
-Is it just the track that's been out? Is that what he titled this tape & that track's on it? Who knows?
Tape 8
Prince Rakeem
1. Oh I Love You Rakeem
2. Oh I Love You Rakeem Jeep Dub
3. Which Way Is Up
4. That's One To Grow On
5. Problems I Got To Solve Them
6. It's Murder
7. I'm Taking Heads Off
-Most of these are out there. The 'Love You Rakeem' Jeep Dub could just be an early name to one of the remixes already known. That's One To Grow On sounded familiar but nothing came up on quick searches (other than RZA's lyric from Be A Man & the UMCs song).
Tape 9
Prince Rakeem- I Get Down For My Crown (2 versions- 2nd one is edited)
-now this one is likely the rarer Rakeem solo verses version w/ Meth clowning RZA on the track for the whole We Love You Rakeem video than the posse cut version. Or both could be on here.
I got halfway through before I saw I could have scrolled down to cut/paste the tracklists instead of typing them but ah well...I typed them up in picture order.
So overall, likely at least 6 or so tracks we haven't heard before unless they were renamed and the possibility of better quality versions of the ones we do depending on the condition of these tapes.
5 minutes and counting . hope someone on this forum gets it.
sold for 13,970.00 . thats an average of $1,552.00 per cassette or about $465.00 per song.
I saw RZA was auctioning his SP1200 as well. Did anybody go for that?
Damn. Hope they all leak.
illusions of love only leaked like first 2 min. Uploaded from the exact same tape here being sold. It came from an interview she did a few years ago. A rns remix tho? Man i wish GP just got down with wu. If RNS was in wu elements… i can dream.
hell of a chrck for some old tapes. Im looking forward to the unheard of tracks. Idk if well ever hear them tho.
There were some pretty interesting lots in there. But I noticed not everything sold well, like the Martha Cooper prints. The Basquiat 12" did do well, as did the Bill Sienkiewicz artwork for EPMD's Business As Usual.
Fuck, just refreshed the page and all the closing bids are gone.
Wu-Tang: failing the internet tubes since 1997
Damn, nice tapes!! I hope whoever bought them make HQ rips and share them, but it was cool just to see these
Edit: Check this out, handwritten 36 Chambers liner notes by RZA: https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auct...a-wu-tang-clan
Run Ya Garments (16th Chamber) nearly made the album apparently
And on the third page there's liner notes for this https://www.discogs.com/release/1040...oot-Beer-Float
Last edited by brainghost; 07-27-2023 at 02:16 AM.
SOLD FOR
For those interested, here are the sales prices of all the Wu things:
Prince Rakeem; Wu-Tang Clan
Collection of nine cassettes of early Wu-Tang Clan and Prince Rakeem (aka RZA) demos, spring 1991 – April 1992, including a cassette of custom station ID’s recorded for rap radio shows
Lot Closed: July 25, 07:01 PM CEST
Estimate: 6,000 - 9,000 USD
Lot Sold: 13,970 USD
From the personal archives of Monica Lynch, former president of Tommy Boy Records (1981-1998)
9 EARLY PRINCE RAKEEM & WU-TANG DEMO TAPES, GIVEN TO MONICA LYNCH, THEN PRESIDENT OF TOMMY BOY RECORDS
These cassettes document a nearly year-long incubation period during which Robert Diggs, then recording as Prince Rakeem, was morphing into musical genius and business mastermind RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan.
Handwritten notations by RZA and Maxwell on the cassette J-cards reveal the course, starting in spring of 1991, when demos for Prince Rakeem (RZA’s recording alias) were submitted to the label for consideration. A maxi-single for the playalistic ode “Ooh, I Love You Rakeem” b/w “Sexcapades” (which included a “Wu-Tang Mix”) and “Deadly Venoms” was released on July 1, 1991. Production was by noted Hip Hop producer Easy Mo Bee, co-production by Prince Rakeem, and sole writers credits by R. Diggs. The original version, which can be found on YouTube, included a sample of Deniece Williams’ “Free” but, due to clearance issues, was re-recorded. The cover artwork featured a caricature of Prince Rakeem by “Pikasso.” The single was a critical and commercial flop.
