Twilight 22 (LP)

In an interview, Gordon Bahary said of "Electric Kingdom," Twilight 22's smash hit from their sole, eponymous 1984 LP: "I took the most seemingly opposite elements: my father's Middle Eastern record collection, and a hip-hop/dance beat and combined them. Then I co-wrote a rap encouraging people to make a positive life for themselves I suppose." The song would go top ten on the R&B charts and go down in history as one of the major tent-pole hits of the electro genre. Rolling Stone recently pegged it at #8 in their list of heavy-hitting precursors to the Gangsta Rap revolution, "20 Greatest Pre-'Straight Outta Compton' West Coast Rap Songs." Remastered from the original analog tapes, available on vinyl for the first time since its original release.