IV [PA] - Cypress Hill

...in 2001 for the UK IV is one of Cypress Hill's most creative albums to date with a good variation of tracks ranging from the chilled out Tequila Sunrise to the more fast paced Checkmate all of which are really well produced and really compliment each other well on the album. The first thing that stands out about this album is the cover it depicts three skeletons stood in a line the first covering its eyes, the second holding its ears and the third ...
...copy of Cypress Hill - IV from Amazon about two weeks ago for just £4 including postage costs which i thought was really good value but i was first introduced to this album back in 2005 by a friend of mine who was attempting to teach me how to play a guitar riff from the track Tequila sunrise which now is one of my favourite tracks on the album despite the fact i had listened to it over and over trying to perfect this.

My three favourite ... more

Cypress Hill - IV

Released: 6 October 1998
Produced By: DJ Muggs
Label: Ruff House

Firstly Who Are Cypress Hill?

Cypress Hill are are Hip-Hop collective consisting of three main rappers B-Real, Sen Dog & Eric BoBo who alongside DJ producer DJ Muggs who formed in the late 80's. Originally the group consisted of school friends Louis Freese (B-Real), Lawrence Muggerud (DJ Muggs), Senen Reyes (Sen Dog) and Ulpiano Sergio Reyes (Mellow Man Ace) but before their debut in 1988 Mellow Man Ace seperated from the group to further a solo career and was replaced by Eric Correa (Eric BoBo) although he has had guest appearances on most of their albums.

The Album:

Originally released in the US in 1998 and then later in 2001 for the UK IV is one of Cypress Hill's most creative albums to date with a good variation of tracks ranging from the chilled out Tequila Sunrise to the more fast paced Checkmate all of which are really well produced and really compliment each other well on the album. The first thing that stands out about this album is the cover it depicts three skeletons stood in a line the first covering its eyes, the second holding its ears and the third covering its mouth this was done to signify the popular saying see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil.

Track List:

1. Lookin' Through the Eye of a Pig - 4:06
2. Checkmate - 3:35
3. From the Window of My Room - 5:00
4. Prelude to a Come Up - 3:24
5. Riot Starter - 4:16
6. Audio X - 3:19
7. Steel Magnolia - 3:30
8. I Remember That Freak Bitch - 5:22
9. Nothin' to Lose - 3:53
10. Tequila Sunrise - 4:44
11. Dead Men Tell No Tales - 2:47
12. Feature Presentation - 3:45
13. Dr. Greenthumb - 4:24
14. 16 Men Till There's No Men Left - 4:20
15. High Times - 4:13
16. Clash of the Titans - 4:45
17. Lightning Strikes - 5:54
18. Case Closed -2:00

Review:

I purchased my copy of Cypress Hill - IV from Amazon about two weeks ago for just £4 including postage costs which i thought was really good value but i was first introduced to this album back in 2005 by a friend of mine who was attempting to teach me how to play a guitar riff from the track Tequila sunrise which now is one of my favourite tracks on the album despite the fact i had listened to it over and over trying to perfect this. My three favourite tracks on the album are 'Dr. Green Thumb' which is pretty much about a guy who has decided to grow his own weed because he got fed up with buying it off corrupt cops and getting busted for it five minutes later! 'Tequila Sunrise' which features an inticate sounding spanish guitar riff and the main theme seems to be lifes short to hang around so go for the gusto and make your money while you still can and finally 'Checkmate' which highlights the paranoia involved in gang war and the pressure when you realise the only person you have in life you can trust is yourself. The only track that disappointent me on this album was 'Lightning Strikes' which was mainly due its unoriginality but it is still a track that i do listen to regularly.

Having been a fan of Cypress Hill for about 8 years now IV really did not disappoint me and being both really varied & well produced it is an album that i would highly recommend but having said that Cypress Hill is kind of an acquired taste and therefore will not appeal to everyone also this version is definately not suitable for younger fans but luckily for them Cypress Hill also released a clean version without all the swearing and adult references. 

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