Taking Sides: It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Holds Us Back VS. Fear Of A Black Planet

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Another monumental argument between co-workers. While we both love both records, which is the BETTER release is being debated. I think it's an easy decision, your help is appreciated.

It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back:
Countdown to Armageddon
Bring the Noise
Don't Believe the Hype
Cold Lampin' With Flavor
Terminator X to the Edge of Panic
Mind Terrorist
Louder Than a Bomb
Caught, Can We Get a Witness?
Show 'Em Whatcha Got
She Watch Channel Zero?!
Night of the Living Baseheads
Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos
Security of the First World
Rebel Without a Pause
Prophets of Rage
Party for Your Right to Fight

Fear Of A Black Planet:
Contract on the World Love Jam [instrumental]
Brothers Gonna Work It Out
911 Is a Joke
Incident at 66.6 FM
Welcome to the Terrordome
Meet the G That Killed Me
Pollywanacraka
Anti-Nigger Machine
Burn Hollywood Burn
Power to the People
Who Stole the Soul?
Fear of a Black Planet
Revolutionary Generation
Can't Do Nuttin' for Ya Man
Reggie Jax
Leave This off Your Fu*kin Charts
B Side Wins Again
War at 33 1/3
Final Count of the Collison Between Us and the Damned Shocklee
Fight the Power

― Hyde Park Records, Saturday, 26 March 2005 23:10 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't understand how Fear of A Black Planet ever ends up in the same league as Nations of Millions.

― Bobby Peru (Bobby Peru), Saturday, 26 March 2005 23:14 (twenty-one years ago)

really????

― j blount (papa la bas), Saturday, 26 March 2005 23:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Fear just seems so 'after-the-fact'.
(The fact being Nations of Millions).

― Bobby Peru (Bobby Peru), Saturday, 26 March 2005 23:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Love 'em both, but Nation of Millions is superior. Anyone who listens to music that doesn't own it is not to be trusted.

― John Justen (johnjusten), Saturday, 26 March 2005 23:21 (twenty-one years ago)

jesus christ

― j blount (papa la bas), Saturday, 26 March 2005 23:23 (twenty-one years ago)

I've always liked Fear better.

― amon (eman), Saturday, 26 March 2005 23:28 (twenty-one years ago)

I think this one comes down to which one you listened to (and OWNED) first.

― Bobby Peru (Bobby Peru), Saturday, 26 March 2005 23:32 (twenty-one years ago)

I listened to and owned Nations first and I prefer Fear. It's funkier, and it's so dense. You couldn't cut through the layers of samples with a blade.

― Matt Chesnut, Saturday, 26 March 2005 23:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Nation might reach higher peaks, but Fear seems more seamless and more brutal.

xpost: exactly.

― Nag! Nag! Nag! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Saturday, 26 March 2005 23:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Feat might reach higher peaks, but Nation seems more seamless (and was more surprising when I heard it--also no weak tracks.)

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Saturday, 26 March 2005 23:44 (twenty-one years ago)

That said these days I am preferring the higher peaks so Fear gets my vote.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Saturday, 26 March 2005 23:46 (twenty-one years ago)

No contest, Fear.

Millions is half-good, at best.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Saturday, 26 March 2005 23:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Okay...sure..."Nation" was the groundbreaker and the innovator, but "Fear" is actually more fun and interesting to listen to. "Fear" completes and experiments started with "Nation" and tests the tentative prototypes theorized about in "Nation"; besides, it has twice as much flav! ("Nation" only has "Cold Lampin'" while "Fear" has both "911 is a Joke" AND "Can't Do Nuthin' For Ya Man"; either of which is 2x bettah than "Cold Lampin'")

― Lord Custos Omicron (Lord Custos Omicron), Sunday, 27 March 2005 01:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, It Takes A Nation... does have "Bring the Noise" (among many others), I think I plunged more headlong into Fear of a Black Planet. It just seems like more of a cohesive piece, whereas ..Nation... has some great tracks and lots of filler (tho', yes, there's filler on Fear.. too).

