Welcome back to the Mad Collectors. I’m Stabercrombie, and today we’re stepping into one of the loudest, densest, most confrontational records ever made: Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet.

It’s 1990. Hip-hop is still being dismissed by plenty of critics as a fad, and Public Enemy is coming off It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, an album that already rewired what rap could sound like. The group is also in the middle of controversy, under a media spotlight hotter than ever. So what do they do with album number three? They turn the volume up — on everything.

Behind the boards is the Bomb Squad, the production crew that treated the sampler like a weapon. James Brown breaks, Isaac Hayes strings, Malcolm X speeches, movie dialogue, TV news, comedy routines, crowd noise — chopped into fragments, stacked on top of each other, and fired at the listener all at once. It isn’t a beat so much as a collage. Some tracks pack in more samples than you can count on one listen.

And on top of that chaos, Chuck D brings his voice like a sermon, Flavor Flav cuts through with his hype and humor, and guests like Ice Cube and Big Daddy Kane show up to take aim at Hollywood. This is the album that gave us “Fight the Power,” “Welcome to the Terrordome,” and “911 Is a Joke” — songs about race, media, power, and fear that still sound uncomfortably current more than three decades later.

Today, we’re digging into how it was built: the samples hiding in the mix, the voices that joined the fight, and the beats and moments that make this record a landmark in hip-hop and protest music. So turn it up, lean in, and get ready — because the Bomb Squad didn’t make background music. Let’s get into Fear of a Black Planet.

SHOW RESOURCES

LIVE CONCERT

https://archive.org/details/18-7th-octave-set-freestyle

SAMPLE SOURCES

https://www.whosampled.com/album/Public-Enemy/Fear-Of-A-Black-Planet/

WIKI

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Enemy

Thumbnail Design: Mitchell Braun with Stabercrombie Creative

https://stabercrombie.com/

DISCLAIMER

The Mad Collectors is intended only for entertainment purposes. Any facts contained within are bound to the limits of memory, record liner notes, and hasty online research.

DISCLAIMER DISCLAIMER

The Mad Collectors do not endorse any/every view shared on any album, including this one.

This week on Mad Collectors, the crew takes a deep, thoughtful journey into R.E.M.’s Green — peeling back layers of meaning hidden in its melodies and lyrics. From political undercurrents and environmental themes to intimate personal reflections, each track sparks lively discussion. Expect passionate debates, unexpected connections, and a few nostalgic detours as they explore how government, weather, and personal histories intertwine in this iconic album.

Show Resources

Live clip from
https://archive.org/details/REM_1989-03-01/1989-03-01 Louisville Gardens, Louisville, Kentucky/REM 1989-03-01 Louisville AUD1_01.flac

Thumbnail design by Mitchell Braun for Stabercrombie Design

Disclaimer:
The Mad Collectors is intended for entertainment purposes only. Any facts contained within are limited to our memories, collections, and last-minute research.

Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers

https://archive.org/details/art-blakey-the-jazz-messengers-buhainas-delight

Albums Featured in this episode

At the cafe Bohemia vol. 1

Moanin

Just Coolin

The Freedom Rider

Roots and Herb

The Witch Doctor

Mosaic

Buhayania’s Delight

Caravan

Free For All

Kyoto

Indestructible

The Big Beat

Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers First Flight to Tokyo

Gary Giddens Visions of Jazz

Ken Burns History of Jazz

https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/jazz

Thumbnail graphic by Mitchell Braun/Stabercrombie Design

Disclaimer: The Mad Collectors is only intended to be entertainment. Any facts contained in the program are based on album liner notes, our aging and inconsistent memories and Wikipedia. Likewise any entertainment related side effects are unintentional and easily remedied by licensed medical professionals.

