Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version
1995 studio album by Ol' Dirty Bastard
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Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version is the debut studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Ol' Dirty Bastard, released March 28, 1995, by Elektra Records in the United States. Intent on creating a solo album away from Wu-Tang, he signed to Elektra in January 1993 and embarked on a two-year recording process the same year.
| Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 28, 1995 | |||
| Recorded | 1992–1995 | |||
| Studio | RZA's basement studio, New York City | |||
| Genre | Hardcore hip-hop | |||
| Length | 59:04 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Ol' Dirty Bastard chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version | ||||
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Background
It was the second solo album, after Method Man's Tical, to be released from the nine-member Wu-Tang Clan following the release of their debut album. Return to the 36 Chambers was primarily produced by RZA, with additional production from Ol' Dirty Bastard, and affiliates True Master and 4th Disciple. The album features guest appearances from Wu-Tang Clan members GZA, RZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah and Masta Killa as well as Wu-Tang Killa Beez.
Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version peaked at number seven on the Billboard 200 and number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album sold 81,000 copies in its first week,[1] and was certified Platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on March 26, 2019.[2] Upon its release, the album received positive reviews from most music critics, with many complimenting Ol' Dirty Bastard's bizarre lyrical delivery and RZA's eerie production. The album was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 1996 Grammy Awards.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [4] |
| Christgau's Consumer Guide | A−[5] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[6] |
| Los Angeles Times | [7] |
| Pitchfork | 9.3/10[8] |
| Rolling Stone | [9] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [10] |
| Select | 2/5[11] |
| The Source | [12] |
Upon its release, Return to the 36 Chambers received general acclaim, including award nominations and inclusions on year-end publications. In his review for Rolling Stone magazine, Touré commented: "With his raspy, lisp-punctuated voice and half-sung, half-rapped style, Ol' Dirty Bastard may well be the most original vocalist in hip-hop history."[9] Entertainment Weekly's Tiarra Mukherjee thought the album showed the "raw, innovative talent of their illest member ... The RZA's signature dissonant piano loops [sparkle] behind Dirty's delirious, reverberating delivery."[6] Michael Bonner of Melody Maker wrote, "... an hour of cruel hard and frighteningly funny hip hop; the perfect companion piece to Wu-Tang's 36 Chambers ... the songs are driven by a vicious, unstable urgency."[13]
By contrast, Select magazine's Matt Hall was more critical of the album. His review found the album inferior to Method Man's album Tical, stating that "From the extremely long and unfunny – intro skit, its obvious ideas are spread wafer thin across the 15 tracks."[11]
The Dirty Version was nominated for the 1996 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, but lost to Naughty by Nature's Poverty's Paradise.[14]
Retrospectively, the album has continually seen positive coverage.[15] Pitchfork's contributor Sheldon Pearce lauded the album in a classic review as "a work of orchestrated negligence and a makeshift classic."[16]
Track listing
Track listing information is taken from the official liner notes and AllMusic.[17][18]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | Russell Jones | 4:47 | |
| 2. | "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" |
| RZA | 2:41 |
| 3. | "Baby C'mon" | Jones | RZA | 3:26 |
| 4. | "Brooklyn Zoo" | Jones | 3:37 | |
| 5. | "Hippa to Da Hoppa" |
| RZA | 3:01 |
| 6. | "Raw Hide" (featuring Method Man and Raekwon) |
| RZA | 4:02 |
| 7. | "Damage" (featuring GZA) |
|
| 2:47 |
| 8. | "Don't U Know" (featuring Killah Priest) |
| RZA | 4:26 |
| 9. | "The Stomp" | Jones |
| 2:22 |
