Vanilla Ice "Road To My Riches"/"Hooked" (SBK West Germany, 1991). Last one. Not sure if this was a single in the States or not; supposedly off his Extremely Live CD. Can't believe I didn't hear "Road To My Riches" before (or at least never noticed it) -- AC/DC "Back In Black" riff all through, like the Beastie Boys' "Rock Hard," with a Bowie "Let's Dance" hook or two mixed in like Grandmaster Flash's "White Lines." He throws a wet towel and the girlies go wild, and he talks about his "thigh pole" I think I heard him say once. Kind of love his white urban wannabe street-tough voice introducing the song at the beginning -- it's a voice that goes back at least as far as the Belmonts (or even further, in movies), and really not that far from what House of Pain or even Ice's nemeses 3rd Bass were doing a couple years later. (I think he also uses the word "nemesis" somewhere.) On the 45 sleeve, he's sort of lurking in the shadows, flashing a fake gang sign and showing off his rings. Also, says he's not like Milton Bradley (didn't catch why) but is "like Charley, I like the good and plenty." Song is suppposedly live, but doesn't sound live at all except during Ice's intro, and when some hypeman comes in a ways into the song to hype up the non-crowd. B-side, which actually sounds slightly more familiar, has a wobbly "Brass Monkey" sort of horn thing going on, and Ice scolding his buddy who is is hung up on some girl who treats him "like a dirty diaper/Use ya once and then tries to wipe you...out!" Recommends his friend visit a shrink -- helpful advice, what friends are for!
― xhuxk, Friday, 30 January 2009 15:42 (fifteen years ago) link