Liquid Liquid – Optimo

Repress coming, all the speculators can begin eating their inflated prices

Bruce Forest: “Cavern is the record that shut down two record labels, and easily a top 5 all time record at Better Days. It was one of those tracks that was totally different than anything else I was playing, but I instantly knew the children would go off to it. It was such an obvious lock that I getting it on a Friday night, which was mobbed, and threw it in cold at about 3AM at absolute peak, after killing every light in the room. By the end of the second bar of bassline, I didn't even hear the crash cymbal over the crowd howling. Possibly the most amazing reaction to the first play of a record I ever saw. Sal Principato, the lead singer, wasn't even singing actual words, but playing Cavern anytime led to instant frenzy.
Moody was really early rough house. I got both the Optimo EP and ESG at 99 Records on MacDougal Street on the recommendation of Timmy Regisford, who (IIRC) had heard both at Anvil off acetates played by Ed Bahlman's brother, Bill, the Anvil DJ. It was weird - 99 (nine nine) was also a clothing store, and Ed, the owner, went and got my two copies of each record out of a closet behind the changing room. Strange way to buy music.
Larry had obviously started playing it about the same time because the first time I played it, it was familiar, unlike Cavern which was just new and fierce. You really couldn't play Moody without two copies - the track is only 2:41. Because of that, you would hear many different arrangements of the track at different clubs, which was kind of cool.
Optimo off the same EP (named after the cigar store on the corner of St. Mark’s and Second Avenue) was a huge percussion orgy that I will always associate with Zanzibar, Tee and Tony. It never sounded as good anywhere else, but it sounded like the Voice of God in that amazing room with the killer sound in New Jersey.
After "Cavern" was stolen and “replayed by the Sugar Hill band for Grandmaster Flash + Melle Mel's "White Lines (Don't Do It)," 99 Records took Sugarhill to court over its unauthorized use, and after an expensive court battle, won compensation. Sylvia Robinson, however, decided to shut down Sugarhill rather than pay Ed Bahlman, owner of 99 Records. Ed shut down 99 then, because he was buried in legal bills. Creativity never fails to be punished, it seems.
Both tracks are rough as hell, and work as well in 2022 as they did forty+ years ago.”

This information might be useful to share: apparently per Liquid Liquid record label (second in command?) head Terry Tolkin the group never got a thin dime for the instantly recognizable bassline of this song in "White Lines", and in fact lost a ton of money on the deal to the point where it bankrupted their (incredible) label 99 Records. Considering that Grandmaster Flash, et al didn't even "sample" the song or even just use a quick hook, but essentially just lifted the whole thing wholesale (including the "something of a phenomenon") lyrics it seems like a gross cosmic injustice.

YouTube URL string:
watch?v=IL45YOtbuy0

"Anthony Barat, Sugarhill didn't just steal every important aspect of ‘Cavern' they bankrupted our little record label too fighting them in court. After a furious two year precedent setting legal war, we won a quarter of a million dollar judgement.
Two weeks later Sugarhill Records declared bankruptcy and never paid 99 a single penny.
...
This was THE legal case that coined the term “sampling". Even that word was a piece of very carefully crafted legalise. As you've already noticed they didn't “Sample" anything. They just fukin rapped over LL's studio click track! Effective sampling technology only existed in Ultra high-end recording studios at the time.
We enjoyed unexpected acceptance from NYC's highly influential Urban radio station, WBLS. Frankie Crocker put “Cavern" on the map. They played it two to three times an hour for about 4 months. We could hardly keep up with production. Then one day I came in from my two days off. Ed Bahlman, 99's owner and the guy who produced “Cavern", was all kinda d weirded out and stressed. I asked what was up?
“Man, Terry, BLS hasn't played “Cavern" once since Sunday. I called Frankie but he won't answer. I'm glad you're in. I'm going to go up to the station and see what's up"
Well, Ed came back an hour or so later saying that they wouldn't let him upstairs, let alone seeing Frankie.
This went on for the next few days. I'm not sure now exactly how many days but it was less than a week.
We'd always kept the radio on. Suddenly, BOOM, there it was! “Cavern" was playing again! I knew Ed would be so relieved and happy so I called him at home right away.
He tuned in while I was still on the fone. We both realized at exactly the same moment that this was NOT our record."

Just putting it out there that Scraper is their best track.

Well, Grandmaster Flash did a world timeless Hit with White Lines thanks to Cavern.
This is a must have record for any music collector, extremly clever and amazing record.

Which is the original one? what are the differences?

Optimo which for a while I did not know was only a three minute song, Tony Humphries would play it seamlessly forever, you would think it was 20 minutes long. I don't know if he had an edit or if he was going back and forth with two copies, that cowbell and the percussion pounding on that Zanzibar sound system was crazy insane! You felt it all up and down in your esophagus like a second heartbeat I can still hear it.

"Cavern" is a great track, but everyone here knows that. Interestingly enough, I know someone who worked on the original video from '83 (which was the only video commissioned by 99 Records). When I told them how great the animation was, they were amazed that I knew of the video, and I'm pretty sure I'm the first person to ever tell them how great it was. Always keeping an eye out for the EP in the wild.