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Block Rockin' Beats

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"Block Rockin' Beats" is a song by British big beat duo the Chemical Brothers. Released in March 1997 by Freestyle Dust and Virgin as the second single and opening track from their second studio album, Dig Your Own Hole (1997), it 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.[3]

"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)
StudioOrinoco (South London, England)
Genre
Length
  • 5:14 (album version)
  • 5:00 (single version)
  • 3:24 (radio edit)
Label
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

Two different edits of "Block Rockin' Beats" exist: the version found on Dig Your Own Hole has an intro, while the version released as a single begins with the bass line. The B-side "Morning Lemon" is also available on the second disc of the limited edition Singles 93–03.

Blender included the song in their ranking of "Greatest Songs Since You Were Born" in 2005,[4] while LA Weekly ranked it number 14 in their list of "The 20 Best Dance Music Tracks in History" in 2015.[5]

Samples

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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 wrote that the track uses (without compensation) the bass line from the track "Coup" by 23 Skidoo.[6][7] 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".[8]

"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?").

Chart performance

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"Block Rockin' Beats" was a major hit on the charts in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US. In Europe, the song peaked at number one in its first week on the UK Singles Chart on March 30, 1997. It spent one week at the top position before dropping to number eight the following week. The single also hit number two on the UK Dance Singles Chart. It entered the top 10 also in Finland (6), Iceland (2), Ireland (9) and Scotland (4). Additionally, it was a top 20 hit in Norway (13) and Sweden (12), as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100,[9] where it peaked at number 12 in April 1997.

In Australia and New Zealand, "Block Rockin' Beats" charted at number 28 and 29, respectively. In the US, the song charted on three different Billboard charts; number 5 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, number 11 on the Dance Singles Sales chart and number 40 on the Alternative Airplay chart. In Canada, it reached number nine and six on the RPM Dance/Urban chart and Rock/Alternative chart.

"Block Rockin' Beats" received a silver record in the UK, after 200,000 singles were sold.

Critical reception

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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."[10] 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."[11] 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".[12] David Browne from Entertainment Weekly remarked the "burning-down-the-disco break beats".[13]

Irish Evening Herald said tracks like this are based on infectious melodies "that stick in your head for ages."[14] Sally Stratton from Music & Media noted its "frenetic pace".[15] British magazine Music Week gave it four out of five, adding that "this chunky techno/hip hop sound clash finds the Chemicals at their most in-your-face".[16] Gerald Martinez from New Sunday Times viewed it as "thunderous".[17] A reviewer from People Magazine said that on the "cacophonous, turbo-charged" track, the duo "borrow heavily from hip hop’s cut-and-paste production methods".[18] David Fricke from Rolling Stone named "Block Rockin' Beats" the "Whole Lotta Love" of Dance Floor '97.[19] Terri Sutton from Salon described it as "incorrigible", with its "frantic faux guitar interplay, funky bass and underwater detonations."[20] 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."[21]

Impact and legacy

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In 2005, Blender ranked "Block Rockin' Beats" number 346 in their "Greatest Songs Since You Were Born".[4] In 2013, Complex included it in their list of "The 15 Best Songs From the Electronica Era". A writer remarked 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."[2] In 2015, LA Weekly ranked it number 14 in their list of "The 20 Best Dance Music Tracks in History".[5] In 2020, BBC included "Block Rockin' Beats" in their list of "30 Tracks That Shaped Dance Music Over the Last 30 Years". Jack Needham commented, "Not only was the song an undeniable ear worm, 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."[22] Same year, Mixmag featured the track in their "The Best Basslines in Dance Music", writing, "The bassline here forms one of the most memorable intros in the Chemical Brothers' canon, and continues to serve as a rock solid foundation throughout the explosive track."[23] In 2022, Classic Pop ranked it number 25 in their list of the top 40 dance tracks from the 90's.[24]

Track listings

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All tracks are written by Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons except "Block Rockin' Beats", written by Rowlands, Simons, and Jesse Weaver

UK CD1, Canadian and Australian CD single[25]
No.TitleLength
1."Block Rockin' Beats" 
2."Prescription Beats" 
3."Morning Lemon" 
UK CD2[26]
No.TitleLength
1."Block Rockin' Beats" 
2."Block Rockin' Beats" (The Micronauts remix) 
3."Block Rockin' Beats" (The Micronauts bonus beats) 
4."Block Rockin' Beats" (radio edit) 
UK 12-inch single[27]
No.TitleLength
1."Block Rockin' Beats" 
2."Morning Lemon" 
3."Block Rockin' Beats" (The Micronauts remix) 
European CD single[28]
No.TitleLength
1."Block Rockin' Beats" 
2."Prescription Beats" 
US and Japanese maxi-CD single[29][30]
No.TitleLength
1."Block Rockin' Beats" 
2."Prescription Beats" 
3."Morning Lemon" 
4."Block Rockin' Beats" (The Micronauts remix) 
US 12-inch single[31]
No.TitleLength
1."Block Rockin' Beats" 
2."Morning Lemon" 
3."Block Rockin' Beats" (The Micronauts bonus beats) 
4."Block Rockin' Beats" (The Micronauts remix) 
5."Prescription Beats" 

Credits and personnel

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Credits are lifted from the Dig Your Own Hole album booklet.[32]

Studios

  • Recorded at Orinoco Studios (South London, England)
  • Mastered at The Exchange (London, England)

