Block Rockin' Beats

"Block Rockin' Beats" is a song by British big beat duo The Chemical Brothers. It was released as the second single from their second album, Dig Your Own Hole, in March 1997. The single topped the UK Singles Chart and peaked at number 40 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. It received a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.[1]

"Block Rockin' Beats"
Single by The Chemical Brothers
from the album Dig Your Own Hole
B-side"Morning Lemon"
Released24 March 1997 (1997-03-24)
Recorded1996
GenreBig beat
Length
  • 5:14 (album version)
  • 5:00 (single version)
LabelFreestyle Dust
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)The Chemical Brothers
The Chemical Brothers singles chronology
"Where Do I Begin"
(1997)		 "Block Rockin' Beats"
(1997)		 "Elektrobank"
(1997)
Alternate covers
CD2
Music video
"Block Rockin' Beats" on YouTube

There are two different edits of "Block Rockin' Beats" available; one is the version found on Dig Your Own Hole, which has an intro, and the other version begins with the bassline. The B-side "Morning Lemon" is also available on the second disc of the limited edition Singles 93–03.

Blender listed the song on number 346 on its ranking of "Greatest Songs Since You Were Born" in 2005.[2] LA Weekly put it at number 14 in their list of "The 20 Best Dance Music Tracks in History" in 2015.[3]

Samples

The drums are sampled from "Changes" by Bernard Purdie. The vocals, "Back with another one of those block rockin' beats" is a sample from American rapper Schoolly D's 1989 song "Gucci Again".

Another reviewer opines that the track uses (without compensation) the bassline from the track "Coup" by 23 Skidoo.[4][5] The opening bass riff resembles the intro from the Pink Floyd song "Let There Be More Light", while the bass sound has been sampled from The Crusaders' song "The Well's Gone Dry".[6]

"Morning Lemon" opens with a vocal sample of a man singing "Morning lemon", and ends with a sample of Ice Cube saying "Take that, motherfuckers!" (from his song "What They Hittin' Foe?").

Critical reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic noted "the slamming cacophony" of the song, "where hip-hop meets hardcore techno, complete with a Schoolly D sample and an elastic bass riff." He added, "Everything is going on at once in "Block Rockin' Beats", and it sets the pace for the rest of the record, where songs and styles blur into a continuous kaleidoscope of sound."[7] Jack Needham from BBC commented, "Not only was the song an undeniable earworm, but it took the art of sampling to a new level - borrowing its drums from Bernard Purdie and its vocals from US rapper Schoolly D. There have even been suggestions that the track covertly samples Pink Floyd too."[8] Larry Flick from Billboard described it as a "genre-spanning revelation", and stated that "after one spin, you'll be chanting the hook for hours, and the blend of scratchy funk beats and acidic keyboards are sure to get the body moving."[9] Complex said that "there was something about the combined fury of that Schoolly D vocal sample, that hypnotic bassline and those big drums that turned this one into an anthem for the breakbeat set."[10] The Daily Vault's Sean McCarthy commented, "Beginning with a funky bass beat, the music explodes with a blast of sonic fury. The music itself is fit for dance halls, but what's striking about the leadoff track is the confidence that Simmons and Rowlands display".[11] David Browne from Entertainment Weekly noted "the burning-down-the-disco break beats".[12] Evening Herald said tracks like this are based on infectious melodies "that stick in your head for ages."[13] Sally Stratton from Music & Media noted its "frenetic pace".[14] People Magazine stated that on the "cacophonous, turbo-charged" track, the duo "borrow heavily from hip hop’s cut-and-paste production methods".[15] Terri Sutton from Salon described it as "incorrigible", with its "frantic faux guitar interplay, funky bass and underwater detonations."[16] Sunday Mirror commented, "The dance kings follow up the Noel Gallagher flavoured No 1 Setting Sun with an even noisier mess of thumping drums and wailing guitars. No celebrity vocals this time but who needs them."[17]

Track listing

All tracks are written by The Chemical Brothers.

12-inch
No.TitleLength
1."Block Rockin' Beats"5:00
2."Morning Lemon"4:35
3."Block Rockin' Beats (The Micronauts remix)"9:55
CD one
No.TitleLength
1."Block Rockin' Beats"5:00
2."Prescription Beats"5:13
3."Morning Lemon"4:35
CD two
No.TitleLength
1."Block Rockin' Beats"5:00
2."Block Rockin' Beats (The Micronauts remix)"9:55
3."Block Rockin' Beats (The Micronauts bonus beats)"3:49
4."Block Rockin' Beats (radio edit)"3:24

Charts and certifications

References
  1. "The Chemical Brothers". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  2. "Blender Magazine: Greatest Songs Since You Were Born". Archived from the original on 7 January 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  3. "The 20 Best Dance Music Tracks in History". LA Weekly. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  4. Andrew Unterberger (10 October 2003). "The Chemical Brothers - Singles: 93 – 03". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 21 October 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  5. Archived 10 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  6. Look for equal entries in WhoSampled's page for Block Rockin’ Beats and the one for B-Boy Bouillabaisse, for the latter song is using apparently the same sample.
  7. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Chemical Brothers – Dig Your Own Hole". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  8. "30 tracks that shaped dance music over the last 30 years". BBC. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  9. "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. 26 April 1997. p. 73. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  10. "The 15 Best Songs From the Electronica Era". Complex. 5 August 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  11. McCarthy, Sean (20 May 2001). "Dig Your Own Hole – Chemical Brothers". The Daily Vault. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  12. Browne, David (18 April 1997). "Dig Your Own Hole". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  13. Evening Herald. 27 November 1997. p. 26. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  14. Stratton, Sally (12 April 1997). "Reviews: Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. p. 11. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  15. "Picks and Pans Review: Dig Your Own Hole". People. 21 April 1997. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  16. Sutton, Terri (April 1997). "Sharps and Flats". Salon. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  17. "SINGLES OF THE WEEK". Sunday Mirror. 23 March 1997. p. 33. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  18. "Australian-charts.com – The Chemical Brothers – Block Rockin' Beats". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  19. "Ultratop.be – The Chemical Brothers – Block Rockin' Beats" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  20. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 3247." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  21. "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 3229." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  22. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14 no. 15. 12 April 1997. p. 13. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  23. "The Chemical Brothers: Block Rockin' Beats" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  24. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (01.05.1997 – 07.05.1997)" (PDF). Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  25. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Block Rockin' Beats". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  26. "Charts.nz – The Chemical Brothers – Block Rockin' Beats". Top 40 Singles.
  27. "Norwegiancharts.com – The Chemical Brothers – Block Rockin' Beats". VG-lista.
  28. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  29. "Swedishcharts.com – The Chemical Brothers – Block Rockin' Beats". Singles Top 100.
  30. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  31. "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  32. "The Chemical Brothers Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  33. "The Chemical Brothers Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard.
  34. "The Chemical Brothers Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  35. "Árslistinn 1997 – Íslenski Listinn – 100 Vinsælustu Lögin". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 January 1998. p. 25. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  36. "Romanian Top 100 Singles Airplay – Top of the Year 1997" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on 22 January 2005. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  37. "Top 100 Singles 1997". Music Week. 17 January 1998. p. 27.
  38. "British single certifications – Chemical Brothers – Block Rockin' Beats". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
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