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 27 March 2005 01:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Nonsense! Filler? What Filler?

― Lord Custos Omicron (Lord Custos Omicron), Sunday, 27 March 2005 01:17 (twenty-one years ago)

I wouldn't ever want to make this choice in real life, but I'm gonna go with Fear because as great as "Rebel Without A Pause" and "Don't Believe The Hype" and "Bring The Noise" are, "Welcome To The Terrordome" (which genuinely shocked me the first time I heard it, a couple of months before the album came out) and "Fight The Power" and "911 Is A Joke" are better. And, as has been mentioned, Fear has twice as much Flav, though Yo! Bum Rush The Show contains my absolute favorite Flav rhyme: "I got to the beach/The ground was all sandy/Girls on my jock like ants on candy."

― pdf (Phil Freeman), Sunday, 27 March 2005 01:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Fear's got filler all over the place ("Meet The G That Killed Me", the Ice Cube verse on "Burn Hollywood Burn, plus it totally tails off midway through.) Nation only has the still better than decent "Terminator X to the Edge of Panic".

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Sunday, 27 March 2005 01:28 (twenty-one years ago)

I prefer Fear of a Black Planet myself. Matt said it well above: Fear is just so dense. The brutal, aggressive sound just epitmozied to me the idea of Public Enemy. There's so much going on production wise, it makes Nation seems somewhat sparse in comparison. In fact, after getting Fear first, I was a little disappointed with Nation on first listen.

― D. Bachyrycz, Sunday, 27 March 2005 01:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Sparse is good. Fear = cluttered.

(see: Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos, perfect in it's simple immediacy - nothing on Fear comes close)

― Bobby Peru (Bobby Peru), Sunday, 27 March 2005 01:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Nation of Millions. No contest for me though Fear is pretty damn good.

― gspm (gspm), Sunday, 27 March 2005 01:43 (twenty-one years ago)

I agree that "Meet the G that Killed Me" is weak, but "Burn Hollywood Burn" is awesome.

― Lord Custos Omicron (Lord Custos Omicron), Sunday, 27 March 2005 01:45 (twenty-one years ago)

ICE CUBE'S VERSE ISN'T!?!?!

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Sunday, 27 March 2005 01:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Welll...it's a bit weaker than Chuck's or Kane's...but its also the shortest verse. So it's like getting a shot at the doctor. It hurts for a second, and then its done. And you say to yerself "hey, that wasn't that bad."

― Lord Custos Omicron (Lord Custos Omicron), Sunday, 27 March 2005 01:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Nation has more great songs. But the great songs on Fear are better. I like Apocalypse 91 better than either.

― Johnny Badlees (crispssssss), Sunday, 27 March 2005 01:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Cube's verse is just fine. And come to think of it AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted is a better record through and through than either of these.

― Johnny Badlees (crispssssss), Sunday, 27 March 2005 01:36 (twenty-one years ago)

You're pretty much high as a kite. Goof.

― Don Dickles, Sunday, 27 March 2005 01:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Goof Comment OTM.

― tipustiger, Sunday, 27 March 2005 02:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Millions, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, Fear. In that order, uncontested.

― Remy (x Jeremy), Sunday, 27 March 2005 02:51 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm not sure i follow the argument that Nation has filler... especially dr. bill's claim that its HALF filler.

I prefer Cube to PE, so for me itd be DC > millions > amerikkkas > fear

― djdee (djdee2005), Sunday, 27 March 2005 02:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Wow, I'd never even think of ranking DC above Amerikkka's. As for topic, I'd def. put Millions first, although I can see the arguments made for Fear, especially based on the greatness of "Fight the Power" and "Welcome to the Terrordome" which are probably PEs two best songs.

Of course, "Strictly Business" is better than any album mentioned yet on this thread.

― Austin S (Austin, Still), Sunday, 27 March 2005 03:00 (twenty-one years ago)

I didn't really anticipate Fear of a Black Planet when it came out because I was still chewing on Nation of Millions and there was plenty still on the plate. I listened to it and thought it was great (especially the first side through Meet the G) but the quality level on NoM seems to stay higher although it may just be stars in my eyes.

