Hell with the Lid Off

Hell With the Lid Off, released in 1990 (see 1990 in music), is the first album by MC 900 Ft. Jesus collaborating with DJ Zero (For more information on DJ Zero, see MC 900 Ft. Jesus).

Hell With the Lid Off was released on Nettwerk Records. It has a heaven-and-hell theme to it; the name of the album is indicative of such a theme, and track titles repeatedly mention such topics as God, heaven, and angels. The songs themselves are often about mental illness, UFOs, voodoo, and violence; the comic delivery and tongue-in-cheek lyrics put this far outside the norm for a typical Nettwerk release. The album is sample-laden, and has a hip hop feel to it, though it shares little with that genre either.

The title of the album is taken from a sermon by child evangelist Marjoe Gortner whose voice is sampled on the song "A Place of Loneliness."

Track listing

The title references a 1868 quote about the city - Pittsburgh, PA - made by 19th-century author James Parton in an article he had written for Atlantic Monthly.

(all songs written by Griffin, except where noted)

1. "A Greater God" – 2:52 (Chaney/Chaney)
2. "Real Black Angel" – 4:21
3. "Truth is Out of Style" – 5:43
4. "UFO's Are Real" – 5:21
5. "Shut Up" – 5:42
6. "I'm Going Straight to Heaven" – 4:03
7. "Spaceman" – 6:55
8. "Talking to the Spirits" – 6:31
9. "Too Bad" – 5:33
10. "A Place of Loneliness" – 0:47
11. "Born with Monkey Asses" ^ – 5:43
12. "Straight to Heaven" (instrumental) ^ – 4:04

^ CD-only bonus tracks

Reception

References