Personnel

  • The Chemical Brothers – production
    • Tom Rowlands – writing
    • Ed Simons – writing
  • Schoolly D – writing (as Jesse Weaver)
  • Steve Dub – engineering
  • Mike Marsh – mastering

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[52] Gold 35,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[53] Silver 200,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 24 March 1997
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
[54]
United States 7 April 1997 Alternative radio Astralwerks [55]
Japan 28 April 1997 CD
  • Freestyle Dust
  • Virgin
 [56]

References

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  1. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/song/block-rockin-beats-mt0008267782 [bare URL]
  2. ^ a b "The 15 Best Songs From the Electronica Era". Complex. 5 August 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  3. ^ "The Chemical Brothers". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Blender Magazine: Greatest Songs Since You Were Born". Archived from the original on 7 January 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  5. ^ a b "The 20 Best Dance Music Tracks in History". LA Weekly. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ [1] Archived 10 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ a b "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14, no. 15. 12 April 1997. p. 13. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  10. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Chemical Brothers – Dig Your Own Hole". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  11. ^ Flick, Larry (26 April 1997). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 73. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  12. ^ McCarthy, Sean (20 May 2001). "Dig Your Own Hole – Chemical Brothers". The Daily Vault. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  13. ^ Browne, David (18 April 1997). "Dig Your Own Hole". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  14. ^ Evening Herald. 27 November 1997. p. 26.
  15. ^ Stratton, Sally (12 April 1997). "Reviews: Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14, no. 15. p. 11. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  16. ^ "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 15 March 1997. p. 10. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  17. ^ Martinez, Gerald (8 November 1998). "Dance fever for one and all". New Sunday Times. p. 13. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  18. ^ "Picks and Pans Review: Dig Your Own Hole". People. 21 April 1997. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  19. ^ Fricke, David (25 December 1997-8 January 1998). "The year in recordings". Rolling Stone. Issue 776/777.
  20. ^ Sutton, Terri (April 1997). "Sharps and Flats". Salon. Archived from the original on 30 August 2000. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  21. ^ "Singles Of The Week". Sunday Mirror. 23 March 1997. p. 33.
  22. ^ Needham, Jack. "30 tracks that shaped dance music over the last 30 years". BBC. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  23. ^ "The Best Basslines In Dance Music, According To You". Mixmag. 7 May 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  24. ^ "90s Dance – The Essential Playlist". Classic Pop. 21 February 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  25. ^ Block Rockin' Beats (UK CD1, Canadian & Australian CD single liner notes). The Chemical Brothers. Freestyle Dust, Virgin Records. 1997. CHEMSD5, 7243 8 94179 2 0.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  26. ^ Block Rockin' Beats (UK CD2 liner notes). The Chemical Brothers. Freestyle Dust, Virgin Records. 1997. CHEMSDX5, 7243 8 94193 2 0.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  27. ^ Block Rockin' Beats (UK 12-inch single sleeve). The Chemical Brothers. Freestyle Dust, Virgin Records. 1997. CHEMST5, 7243 8 94193 6 8.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  28. ^ Block Rockin' Beats (European CD single liner notes). The Chemical Brothers. Freestyle Dust, Virgin Records. 1997. CHEMSDE5, 7243 8 94181 2 5.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  29. ^ Block Rockin' Beats (US maxi-CD single liner notes). The Chemical Brothers. Astralwerks. 1997. ASW 6195.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  30. ^ Block Rockin' Beats (Japanese maxi-CD single liner notes). The Chemical Brothers. Virgin Records. 1997. VJCP-15020.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  31. ^ Block Rockin' Beats (US 12-inch single sleeve). The Chemical Brothers. Astralwerks. 1997. ASW 6195.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  32. ^ Dig Your Own Hole (UK CD album booklet). The Chemical Brothers. Freestyle Dust, Virgin Records. 1997. XDUSTCD2, 7243 8 42950 2 8.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  33. ^ "The Chemical Brothers – Block Rockin' Beats". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  34. ^ "The Chemical Brothers – Block Rockin' Beats" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  35. ^ "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 3247." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  36. ^ "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 3229." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  37. ^ "The Chemical Brothers: Block Rockin' Beats" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
  38. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (01.05.1997 – 07.05.1997)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 May 1997. p. 20. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  39. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Block Rockin' Beats". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  40. ^ "The Chemical Brothers – Block Rockin' Beats". Top 40 Singles.
  41. ^ "The Chemical Brothers – Block Rockin' Beats". VG-lista.
  42. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  43. ^ "The Chemical Brothers – Block Rockin' Beats". Singles Top 100.
  44. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  45. ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  46. ^ "The Chemical Brothers Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  47. ^ "The Chemical Brothers Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard.
  48. ^ "The Chemical Brothers Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  49. ^ "Árslistinn 1997 – Íslenski Listinn – 100 Vinsælustu Lögin". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 January 1998. p. 25. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  50. ^ "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.
  51. ^ "Top 100 Singles 1997". Music Week. 17 January 1998. p. 27.
  52. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  53. ^ "British single certifications – Chemical Brothers – Block Rockin' Beats". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  54. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 22 March 1997. p. 45. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  55. ^ "Be on the Lookout". Gavin Report. No. 2148. 28 March 1997. p. 58.
  56. ^ "ブロック・ロッキン・ビーツ | ケミカル・ブラザーズ" [Block Rockin' Beats | Chemical Brothers] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
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