Textual Healing

The Singles appearing in this episode

Wuthering Heights

Moving

Man With the Child in His Eyes

Hammer Horror

Wow

Babooshka

Army Dreamers

Live on Stage EP

December Will be Magic Again

Sat in Your Lap

The Dreaming

There Goes a Tenner

Ne TenFuis Pas

Mini LP (Barbarian cover)

Running up a Hill

Cloudbusting

Hounds of Love

The Big Sky (12” and picture disc)

Experiment IV

Don’t Give Up

Love and Anger

Rocket Man

This Woman’s Work

The Sensual World

Rubberband Girl

Eat the Music

Moments of Pleasure CD and 12”

The Red Shoes 1

The Red Shoes 2

And So is Love

The Man I Love

King of the Mountain

Notable compilations

The Single File (1983)

This Woman’s Work box (1990)

The Whole Story (1986)

The Other Sides (Remastered Volume 2/Remastered in Vinyl Volume 4-2018)

Best of the Other Sides (2026)

Show Resources:

https://music.apple.com/us/album/best-of-the-other-sides/1841431832

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Bush_discography

https://archive.org/details/KB-2014-10-01

Thumbnail Design by Mitchell Braun

Disclaimer: The Mad Collectors is intended for entertainment purposes only. Any facts contained within are bound to limits of memory, time and what we have in the collection.

WIN A KATE BUSH SINGLE!

Like and subscribe our channel for a chance to win Ne T’enfuis Pas/Dreamtime 7". Comment on videos for additional chances to win. Deadline October 1, 2026.

https://www.youtube.com/@madstabercrombies

The Mad Collectors rank the Tom Petty Catalog. Includes all albums with the Heartbreakers as well as three solo releases.

Thumbnail design by Mitchell Braun

More art and videos

https://stabercrombie.com/

BOX SET GIVEAWAY!

Subscribe to our YouTuBe channel for a chance to win a copy of the 6 CD Tom Petty Playback box set. Like and comment on videos for additional chances to win.

https://www.youtube.com/@madstabercrombies

Contest deadline: 9/23/2026

Sonic Youth is widely regarded as one of the most influential bands in modern music. They reinvigorated the electric guitar by blending avant‑garde noise, unconventional tunings, and atypical song structures.

The discography of American rock band Sonic Youth includes 15 studio albums, seven EPs, three compilation albums, seven video releases, 21 singles, 46 music videos, ten titles in the Sonic Youth Recordings series, eight official bootlegs, and contributions to 16 soundtracks and various compilations.

Today on The Mad Collectors, Ford and I each reveal our favorite Sonic Youth release. As for dinner, we’re having a potluck — and I brought Sonic Youth Surprise.

http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/cc/95tour4.html

https://genius.com/Sonic-youth-the-diamond-sea-lyrics

https://archive.org/details/sonicyouth1995-10-20mo

https://kf-merch.com/collections/sonic-youth-music

The Mad Collectors is only intended to be entertainment. Any facts contained in the program are based on album liner notes, our aging and inconsistent memories and Wikipedia. Likewise any entertainment related side effects are unintentional and easily remedied by licensed medical professionals.

More Creative at Stabercrombie.com

In the ever-evolving world of music, the terms "remastering" and "remixing" often surface, leaving many listeners puzzled about their meanings and significance. If you've ever wondered why your favorite albums are re-released with these labels, you're not alone. In this post, we'll break down the differences between remasters and remixes, their purposes, and why they matter to music lovers.

The Mad Collectors is only intended to be entertainment. Any facts contained in the program are based on album liner notes, our aging and inconsistent memories and Wikipedia. Likewise any entertainment related side effects are unintentional and easily remedied by licensed medical professionals.

More Creative at Stabercrombie.com

Led Zeppelin released their eighth studio album, In Through the Out Door, in 1979. The record shifts away from the guitar‑driven Page/Plant dynamic and leans into the piano‑ and keyboard‑focused ideas of Jones and Plant—the band experiments with new technology and fresh rhythmic approaches, adapting to a rapidly changing musical landscape. The album also captures the final studio performances of John Bonham and stands as the last chapter of Led Zeppelin as a band.

Resources:

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/led-zeppelin/1980/eisstadion-am-friedrichspark-mannheim-germany-1bd43d44.html

https://archive.org/details/ledzeppelinliveindortmundgermanyjune17th1980_202001

https://discover.hubpages.com/entertainment/Led-Zeppelin-In-Through-the-Out-Door

JCM Goes Deep

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-g8Dq45nZOI

The Mad Collectors is only intended to be entertainment. Any facts contained in the program are based on album liner notes, our aging and inconsistent memories and Wikipedia. Likewise any entertainment related side effects are unintentional and easily remedied by licensed medical professionals.