Public Enemy fans, break out your novelty clock necklaces; Rolling Stone reports that Def Jam is celebrating its 30th anniversary with deluxe reissues of two PE classics. The one-two punch of It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back and Fear Of A Black Planet are both getting the royal treatment. Accompanying each original album is a second disc of B-sides and remixes, while It Takes A Nation will also come with new liner notes from The Roots’ Questlove and a DVD of the out-of-print concert film Fight The Power… Live. Wax Poetics’ Andre Torres will write the notes for Fear Of A Black Planet.
Reports conflict on release dates: Rolling Stone says both albums will be released on November 25; meanwhile, Pitchfork, FACT, and Spin say the reissues will be staggered, with It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back being released on November 24, followed by Fear Of A Black Planet on December 8. In either case, both albums will be available in time for the holidays.
The B-sides for It Takes A Nation include an a cappella version of “Bring The Noise” and the horn-infused version of “Fight The Power” from Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing. The bonus disc on Fear Of A Black Planet includes three more versions of Fight The Power and the “Terrormental” mix of “Welcome To The Terrordome.”
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back:
Disc 1:
01 Countdown To Armageddon
02 Bring The Noise
03 Don’t Believe The Hype
04 Cold Lampin’ With Flavor
05 Terminator X To The Edge of Panic
06 Mind Terrorist
07 Louder Than A Bomb
08 Caught, Can We Get A Witness?
09 Show ‘Em Whatcha Got
10 She Watch Channel Zero?!
11 Night Of The Living Baseheads
12 Black Steel In The Hour of Chaos
13 Security Of The First World
14 Rebel Without APause
15 Prophets Of Rage
16 Party For Your Right To Fight
Disc 2:
01 Bring The Noise (No Noise version)
02 Bring The Noise (No Noise instrumental)
03 Bring The Noise (No Noise a cappella)
04 Rebel Without A Pause (instrumental)
05 Night Of The Living Baseheads (Anti-High Blood Pressure Encounter mix)
06 Night Of The Living Baseheads (Terminator X Meets DST and Chuck Chill Out instrumental mix)
07 Terminator X To The Edge Of Panic (No Need To Panic radio version)
08 The Edge Of Panic
09 The Rhythm, The Rebel (a capella)
10 Prophets Of Rage (Power version)
11 Caught, Can We Get A Witness? (Pre Black Steel Ballistic Felony dub)
12 B-Side Wins Again (original version)
13 Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos (instrumental)
14 Fight The Power (soundtrack version)
Disc 3: Fight The Power Live DVD
01 Countdown To Armageddon
02 Public Enemy Number One
03 Miuzi Weighs A Ton
04 Night Of The Living Baseheads (live)
05 Fight The Power (video)
06 Bring The Noise
07 Don’t Believe The Hype
08 Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos
09 Rebel Without A Pause
10 Terminator X To The Edge Of Panic (video)
11 Night Of The Living Baseheads (video)
12 Prophets Of Rage
Fear Of A Black Planet:
Disc 1:
01 Contract On The World Love Jam (instrumental)
02 Brothers Gonna Work It Out
03 911 Is A Joke
04 Incident At 666 FM (instrumental)
05 Welcome To The Terrordome
06 Meet The G That Killed Me
07 Pollywanacraka
08 Anti-Nigger Machine
09 Burn Hollywood Burn [ft. Ice Cube and Big Daddy Kane]
10 Power To The People
11 Who Stole The Soul?
12 Fear Of A Black Planet
13 Revolutionary Generation
14 Can’t Do Nuttin’ For Ya, Man!
15 Reggie Jax
16 Leave This Off Your Fu*kin Charts (instrumental)
17 B Side Wins Again
18 War at 33 1/3
19 Final Count Of The Collision Between Us And The Damned (instrumental)
20 Fight The Power
Disc 2:
01 Brothers Gonna Work It Out (remix)
02 Brothers Gonna Work It Out (dub)
03 Flavor Flav
04 Terrorbeat
05 Welcome To The Terrordome (Terrormental)
06 Can’t Do Nuttin’ For Ya Man (Full Rub mix)
07 Can’t Do Nuttin’ For Ya Man (UK 12” Powermix)
08 Can’t Do Nuttin’ For Ya Man (Dub Mixx)
09 Burn Hollywood Burn (Extended Censored Fried to the Radio version)
10 Anti-Nigger Machine (Uncensored extended)
11 911 Is AJoke (instrumental)
12 Power To The People (instrumental)
13 Revolutionary Generation (instrumental)
14 War at 33 1/3 (instrumental)
15 Fight The Power (soundtrack version)
16 Fight The Power (Powersax)
17 Fight The Power (Flavor Flav Meets Spike Lee)
18 The Enemy Assault Vehicle Mixx (Medley)