Some Nautilus Flips
Highlighting a few gems from an endless selection of sampling and replay wizardry.
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Bob James’ catalog has been sampled thousands of times by countless artists spanning many different genres. Throw on a James selection at random, and you’re practically guaranteed to hear elements that you’ll recognize from rap classics from the ‘80s, ‘90s, and beyond.
None of his songs, however, has spoken to sample-based producers more than “Nautilus.” Featured at the end of his Creed Taylor-produced six-song LP One, James had modest expectations for its potential cultural resonance. “My point about ‘Nautilus’ is that nobody paid any attention to it,” he told Daniel Isenberg aka Stan Ipcus in an essential 2013 NahRight feature. “We weren’t thinking of it as being one of the important tunes. And we had put it in on the last cut of Side B, which traditionally at that time would be the least important place.”
It may have seemed like a non-essential album element at the time, but “Nautilus” is now regarded as a classic that has been interpolated and sampled many hundreds of times. Reimaginings range greatly in how obvious the sample is, to which part of the sample the producer decided to flip.
On the creative but obvious end of the spectrum, there are offerings like Lord Shafiq’s David Sanchez and Rodney Lundy co-produced 1987 gem “My Mic Is On Fire.” For this number, Sanchez and Lundy layer a section of “Nautilus” over hard-hitting drums for the verses, while the hook makes excellent use of a scratched snippet from the song’s opening.
There are also subtler, difficult-to-detect usages of “Nautilus,” like The Ummah’s gorgeous 1996 remix of Keith Murray’s “The Rhyme.”
By the way, here’s an amazing 30-minute beat extension of the instrumental by the YouTube channel La Fuerza, which has a gang of beat extensions.
I’ve been researching and listening to “Nautilus” flips a lot recently and wanted to share two interpolations that I’d never heard before. The first is Gábor Szabó’s 1975 recording “Time,” which features a nice replay of the opening of “Nautilus” before moving into a gorgeous, mellow number that has also been sampled more than a few times. I believe this is the first time anyone has sampled or replayed James’ classic.
The second one takes more creative liberties with its “Nautlius” replay, but it still makes for a great listen. The song is Rock Master Scott & The Dynamic 3’s 1983 single
It’s Life (You Gotta Think Twice).” Using music provided by Harold McGuire, Jay Burnett, Jerry Bloodrock, and John Fowlkes, producer Jerry Bloodrock crafted a catchy, head-nodding blend of synths, sparse drums, and sound effects. This is a song that I could see having a resurgence someday if it were put to use in a movie, TV show, or viral video.
There are hundreds more “Nautilus” chops and flips to explore, so having fun deep diving if you decide to dig into more. I hope you’ve enjoyed the ones I put in front of you today.
