Tical [LP]

by Method Man

Overview

The first Wu-Tang Clan solo album to follow the seismic impact of Enter the Wu-Tang, Method Man's Tical similarly delivers an otherworldly wallop, one that instantly sets the madcap MC apart from his clansmen as the collective's shining star. Not only is Meth madcap, both in terms of mentality and delivery, he's also incredibly witty and wordy. Here he inspires hilarity as well as astonishment, and the way that he fires off his rhymes with such seemingly spontaneous ease compounds this sense of wonder. Just as Meth is quite clearly leagues above practically every other rapper in 1994 sans a small handful, if that, so is his producer, Wu-Tang abbot RZA, who produces the entirety of Tical: from the antiquated flutes and kung fu flick samples that open the album, to the pulse-accelerating beats of "Bring the Pain" and the fist-pumping ones of "All I Need" (the b-boy version rather than the radio-geared one featuring Mary J. Blige), to the rallying, warlike horns of "Release Yo' Delf." Despite a few outside contributions, most notably from Raekwon on the rowdy spar-fest "Meth vs. Chef," Tical is strictly a two-man show, Meth bringing da ruckus and RZA the swarming soundscapes, and that's precisely what further makes this album such a treasure amid the many Wu-Tang gems. Where most of Meth's clansmen delivered guest-laden albums that sounded more like group efforts than solo ones, Tical strictly spotlights the group's two stars and does so with refreshingly straightforward flair. There's none of the epic overreaching that mars so many rap albums of the era; rather, there's just over a dozen tracks here, and they're filled to the brim with rhymes and beats and little else -- no pop-crossover concessions nor any heady experimentation for the sake of experimentation, just good ol'-fashioned hip-hop, albeit with a dark, dark deranged twist. [Tical was reissued on LP in 2014.] ~ Jason Birchmeier

Product Details

Release Date:	09/16/2014
Label:	Def Jam
UPC:	0602537915590
Rank:	2439

Tracks

1. Tical
2. Biscuits
3. Bring the Pain
4. All I Need
5. What the Blood Clot
6. Meth Vs. Chef
7. Sub Crazy
8. Release Yo' Delf
9. P.L.O. Style
10. I Get My Thang in Action
11. Mr. Sandman
12. Stimulation
13. Method Man

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Method Man   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Raekwon   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Mary J. Blige   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Capleton   Primary Artist
Street Thug   Vocals
Street Life   Featured Artist
Carlton Fisk   Vocals,Featured Artist
Blue Raspberry   Vocals (Background)
Inspectah Deck   Vocals,Featured Artist
RZA   Vocals,Featured Artist
Y Kim   Featured Artist
Booster   Vocals

Technical Credits

Prince Rakeem   Producer
Carlo Bess   Remixing,Additional Production
Paul Lewis   Producer
Alvertis Isbell   Composer
The Chemical Brothers   Remixing,Additional Production
Ken "Duro" Ifill   Assistant Engineer
Corey Woods   Composer
Clifton Bailey   Composer
Valerie Simpson   Composer
Dino Fekaris   Composer
Robert Diggs   Composer
Rich Keller   Mixing
Neal Hefti   Composer
R. Diggs   Composer
New Blood   Remixing,Additional Production
Otis Redding   Composer
Method Man   Composer,Engineer,Producer
The Prodigy   Remixing,Additional Production
John Wydrycs   Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Carlton Fisk   Composer
Inspectah Deck   Composer
Freddie Perren   Composer
Puff Daddy   Remixing,Additional Production
RZA   Engineer,Producer,Remixing
Nickolas Ashford   Composer
Kevin Thomas   Engineer
Ethan Royman   Engineer
J. Nicholas   Mixing Assistant,Assistant Engineer
C. Woods   Composer
Dodge   Remixing,Additional Production
David Sealy   Mixing Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Jason Hunter   Composer
Jack Hersca   Engineer
Clifford Smith   Composer
J.K. Hunter   Composer
4th Disciple   Producer
Allen Alvoid Jones Jr.   Composer
Jonathan Smith   Producer
Patrick Charles   Composer