Re. filler: I almost never listen to Channel Zero but every other track on NoM is certified. Even the interludes sound important.

Best intro to this day: "You're quite hostile...".

Also, Chuck D is the Matt Johnson of rap: promising career arc squandered because he took his lyrics(self?) too seriously - actually people were listening to the MUSIC.

― jcartledge (jcartledge), Sunday, 27 March 2005 03:07 (twenty-one years ago)

i think i like fear better - nation is stronger overall but it's hard for me to listen to the whole thing in one sitting, it's more like a compilation of (terrific) singles than a cohesive album-as-album (which fear definitely is, filler and all). better songs? well, one has "fight the power" but the other has "rebel without a pause" AND "bring the noise." i'd call it a tie.

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Sunday, 27 March 2005 03:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Shock G's "Fear of a Mixed Planet" from last year is very good as well.

― Austin s (Austin, Still), Sunday, 27 March 2005 05:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I am 30, and Fear was my First. CD. Ever.

So it obviously holds a dear place in my heart.

Funny story: since it was my first CD, I was fascinated by and unfamiliar with this new digital technology.

At the end of the CD, as you'll remember, there is a bit where an interviewer says "Talk to me about the future of Public Enemy" and Chuck D. says "The future of Public Enemy got a..."

And then the CD ends.

Well, I was convinced there was something wrong with my CD player - like, perhaps it was not good enough to play the entire Public Enemy CD.

Those were the days.

― Justin, Sunday, 27 March 2005 05:35 (twenty-one years ago)

The difference between the two isn't just a matter of more or less filler, tho -- they sound and feel very different. Nations is way more stripped down and fierce -- punk -- where Fear is saturated and bursting at the seams, sonically. It's like Suicide vs. Electric Ladyland or something. Fear was really where the Bomb Squad went all out; I think they kind of invented a new kind of music, but nobody else could play it and so it just sort of exploded and died. Songwise, I'll take Nations because c'mon. Soundwise, I'll take Fear.

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Sunday, 27 March 2005 05:47 (twenty-one years ago)

haha yeah i've always been annoyed we don't get to find out what chuck says about the future of public enemy.

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Sunday, 27 March 2005 05:56 (twenty-one years ago)

‘Welcome to the Terrordome’, aww yeah! At first it sort of scared me as well. It’s so beautifully put together, so exciting. My favourite part is ‘Subordinate terror kickin’ off an era!’ and then a guitar squeal.

― Orange (Orange), Sunday, 27 March 2005 10:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Fear, but I'd take any PE album, save maybe (maybe) Revolverlution over Nation of Millions. It's so poorly constructed sonically (all those live in England inserts-- ugh), and the two or three songs I like on the album contain lazy samples from better songs by the JBs and Isaac Hayes.

― Vic Funk, Sunday, 27 March 2005 10:55 (twenty-one years ago)

i was 'after the fact' myself, hence i know and love 'Fear...' more

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Sunday, 27 March 2005 11:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Word em up on Strictly Business being better than everything else here. Business As Usual too.

But then again I'm that high as a kite goof who likes AmeriKKKa's and Apocalypse 91 better than these records.. don't listen to me.. I must have forgotten my medication or something..

Dumb fucking bitches.

― Johnny Badlees (crispssssss), Sunday, 27 March 2005 11:48 (twenty-one years ago)

As a kite.

― Don Dickles, Sunday, 27 March 2005 15:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Both records are FEROCIOUS. This is like Hearns-Hagler '85. You'd need a Richard Steele-type stupid enough to get in the iddle of something like that....

"You want six dollars for WHAT?"

― Dr. Gene Scott (shinybeast), Sunday, 27 March 2005 19:00 (twenty-one years ago)

"...(m)iddle." I'm a little punch-drunk myself.

