TLC - Ooooooohhh...On the TLC Tip

A hip-hop album with major pop crossover appeal, TLC's 1992 debut was an instant success. The trio of young women--T-Boz, Chilli, and Left Eye--projected a playful and colorful image, wearing bright, floppy clothes and using prophylactics as fashion accessories (Left Eye used to wear a colored condom as an eye patch, hence the nickname). The music was equally vibrant, trading off Left Eye's sandy raps, T-Boz's low-register come-hither croon, and Chilli's sultry R&B vocal melodies, creating an infectious, high-energy buzz. With singles like "Baby-Baby-Baby," "What About Your Friends," and the party-anthem shout-out "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg," the group approached subjects like sex and friendship with a youthful, inexplicit innocence. --Beth Bessmer Amazon.com

my friend loved it

I bought this cd as a gift for a friend because it was the only TLC album he didn't have. He loves it. He couldn't be happier with it. November 22, 2008

I NEVER GOT THIS CD THAT I ORDERED

IT WOULD'VE BEEN VERY NICE TO HEAR THIS CD HAD I GOT IT WHEN I ORDERED IT. I HAVE YET TO RECEIVE THIS CD THAT I ORDERED AND IT'S BEEN WELL PAST 14 BUSINESS DAYS May 14, 2008

Where it all began

Imagine the late '80s - early '90s R&B group Bell Biv Devoe as a girl group - and TLC is what you get. Little did we know we had legends in the making!! They had a unique look and style, and they weren't like ANYONE else out there - and this is why people are STILL talking about this group. We will never forget the almost cartoonish Day-Glo clothes that were baggy as all get out, and condoms worn as the "must-have" fashion accessory.

Although CRAZYSEXYCOOL is probably TLC's best selling and most popular disc, OOOOOOOHHH...ON THE TLC TIP, the Atlanta group's debut, is my favorite by the trio. Primarily produced by Dallas Austin, Jermaine Dupri, L.A. Reid and Babyface, this is one of the few CDs that features samples throughout it that I really love. While all the ladies contribute their now trademark sounds, it is the late Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes who dominates the material here. I still listen to it at least once everyday. I first purchased it on cassette and wore it out so badly, I had to get another one and the same thing happened. Finally I just got the CD and I still have it today. I can honestly say that this was the CD that changed my life when I first brought it in '92. TLC might have taken a page from Salt 'n Pepa by talking about female empowerment, safe sex, loyalty, black-on-black crime, double standards and true friendship - issues that touched me in a huge way back then (and still do today, to a degree) but they took it to an even higher level. This is GIRL POWER in its finest form. The message on it gave me the confidence and courage to face the dilemmas in my life instead of running away from them, to rely on myself, and I haven't looked back since! This is why these girls mean so much to me, and why I've supported them from day one.

OOOOOOOHHH....ON THE TLC TIP grabs you right from the start - yes, even the intro makes you interested in what you are about to hear. (And yes, the interludes between the songs will crack you up, too.) Exploding with the sounds of New Jack Swing, funk, rap, hip-hop, catchy pop hooks, and crazy, frenetic Public Enemy-like samples all over it, this CD is an instant injection of fun and youthful energy. The material sounds just as good now as it did back in the day. It kicks off with the Grammy-nominated hit "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg", goes right into the red-hot "Shock Dat Monkey" and keeps the momentum going with "Hat 2 Da Back". The CD sort of hits a bump with "Das The Way We Like 'Em" - all I can say is I prefer that Left Eye do the rapping, and let T-Boz and Chilli stick to singing. However, it picks right up again with the hit "What About Your Friends" and "His Story", an amazing song that showed that TLC had a serious side to them as well. This tune caused a bit of controversy back then because Left Eye mentioned the name of a prominent rape victim in the intro. (For those who don't know, this was a huge story in the late 1980s in New York and the news spread nationwide. The teenage girl, who was black, accused six white men, some of them police officers in Westchester County, NY of kidnapping and raping her but when it came down to it, she was accused of lying about the attack. She continued to stand by her story. It's been said that the song "His Story" is loosely based on that event.) What I loved so much about this group is they almost always had important messages in their songs, subjects we all need to pay attention to - as we see with their later smashes, "Waterfalls" and "Unpretty".

The CD keeps up the pace with the hyped-up girl-power anthem "Bad By Myself", and segues into the smoother ballads "Something You Wanna Know" and the # 1 R&B hit, "Baby-Baby-Baby". Another misstep here is "This Is How It Should Be Done" - don't really like this much even though it does feature Left Eye. But a perfect closer to this is MY personal anthem - "Depend On Myself", words I truly live by and take to heart. Ladies, if you ever need a dose of confidence and something to lift your spirits, this is the CD to listen to! Energetic, lively and positive, if you are a TLC fan then there is no reason for you NOT to own this. Put it on, dance and have a good time - I know Lisa would want it that way. June 4, 2007

Scratched

Half of the songs on this CD were scratched. However, the seller did make it a priority to send me the tape. May 17, 2007

4.5 stars

For awhile now, I had all of TLC's albums except for this one. (I have a weird tendency to purchase an artist's discography backwards.) Anyway, I finally bought it and when I popped it into my CD player, I listened to it threee times straight through. I absolutely love it! It's so fun and energetic. This is obviously the album that Left Eye had the creative control on. Every song is great, especially "His Story." I also loved "Intermission I." Funny stuff. This is definitely one of those albums you clean your house to, or you can just listen to it without any disruptions. Either way, I highly recommend. April 8, 2007

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