| 10. | "Goin' Down" | Jones | RZA | 4:19 |
| 11. | "Drunk Game (Sweet Sugar Pie)" |
|
| 4:20 |
| 12. | "Snakes" (featuring Killah Priest, RZA, Masta Killa, Buddha Monk) |
| RZA | 5:26 |
| 13. | "Brooklyn Zoo II (Tiger Crane)" (featuring Ghostface Killah) |
| RZA | 7:20 |
| 14. | "Proteck Ya Neck II the Zoo" (featuring Buddha Monk, Prodigal Sunn, Zu Keeper, Murdoc, Killah Priest, 12 O'Clock, Shorty Shit Stain and 60 Second Assassin) |
| RZA | 4:00 |
| 15. | "Cuttin' Headz" (featuring RZA) |
| RZA | 2:28 |
| Total length: | 59:04 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16. | "Dirty Dancin'" (featuring Method Man) |
| RZA | 2:42 |
| 17. | "Harlem World" |
| Big Dore | 6:15 |
| 18. | "Ol' Dirty's Back" (featuring 12 O'Clock) |
| Popa Chief | 4:12 |
| Total length: | 72:13 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19. | "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" (Extended Version) |
| RZA | 3:49 |
| 20. | "Don't U Know, Pt. II" |
| RZA | 5:08 |
| 21. | "Give It To Ya Raw" (SD50 Remix) |
|
| 4:08 |
| 22. | "Brooklyn Zoo" (Stripped Version) | Jones |
| 3:09 |
| 23. | "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" (Stripped Version) |
| RZA | 3:03 |
| 24. | "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" (Instrumental) | RZA | 2:46 | |
| 25. | "Baby C'mon" (Instrumental) | RZA | 3:38 | |
| 26. | "Brooklyn Zoo" (Instrumental) |
| 3:51 | |
| 27. | "Hippa To Da Hoppa" (Instrumental) | RZA | 2:47 | |
| 28. | "Raw Hide" (Instrumental) | RZA | 4:10 | |
| 29. | "Damage" (Instrumental) |
| 2:51 | |
| 30. | "Don't U Know" (Instrumental) | RZA | 4:39 | |
| 31. | "The Stomp" (Instrumental) |
| 3:48 | |
| 32. | "Goin' Down" (Instrumental) | RZA | 3:48 | |
| 33. | "Drunk Game (Sweet Sugar Pie)" (Instrumental) |
| 4:10 | |
| 34. | "Snakes" (Instrumental) | RZA | 5:16 | |
| 35. | "Brooklyn Zoo II (Tiger Crane)" (Instrumental) | RZA | 4:58 | |
| 36. | "Proteck Ya Neck II The Zoo" (Instrumental) | RZA | 3:59 | |
| 37. | "Dirty Dancin'" (Instrumental) | RZA | 2:46 | |
| 38. | "Harlem World" (Instrumental) | Big Dore | 6:22 | |
| 39. | "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" (Extended Version; Instrumental) | RZA | 3:39 | |
| 40. | "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" (Studio Ton Remix; Instrumental) | RZA | 4:39 | |
| 41. | "Brooklyn Zoo" (Lord Digga Remix; Instrumental) |
| 4:00 | |
| 42. | "Brooklyn Zoo" (Lord Digga Remix) | Jones |
| 4:06 |
| 43. | "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" (Extended Mix; A Capella) |
| 3:27 | |
| Total length: | 171:14 | |||
Personnel
Musicians
- Ol' Dirty Bastard – assistant engineer, mixing, producer, vocals
- RZA – producer, mixing, vocals
- Ghostface Killah, GZA, Masta Killa, Method Man, Raekwon, Killah Priest, Sunz Of Man, Brooklyn Zu – vocals
- Buddha Monk – vocals, mixing
- Big Dore – producer vocals
Additional
- Big Dore – producer
- True Master – producer
- Ethan Ryman – producer, engineer
- John Wydrycs, Tim Latham – engineer, mixing
- Jimmie Lee, Jack Hersca – engineer, assistant engineer
- Deden Sumandani – mixing
- Martin Czembor – assistant engineer, mixing
- David Sealy, Jay Nicholas – assistant engineer
- Alli – art direction
- Danny Clinch – photography
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[26] | Silver | 60,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[27] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Accolades
- (*) signifies unordered lists
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blender | United States | 500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die[28] | 2003 | * |
| Ego Trip | Hip Hop's 25 Greatest Albums by Year 1980–1998[29] | 1999 | 4 | |
| Hip Hop Connection | United Kingdom | The 100 Greatest Rap Albums 1995–2005[30] | 2006 | 32 |
| Les Inrockuptibles | France | Albums of the Year[citation needed] | 1995 | * |
| Muzik | United Kingdom | Albums of the Year[31] | 1996 | 15 |
| Ned Raggett | United States | The Top 136 Albums of the Nineties[32] | 1999 | 87 |
| Pop | Sweden | Albums of the Year[citation needed] | 1995 | 14 |
| The Source | United States | The 100 Best Rap Albums of All Time[33] | 1998 | * |
| Spex | Germany | The 100 Albums of the Century[citation needed] | 1999 | 67 |
| Albums of the Year[citation needed] | 1995 | 1 | ||
| The Village Voice | United States | Pazz & Jop[34] | 1996 | 39 |