While nothing about “Ooh, I Love You Rakeem” suggested what would soon come, the sounds that can be heard on the demos that started trickling in in August of '91 were clearly something entirely new. Darker, different. The spectral Shaolin sound was emerging, key players in the Wu family tree were starting to appear. Prince Rakeem, who had laid low for a minute in Ohio, was in the rear view and RZA was ascendant. The demo tapes - now listing the artist as "Wutang Clan," include track titles for what would be future Wu classics while notes on cassette J-cards indicate versions, suggest possible producer pairings, radio potential, etc.
On December 14, 1992, eight months after the last demo in this collection was submitted (and post RZA's departure from Tommy Boy), the Wu-Tang Clan's debut single “Protect Ya Neck” b/w “After The Laughter Comes Tears,” both produced by RZA, was released on Wu-Tang Records and immediately started to make noise. Soon after, the Wu-Tang Clan - now nine members strong - signed to Steve Rifkind’s hard charging Loud Records and history was made with the November 9, 1993 release of their debut masterpiece Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).
Twenty-five years later, in October of 2016, Lynch pulled these cassettes out of storage and played snippets from them on the critically acclaimed Hip Hop podcast The Cipher, created and hosted by writer and historian Shawn Setaro and produced by Josh Kross. The tracks played included “Pass The Bone”(feat. The Genius), “Enter The Wu-Tang instrumental”, “I Get Down For My Crown," and “Illusions Of Love.” As a result of the podcast, RZA himself was able to once again hear “Illusion Of Love,” a long lost track, the demo for which could not be found. The following message from RZA was shared with her by Wu collaborator Cilvaringz:
"It was really cool and funny to hear them. Meth joking on me and the illusion of love song radiated the most with me. I get down for my crown is not the 1990 version with Meth Ugod and Deck."
Soon after, a digital copy of "Illusion Of Love" was dispatched to RZA to hold onto for posterity.
These physical artifacts are a glimpse into an early window of time during which RZA was manifesting his revolutionary sound and dynastic vision for the Wu-Tang Clan.
Chi Modu; [Wu-Tang Clan]
Wu-Tang & Friends, Staten Island, 1993
Lot Closed: July 25, 06:58 PM CEST
Estimate: 2,000 - 3,000 USD
Lot Sold: 4,445 USD
[Wu-Tang Clan]
The E-mu SP-1200 used by RZA to produce the Wu-Tang Clan's legendary 1993 debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), ca. 1991
Lot Closed: July 25, 07:00 PM CEST
Estimate: 50,000 - 80,000 USD
Lot Sold: 69,850 USD
THE E-MU SP-1200 USED BY RZA TO PRODUCE THE WU-TANG CLAN'S 1993 ENTER THE WU-TANG (36 CHAMBERS) SIGNED AND DATED BY RZA
Released November 9, 1993, the Wu-Tang Clan's Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) is an album that needs little introduction. One of Hip Hop's most lauded debuts, 36 Chambers signaled a tide-turning force in the genre and became the gold standard for the assertive sounds of 1990s hardcore rap. The album peaked at number 41 on the Billboard charts, going certified platinum in 1995 and remains one of Hip Hop's most influential of all time—ranked at number 27 in Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2020 and in 2022, 36 Chambers was archived in the Library of Congress. To this day, one of 36 Chamber's most striking features is it's production—lead entirely by Clan member and de-facto leader RZA—that fuses classic soul samples with audio clips ripped from martial arts films Shaolin and Wu-Tang (1983) and Ten Tigers from Kwangtung (1979), mixes created almost end-to-end on the machine on offer here.
