Seo Taiji and Boys IV

Seo Taiji and Boys IV is the fourth and final studio album by Korean musical trio Seo Taiji and Boys. With 2.4 million copies sold, it is one of the best-selling albums in South Korea.

Seo Taiji and Boys IV
Studio album by
Seo Taiji and Boys
ReleasedOctober 5, 1995
StudioBay Studio in Seoul, Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles, Techno Taiji in Seoul
GenreRap rock, alternative rock
LanguageKorean
LabelBando Eumban
ProducerSeo Taiji
Seo Taiji and Boys chronology
Seo Taiji and Boys III
(1994)		 Seo Taiji and Boys IV
(1995)		 Goodbye Best Album
(1996)

Overview

Come Back Home was a foray into Gangsta rap. Seo Taiji wrote the song about his own experiences running away from home.[1]

The third track, Pilseung (필승, lit. Must Triumph), was a hit with its alternative rock sound.

Goodbye on this album is instrumental. A version with vocals was later released on their 1996 compilation, entitled Goodbye Best Album.

Free Style was written and composed by Seo and his former Sinawe bandmate Kim Jong-seo. Kim provides vocals on the track, appears in its music video and included it on his own 1995 album, Thermal Island.

Lee Juno later stated that group leader Seo made the decision to disband Seo Taiji and Boys himself while recording their fourth album, much to the surprise of Yang Hyun-suk and himself.[2]

Controversies

Come Back Home has been criticized for being similar to Cypress Hill's 1993 hit "Insane in the Brain". However, Cypress Hill member B-Real later explained they were aware of the controversy but "we were cool about shit like that."[3]

Sidae Yugam (시대유감, lit. Regret of the Times) was rejected by the Public Performance Ethics Committee for having lyrics that criticized the government. Seo Taiji declined to alter the cited lyrics and instead, the album only includes an instrumental version of the song.[4][5] The specific lyrics they requested be removed/altered are given below in bold, after being translated into English.

Lips stained black. Gone is the era of honest people. [...] How far do you think you can fly with these broken wings of yours? I wish for a new world that will overturn everything. [...] I hope that I can avenge the grudge in my heart.

— [6]

The backlash from the fans was immense, and the system of 'pre-censorship' (사전심의제) was abolished in June 1996, partially as a result of this. An EP titled Sidae Yugam and including the original vocal version of the song was released a month after the system was abolished.

Reception

In April 1996, Billboard reported that the album was nearing the 2 million copies sold mark.[7]

The album has sold over 2.4 million copies, making it the group's best selling album.[8][9]

Kyunghyang Shinmun ranked the album number 36 on its 2007 list of the Top 100 Pop Albums.[10]

Chuck Eddy of Spin wrote that on their fourth album, Seo Taiji and Boys "were all over the map: horse-whinnying Cypress Hill–style nasal frat-hop, Rancid-like surf-guitared ska-punk, metal shrieking, blues-rock solos, flutes, Brazilian percussion, turntable-scratching of acid-rock riffs, smooth-jazz interludes with doo-woppish sha-la-las."[11]

Track listing

English titles are based on the official translations provided by the Seotaiji Company for international markets.

All tracks are written by Seo Taiji, except track 9 written and composed by Seo Taiji and Kim Jong-seo.

No.TitleLength
1."Yo! Taiji"1:05
2."Sad Pain" (슬픈 아픔)5:35
3."Must Triumph" (필승 (必勝))3:45
4."Come Back Home"3:54
5."Regret of the Times" (시대유감(時代遺感))3:23
6."1996, When They Conquered the World" (1996, 그들이 지구를 지배했을 때)3:38
7."Taiji Boys"1:27
8."Good Bye"5:01
9."Free Style"3:53
10."Inabilisnabi" (이너비리스너비)1:11
15th Anniversary Edition (2007)
No.TitleLength
11."Sad Pain ('04 Zero Live)" (슬픈 아픔 ('04 Zero Live))6:00
12."Must Triumph ('04 Zero Live)" (필승 ('04 Zero Live))3:55
13."'07 Come Back Home (Remix)"3:55

Personnel

References
  1. "Seo Taiji reveals why he wore a skirt during his early idol days + his inspiration for the song, 'Come Back Home'". allkpop.com. 2014-10-24. Retrieved 2016-07-02.
  2. "Way Back Wednesday: Seo Taiji & Boys - "Nan Arayo"". allkpop.com. 2010-11-18. Retrieved 2016-07-02.
  3. "I'm B-Real, the Frontman of Cypress Hill and Co-Founder of BREAL.TV - Ask Me Anything (LIVE BROADCAST)". Reddit. 2014. Retrieved 2016-07-02.
  4. Tri-Lingual Radio for Malaysia, Censorship Exemption in Korea; August 10, 1996. Billboard. p. 45.
  5. Mitchell, Tony (January 1, 2002). Global Noise: Rap and Hip Hop Outside the USA. Wesleyan University Press. p. 251.
  6. The Korean Popular Culture Reader. Duke University Press. March 7, 2014. p. 302.
  7. Seoul Music: Rockin' in Korea; April 20, 1996. Billboard. p. 18.
  8. Lee, Seung-ryun (January 31, 2018). "이주노와 양현석...이들 활동했던 '서태지와 아이들'에 관심 집중". Kookje Shinmun (in Korean). Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  9. http://music.bugs.co.kr/musicpd/albumview/6794
  10. "[대중음악 100대 명반]36위 서태지와 아이들 '서태지와 아이들IV'". Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). 2007-12-27. Retrieved 2016-07-02.
  11. "K-pop: The polyglot fizz of K-pop conquers Asia, and prepares to spray the West". Spin. 2011-11-01. Retrieved 2016-07-02.
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