― Dr. Gene Scott (shinybeast), Sunday, 27 March 2005 19:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Re-listened to both today. Realized that both are amazing; But also decided that "Reggie Jax" is lame and that the screechy sample in "Prophets of Rage" is too far forward in the mix. Half of Chucks lyrics (in "PoR") are completely unintelligible because that sample keeps drowning him out (granted, this is after listening to a worn out copy of the cassette. Probably about time to break down and get the cd version.)

― Lord Custos Omicron (Lord Custos Omicron), Sunday, 27 March 2005 21:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Nation but not by a whole lot.

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Sunday, 27 March 2005 22:12 (twenty-one years ago)

The sub-challenge, of course, is "Bring the Noise" vs. "Fight the Power." Interesting that one should more or less start the album as a statement of purpose, while the other ends it as an even more powerful statement of purpose (that sets up the lingering sense of promise not quite fulfilled, post-"Fear").

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Sunday, 27 March 2005 23:21 (twenty-one years ago)

MU SICK AND HOUR MESS AGE IS BETTER THAN BOTH

― charleston charge (chaki), Sunday, 27 March 2005 23:27 (twenty-one years ago)

I think they kind of invented a new kind of music, but nobody else could play it and so it just sort of exploded and died.

I think it was more that after that album, the lawsuits started breaking and no one else could afford to make it. Even themselves.

This interview has been posted to ILM before but it's still key: http://www.stayfreemagazine.org/archives/20/public_enemy.html

― milton parker (Jon L), Sunday, 27 March 2005 23:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Fear

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Sunday, 27 March 2005 23:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Nation

But if Fear had included the mix of "Fight the Power" from the Do the Right Thing soundtrack, and used the single remix of "Brothers Gonna Work It Out," I might tip the other way...

― Pete Scholtes, Monday, 28 March 2005 00:05 (twenty-one years ago)

two years pass...

TS: "Fear Of a Black Planet" Vs "Fear Of a Blank Planet"

― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 01:08 (eighteen years ago)

that godawful live intro from some uk dj ruined the impace of 'nation of millions...' for me aged 16, so 'fear...'

― pisces, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 01:25 (eighteen years ago)

nation, for the sheer quantity of awesome songs

― Charlie Howard, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 04:26 (eighteen years ago)

For a second I thought you said 'average' and I was thinking, "Are you out of your MIND?"

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 04:34 (eighteen years ago)

For a second there, I thought he said "applesauce!"

― Whiney G. Weingarten, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 04:58 (eighteen years ago)

Also, NoM takes this easy, because it's so tightly wound and concentrated into such a tiny space.

― Whiney G. Weingarten, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 05:11 (eighteen years ago)

"No contest, Fear.
Millions is half-good, at best."

THANK YOU, ANDREW. Millions is too squealy and repetitive and its legend is dependent on context. Namely, that it got there first.

― kiss out the jams, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 05:53 (eighteen years ago)

Millions is, like, two thirds good.

― The Reverend, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 15:06 (eighteen years ago)

'nations', easily.

is the 'hammersmith odeon...' bit on the US version too then?!

― That one guy that hit it and quit it, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 15:08 (eighteen years ago)

And yeah, no contest, Fear. The guy who said "whichever one you heard/owned first" is soooo wrong. I owned and was somewhat ambivalent about Nation for the better part of five years before I heard Fear and got my ass knocked on the fucking floor. Unfortunately, this ass-to-floor knocking caused me to purchase Apocolypse '91.

― The Reverend, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 15:09 (eighteen years ago)

xp: yes, all the London Invasion stuff is on the US version.

― The Reverend, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 15:10 (eighteen years ago)

I am not choosing.

― HI DERE, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 15:25 (eighteen years ago)

I don't think they're as far apart as some people are claiming here. But Fear, for me, just, if for no other reason than "Revolutionary Generation".

― Noodle Vague, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 15:41 (eighteen years ago)

When I first heard Nation, it was immediately obvious how monumental it was. Then I heard Fear and thought, "They topped themselves?!"

They usually run neck-and-neck for me, but in a pinch I'll take Nation.