Originally released in 1987, the E-mu Systems SP-1200 quickly became the must-have piece of studio gear for independent Hip Hop artists and producers through the end of the 20th century. Combining the drum machine & sampler into a single piece of technology, the SP-1200 streamlined Hip Hop engineering processes made it possible to construct almost the entirety of a track on a single piece of portable gear with an ease and a speed that lent itself perfectly to the lo-fi, mash-up heavy early days of Hip Hop. Reducing the need to rely entirely on rented studio space and hired engineers, the SP-1200 returned power to young artists at the beginning of their careers, allowing them levels of creative control they otherwise would not have had. The SP-1200 was a fundamental tool in unleashing the Wu-Tang's inimitable sound from shores of Shaolin, and RZA's SP-1200 is perhaps one of the machine's greatest contributions to not only Hip Hop, but the total landscape of American music.
RZA; [Wu-Tang Clan]
RZA'S original 3-page handwritten liner notes for the Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) album sleeve
Lot Closed: July 25, 07:00 PM CEST
Estimate: 10,000 - 15,000 USD
Lot Sold: 16,510 USD
From the personal archives of John "Mook" Gibbons, CEO Wu-Tang Management
RZA'S ORIGINAL THREE-PAGE HANDWRITTEN LINER NOTES FOR ENTER THE WU-TANG(36 CHAMBERS)
In Wu-Tang Clan member and de-factor leader, RZA’s hand, the present pages are the preliminary liner notes submitted by the Clan to be included on the album sleeve of their 1993 debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).
Across three (3) pages of “Wu-Tang Productions & Management” letterhead, RZA notes the proposed album title, track names and listings, well as writing, recording, and production credits. These pages offer invaluable insight into the machinations behind the production of one of hardcore rap's most seminal works.
Comparing these notes to those that appear on the final album, we see the 36 Chambers known today start to emerge—“Shaolin Side” and “Wu-Tang Side” become “Shaolin Sword” and “Wu-Tang Sword” in the album's final cut, a track titled “Run Ya Garments (16th Chamber)” gets replaced by “Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber,” “After the Laughter Come [sic] Tears” is shortened to simply “Tearz,” and “Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber Part II” is a later addition. Despite the lo-fi sound and production process, scratched out titles, re-worked names and nicknames, and notes like “Some songs may have skits before or after” re-emphasize exactly how particular RZA and the Clan’s vision was for their debut into the rap world.
One of Hip Hop's most lauded debuts, 36 Chambers signaled a tide-turning force in the genre and became the gold standard for the assertive sounds of 1990s hardcore rap. The album peaked at number 41 on the Billboard charts, going certified platinum in 1995 and remains one of Hip Hop's most influential of all time—ranked at number 27 in Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2020 and in 2022, 36 Chambers was archived in the Library of Congress.
Wu-Tang Clan
Original Liberty Studios Production Book for "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'" music video, ca. 1993
Lot Closed: July 25, 07:01 PM CEST
Estimate: 3,000 - 5,000 USD
Lot Sold: 3,810 USD
From the personal archives of John "Mook" Gibbons, CEO Wu-Tang Management
Gross, Jason. "RZA's Edge: The RZA's Guide to Kung-Fu Films." Film Comment, May-June 2008. https://www.filmcomment.com/article/...kung-fu-films/.
Co-produced by Clan members RZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard, "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'" is sixth track off the Wu-Tang Clan's 1993 debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).
In 1979, a ten-year-old Robert Diggs was introduced to kung-fu movies in a theater on 42nd street by an older cousin. Leaving the screening for Chang Cheh's Five Deadly Venoms, the future de-fact leader of the Wu-Tang Clan was "totally geeked out," transformed into a life-long kung-fu fanatic (Film Comment). Through adolescence, RZA's kung fu obsession quickly merged with his passion for music:
"Early on, Ol’ Dirty Bastard and I used to watch kung fu movies, leave the theater, do some kung fu fighting, get on the train, keep fighting, and then run into MCs and musically battle them like it was a kung fu fight. That was my weekend habit."
By the time the scrappy cinephile turned producer had assembled his Shaolin-born crew of M.C.'s in 1993 to cut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), RZA's vision was clear:
"My fantasy was to make a one-hour movie that people were just going to listen to. They would hear my movie and see it in their minds."
