Stream Quincy Jones Expanded Editions of ‘Back On The Block’ + ‘Q’s Jook Joint’
Including Over 50 Rare Bonus Tracks.
In celebration of legendary, 28-time Grammy winner Quincy Jones turning 90 years young this year. Two of his classic, genre-smashing, Grammy Award-winning albums, 1989’s “Back On The Block” and 1995’s “Q’s Jook Joint,” are now available digitally as Expanded Editions. The beloved records, which brought together a who’s who and then-emerging stars of R&B, jazz, hip-hop, pop and beyond, are jam-packed with more than 50 rare bonus tracks total. The tracks were previously only available on hard to find and long-out-of-print 12-inch vinyl and CD maxi singles.
These releases also come as the world gets ready to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop on August 11th, the day DJ Kool Herc set up two turntables and a mixer at a backyard block party and created a continuous flow of music by mixing two of the same records thus providing the musical foundation for MCs to rhyme over. An early lover and supporter of hip-hop, Jones was integral in bringing hip-hop to the mainstream. Q embraced hip-hop on his 1989 album, “Back On The Block,” by bringing together some of the biggest names in hip-hop such as Big Daddy Kane, Ice-T, Grandmaster Melle Mel and Kool Moe Dee, for the album’s game changing title track. The song would go on to win the first-ever Grammy Award for Best Rap Duo Or Group in 1991. The previous year Jones made hip-hop and Will Smith household names when he brought the rapper to primetime television as producer of the pioneering sitcom, “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” A few years later he’d bring LL Cool J into homes across the globe as producer of the popular 1995 sitcom “In The House.” In the midst of those two hit shows, he’d co-found Vibe magazine, which documented hip-hop culture from the frontline. As the authority for all things hip-hop, R&B and urban culture for nearly three decades it was instrumental in legitimizing the music, fashion and artists of the genre. Since hip-hop’s inception Jones’ music has inspired and been sampled by thousands of artists, including 2Pac, who sampled “Body Heat” for his classic track, “How Do U Want It,” Kanye West, who rapped over a sped-up sample of Michael Jackson’s “P.Y.T.,” famously produced by Jones, and Mobb Deep’s “Shook Ones, Pt. II,” built around a sample of Jones’ “Kitty With The Bent Frame,” just to mention a few of the many highlights.
Originally released in 1989 on his own Qwest Records, Back On The Block was a testament to Jones’ versatility, singular musical vision and innovative approach to blending genres and bringing a diverse array of artists together to create a powerful musical experience. “Having let eight years pass since his last A&M album, Quincy Jones made his debut on his own label with his most extravagant, most star-studded, most brilliantly sequenced pop album to date — which could have only been assembled by the man who put together ‘We Are the World,’ declared All Music Guide. Paying homage to the rich history of African-American music, the album fuses R&B with jazz, hip-hop and pop to create an intoxicating cocktail featuring legendary musicians and singers from across three generations, such as Al Jarreau, Barry White, Big Daddy Kane, Bobby McFerrin, Chaka Khan, Dionne Warwick, Dizzy Gillespie, El DeBarge, Ella Fitzgerald, George Benson, Herbie Hancock, Ice-T, James Ingram, Kool Moe Dee, Luther Vandross, Melle Mel, Miles Davis, Ray Charles, Sarah Vaughan, Siedah Garrett, Take 6 and many, many others.
Back On The Block broke into the Top 10 on the Billboard 200, where it peaked on No. 9, and topped the R&B Albums chart for twelve weeks and also topped the Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. The album went platinum in the U.S. on the strength of several singles that were hits on pop and R&B radio, including Ray Charles and Chaka Khan’s “I’ll Be Good To You,” Siedah Garrett’s “I Don’t Go For That,” “The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite),” featuring Barry White, Al B. Sure, James Ingram and El DeBarge, and “Tomorrow (A Better You, Better Me),” which introduced a young Tevin Campbell. Back On The Block won seven GRAMMY Awards, including Album Of The Year, Producer Of The Year, Best R&B Performance and Best Rap Performance. It was also notable for featuring the last studio recordings of jazz legends Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughn who contributed to “Wee B. Dooinit (Acapella Party).” The new Expanded Edition of Back On The Block adds a staggering 27 tracks to the album’s 14 sonically adventurous songs and includes tons of remixes, edits and extended mixes originally released alongside the maxi singles for “Back On The Block,” “I Don’t Go For That,” “I’ll Be Good To You,” “The Places You Find Love,” “Tomorrow (A Better You, Better Me)” and “The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite).”
With Q’s Jook Joint, originally released in 1995 on Qwest, Jones created an album filled with the kind of vibrant, infectious atmosphere the evocative title suggests. Once again joined by a dizzying roster of incredible talent from across many genres, including Ashford & Simpson, Babyface, Barry White, Bono, Brandy, Brian McKnight, Charlie Wilson, Coolio, Funkmaster Flex, Gloria Estefan, Heavy D, Phil Collins, Queen Latifah, Ray Charles, Ron Isley, Stevie Wonder, Tone Loc, Toots Thielemans, and others, the album blends R&B, soul, jazz and pop together across 15 tracks that defy categorization while showcasing Jones’ intricate arrangements and pristine production. The record was hailed for its musical diversity, exceptional musical and vocal performances and Jones’ masterful production. The album gave Jones yet another platinum record and broke into the Billboard 200 at No. 32 and hit No. 1 on the Top Jazz Albums chart. It won the GRAMMY for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.
The new Expanded Edition of Q’s Jook Joint adds 21 rare tracks to the album’s 15 and boasts 11 unique mixes, edits and instrumental versions of the sensual track “Slow Jams,” featuring Babyface, Barry White, Portrait and Tamia. Additionally, “Stomp,’ a funky track that brings together Chaka Khan, Charlie Wilson, Coolio, Grandmaster Melle Mel, Shaquille O’Neal, and others, can be heard in no less than nine different mixes, including several high-energy mixes tailor made for clubs and dancefloors.
Taken together these two remarkable albums showcase Quincy Jones’ unparalleled artistry and honor the legendary producer, musician, songwriter in his 90th year!
