Track Listing

1. Shaolin Sword: Bring Da Ruckus
2. Shaolin Sword: Shame On A Nigga
3. Shaolin Sword: Clan In Da Front
4. Shaolin Sword: Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber
5. Shaolin Sword: Can It Be All So Simple
6. Wu-Tang Sword: Da Mystery Of Chessboxin'
7. Wu-Tang Sword: Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing Ta F' Wit
8. Wu-Tang Sword: C. R. E. A. M.
9. Wu-Tang Sword: Method Man
10. Wu-Tang Sword: Protect Ya Neck
11. Wu-Tang Sword: Tearz
12. Wu-Tang Sword: Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber - Part II

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2400 in Music
• Released on: 1993-11-09
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics

Amazon.com
This debut revolutionized hip-hop (and launched half a dozen solo careers), as much for The RZA's raw barrage of off-kilter, off-key loops and sound effects as for its elliptically violent lyrics. Martial arts--at least as they appear in kung fu movies--are the Wu-Tang Clan's favorite metaphor, but they're also the organizing principle of the group, a crowd of eight rappers, each with his own way-out-there "fighting style." They created their own little self-contained culture, with its own symbols and shifting identities, and let listeners figure it out for themselves. Unless you're willing to immerse yourself in its world, it can be baffling and a little dry, but its aggression and originality are undeniable. --Douglas Wolk

Album Description
Vinyl Classics reissue of the 1993 album comes as a vinyl look-a-like CD that's packaged in a die-cut, see-through Slipcase. BMG. 2005.

Album Details
Includes 'method Man (Skunk Remix)', Not Found on the Us Version.

Customer Reviews

The cornerstone of east coast hip hop
I should not have to write a review for this album For this album compares to the Beetles White album or Mozart. what fans (and Non Fans) of the Wu-tang Clan do not really realize is this album was a necessity for the east coast during this time. a lot of artist and albums after Enter the 36 pretty much copied this formula of lyrics, Beat making, and even group affiliation. back then it was unheard of to have Nine Emcee's (who all had an exceptional level of skill) in a group. but since this album, you had the boot camp clique, Flipmode squad, terror squad, and the dirty dozen (commonly known as D 12). Lyrics took a dramatic turn to be way more metaphorical. Rhyme schemas were influenced, story telling became more dramatic, Beats became more raw & more complexed. Alot of producers today are Directly or indirectly influenced by the Rza. The rza was the first beat maker who put a singing samples over lyrics. He was also the first to infuse far eastern samples and sounds with raw hip hop drums and bass. I can go on for days about this album but for the people who have not heard this album it is O.K . because this is one of the great albums of the 20th cenutry that will be studied in furture years to come.

Torchbearers of the Golden Era
If you think back, the years leading up all the way through the middle of 1993 had been dominated by the West Coast, and rightfully so.

You had one of the best beatmakers on either coast in Dr. Dre, produce an outright classic of an album (The Chronic). His protege (and probably the world's best known rap artist), Snoop Doggy Dogg goes on and produces another classic LP in " Doggystyle". Add to that mix urban film classics such as " Boyz N Da Hood" and "Menace To Society", and the West Coast owned the scene until...Wu-Tang Clan drops "Enter The Wu-Tang".

Now it must be said, "Enter" is far from a perfect album. As a matter of fact, I heard more miscues on this album then any album I could ever remember. For example, listen to the beginning of C.R.E.A.M. as Raekwon tries to initiate the song w/o the beat. They make up for this with raw energy, action packed rhymes, and innovative production.

That raw energy can be found early and often in songs like " Bring Da Ruckus" and " Shame On A N!&&@". Now, this album has an early intermission, but with that comes the classic "Can It All Be So Simple". This is one of those joints you just sit back to with a drink and just think about yesteryear.

The next two tracks do a great job of setting the stage for one of the best acronyms in the English speaking world with "C.R.E.A.M.". I mean, the song is perfect, from the lyrics to the hook, and don't get me started on the staggering piano loop. RZA's beats on this album are some of the genre's best.

Personally, I would rather have seen the album end with " Protect Ya Neck" instead of a weak song like " Part Two", but that's me being picky.

All in all, this is a good album that sets the stage for classic LP's such a Liquid Swords and Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. Cop it and see the progression I speak of.

overrated, overrated, overrated
This is the first review that I have written for Amazon, yet I felt compelled to do so. I purchased 36 Chambers on the recommendation of almost everyone who has ever written a review; which is to say that almost everyone loves this CD.
Let me start by saying that I am a huge student of rap music, have listened to almost every highly rated (and some not so highly rated) CD of the past 20 years, and continue to explore my collection daily. 36 Chambers is probably my least favorite. That is not to say that it's bad: I can see the merit in what it presents (especially lyrically). But to present this as a seminal work of rap makes no sense. The beats are predictable at best, sounding dated and irrelevant through many listens. C.R.E.A.M. is really the only song that carries a hook, albeit a very good one. What's missing from this album is production and flow. Lyrically, it's got some incredible storytelling behind it, but only on a few of the songs. Otherwise, I just found myself to be unimpressed and a little confused by all of the hype surrounding it. A five star review at Amazon should mean that the work is both accessable and exciting. It should both inspire and inform our world. This CD doesn't live up to it's reputation. At all...

My favorite CD's, for what it's worth:

Tupac - All Eyes On Me (No competition...Pick this up!!!)
Dr Dre - Chronic 2001
Outkast - ATLiens and Southernplaylisticadillacmusik
Mos Def - Black on Both Sides
Notorious BIG - Ready to Die
Jay Z - The Blueprint
Tupac - Me Against The World
Blackstar - Blackstar
The Fugees - The Score
The Roots - Phrenology

Since I am clearly in the minority of people that do not like 36 Chambers, I defer to all who came before me. Good Luck!!!