36 Chambers—an album defined by it's unprecedented use of samples from the Clan's favorite kung-fu classics—brought RZA's fantasy to life, with the music video for "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'" becoming the first visual examples of the RZA's interdisciplinary approach to production. Named for the 1979 independent film Mystery of Chessboxing (Ghostface Killah's moniker would also be derived from this film), both the song itself and the music video feature a high concentration of references to the RZA's favorite films of the era: Shaolin and Wu-Tang (1983), Five Deadly Venoms (1978), and of course the 1979 from which track gains its title directed by Joseph Kuo. Including official lyrics and the original video treatment, the present lot—RZA's original video production book from Liberty Studios where "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'" was shot in 1993—is a look behind-the-scenes of one of the golden age of Hip Hop's most innovative contributions to the world of music videos.
Wu-Tang Clan
Original Wu-Tang Clan x Rage Against The Machine Tour Itinerary, ca. August 8-September 21, 1997
Lot Closed: July 25, 07:02 PM CEST
Estimate: 2,000 - 3,000 USD
Wu-Tang Clan
Original Loud/RCA Records “Protect Ya Neck" press package with biography and 8x10 photo
Lot Closed: July 25, 07:04 PM CEST
Estimate: 1,500 - 2,500 USD
Lot Sold: 1,905 USD
From the personal archives of John "Mook" Gibbons, CEO Wu-Tang Management
"The Wu-Tang Clan is on the loose so get ready for the headbanger. Be sure to pump it Loud, and oh yeah, protect your neck, kid."
With those 2 lines, the fledging Wu-Tang Clan closed their first industry introduction to the world outside of Shaolin. Self-released through Wu-Tang Records on December 14, 1992, "Protect Ya Neck" was the Clan's debut single featuring 8 original Clan members—RZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Inspectah Deck, Raekwon, Method Man, U-God, Ghostface Killah, GZA. An immediate hit in the world of underground rap, "Protect Ya Neck" lead to the Clan's signing with Loud/RCA Records and the production of present lot. Included are: one copy of the Clan's first publicity shot including all 8 original members and two copies of the Wu-Tang Clan's first press release, although in part it functions much more like a manifesto—outlining the Clan's approach to not only music, but to life itself:
"As students of the mental (or Shaolin) aspect of martial arts and Islam, as well as fans of kung-fu flicks, the Clan brings true [discipline] to the art of rhyming. 'Wu-Tang' represdent the sword style of verbal combat in which a sharp tongue is enough to cut off the heads of all challengers. The 'Clan' stands for the invisible family—you challenge one, you challenge all..."
The tour itinerary is the only thing that did not sell. Have to say that a 2,000 to 3,000 price is a bit steep for that. The PYN press package sold for less.
Wu-Tang: failing the internet tubes since 1997
If we had more time we shoulda just crowdfunded it. Im sure each of us could have gave a few hundred and got those demos. Goddamnit.
You really believe it? There are hardly a few people here and I remember when Cilva wanted to sell his pack of unreleased stuff he'd collected and he didn't want that much and nobody wanted to pay (I didn't wanna pay either xD) for it
"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth" (Rev. 3:15-16)
Let's say, we need at least 15,000. If everyone gave 300, you need 50 people on here. And there is a possibility that the price gets higher of course. Do we have 50 $300 people on here?
Theoretically, this could have been pooled via crypto. Or some other financial instrument where people put in a reserve on the money and nothing is being taken until the sale is finalized.
And for the crowdfunding, there needs a bit of trust. Who would you trust with that money and ripping the tapes?
//I remember when Cilva wanted to sell his pack of unreleased stuff he'd collected and he didn't want that much and nobody wanted to pay//
What was that all about? Was that part of that experiment?
Wu-Tang: failing the internet tubes since 1997
15 years ago there were hundreds of regular, daily posters here, we could have easily made 15k work back then. Pity this wasnt a thing then
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