― Sara Sara Sara, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 16:32 (eighteen years ago)

It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back>>>Yo! Bumrush the Show>>>Fear of A Black Planet

― Lolpez, Thursday, 1 November 2007 18:32 (eighteen years ago)

"Fear Of a BLANK Planet" is still so much better though.

― Geir Hongro, Thursday, 1 November 2007 21:06 (eighteen years ago)

Kettle's boiling!

Ha! Ha!

― PhilK, Thursday, 1 November 2007 21:08 (eighteen years ago)

Hey Geir, think you can mention Fear of a BLANK Planet one more time?

― Lolpez, Thursday, 1 November 2007 21:20 (eighteen years ago)

I got 'Nation' on tape when I visited London back in '88 and to hear that intro...ending with "London, England, consider yourselves...warned!" was awesome. So it will always be 'Nation' for me.

― 2for25, Thursday, 1 November 2007 22:23 (eighteen years ago)

seven months pass...

I dialed 911 along time ago

― J0hn D., Tuesday, 10 June 2008 07:57 (eighteen years ago)

damn spacebar

― J0hn D., Tuesday, 10 June 2008 07:58 (eighteen years ago)

'Fear' is brilliant because it progressed significantly on beyond 'Nation'; the production is so much more impressive, dense and hot. 'Fear' has it's own sweltering feel to it. But 'Nation' is unimpeachable, and pretty much perfect. But the highpoints of 'Fear' are possibly beyond 'Nation'.

Seeing PE do just over half of 'Nation' live at Primavera was stunning, but I was disappointed when they stopped doing it (esp. before 'Black Steel' and 'Rebel'!) but then they finished with a bit of 'Terrordome' before ending with 'Fight The Power'...you can't really feel cheated after that.

― Mister Craig, Wednesday, 11 June 2008 07:34 (eighteen years ago)

Too much buts!

― Mister Craig, Wednesday, 11 June 2008 07:35 (eighteen years ago)

I don't think they're as far apart as some people are claiming here. But Fear, for me, just, if for no other reason than "Revolutionary Generation".

-- Noodle Vague, Wednesday, 31 October 2007 15:41 (7 months ago) Bookmark Link

I'd totally forgotten how great that song was, I'mma hit it on the way into work now. Ta!

― Mister Craig, Wednesday, 11 June 2008 07:37 (eighteen years ago)

My problem with fear is it suffers from, ooo shiny cd's lets fill it syndrone, ive removed 5 tracks from it and its almost perfect :D

Millions was the first one i heard so ye thats my fav ofc

― X-101, Wednesday, 11 June 2008 13:54 (eighteen years ago)

J.D. otm upthread, but there's definitely filler on the second half of Fear.

No one's mentioned "Pollywanacraka," which kills.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Wednesday, 11 June 2008 13:59 (eighteen years ago)

Millions is too squealy and repetitive

pretty much what I was gonna say. I like it a lot, but I don't find myself wanting to listen to it anywhere near as much as Fear. Fear is way funkier/dirtier. Nations tries to be but winds up coming across as grating at times.

― Granny Dainger, Wednesday, 11 June 2008 14:29 (eighteen years ago)

six years pass...

Tough call this one. I think I'll go with:

https://devonrecordclub.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=3260&action=edit&message=6&postpost=v2

bu, as I have said in my post, I'm no expert!

― yugi ex, Friday, 24 April 2015 22:02 (eleven years ago)

Was just talking about these records last night w a friend. Basically, I think Nations is better, but Fear is easier to listen to in more situations.

― Dominique, Friday, 24 April 2015 22:05 (eleven years ago)

Millions pisses it for me, She Watch Channel Zero + Louder Than a Bomb used to give me revolutionary goosebumps at the time.

― xelab, Friday, 24 April 2015 22:25 (eleven years ago)

Fear easily. Such a shock when it was released. And fight the power is one of the most...er... Powerful tracks ever !

― AlXTC from Paris, Saturday, 25 April 2015 09:48 (eleven years ago)

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