This review is specifically directed towards the edited version of the album. Now I'm not gonna start on some rant about free speech, or censorship, or whatever. That would just waste my time and yours, since you've already decided that you have an interest in this edited CD.

So here's the lowdown. This clean version of "The Slim Shady LP" does a lot of things wrong. The most obvious problem is the editing method used. Instead of dubbing words out, which is the least one ought to expect, they simply scramble/reverse the audio. Not just the vocals, either - the ENTIRE audio section gets altered. Taking out words is one thing, but when the entire beat and instrumental track gets scrambled, it kills the flow of the song. In "Guity Conscience" they also use this awful "scratching" effect on top of the audio - and I don't mean hip-hoppy turntable scratching, I mean a literal, unpleasant SCRATCHING noise that would make you think you had a defective CD or something. At other points on the album, the production gets even lazier as portions of the songs are actually SILENCED. As in no vocals, no backing instremental, no audio. Nothing but a blank space.

The second problem comes with the language they choose to edit. In most cases, edited versions are produced in order to remove curse words. On this disc, it's only the "F-word" that gets taken out, so you'll still be hearing "sh--" quite a bit. I'm not gonna get into a debate about appropriate language, but making an edited CD that you still wouldn't be able to play on radio seems rather pointless.

Most annoying of all, however, is what DOES get edited on this CD. Every drug reference gets scrambled, which is somewhat understandable, but still frustrating in many cases. But then they go and remove "violent" lyrics, and this is where things get out of hand. Words like "die," "kill," and "shoot" are all removed. Case in point - in "Brain Damage," there's a line about schoolyard bullies roughing up Eminem as a child. Eminem quotes these bullies as saying "You're gonna die!" but the word "die" is scrambled. Elsewhere on the disc, a narrator describes "the legend of Slim Shady" in a parody of Westerns, and relates the tale of how Slim was "shot in the back." The word "shot" is edited. Half of these edits are things you can say in G-rated movies. Taking out curse words is one thing, but what they do to this disc insults the basic intelligence of the listener. It's especially silly in a song like "Role Model," where the message of the entire song is how Eminem is NOT a role model, and how no one with a brain should do anything he describes.

You can see the irony here; "sh-t" is left in while "shoot" gets scrambled. Only "Just Don't Give" has been resonably edited, and that's only because the song had previously been edited when it was released as a single. This CD is un unlistenable mess; and even if you're willing to tolerate some "choppiness" in order to get a "clean" version, you'll be disappointed on that front as well. If you're looking for a relatively clean Eminem CD, I'd recommend the edited version of "The Eminem Show." All the edits on THAT album are of professional quality, and they succeed in bringing all the language to a TV-PG level, while leaving most of Eminem's wit intact.

i must admit, i fell in love with eminem after the first time i heard "my name is" on TRL. when i found out the real words to it, i liked it even more! he's one artist who truely isn't afraid to express what he feels, and what he knows everyone else feels. i don't think i know one person who can't relate to one song on the whole album! he says it as it is.....in plain, true english. after gettin his album, i realized how great an artist he really is. many wouldn't call what he does music, but even though most wouldn't want to admit it, he speaks the truth about life. although many try to shade themselves from the harsh reality of life, you have to realize that this is the way it is, and always will be, he just knows first hand. i LOVE this cd, and listen to is 24/7! his melodic tunes, give me a sense of reality. i love it!!! i give him MAJOR props for this album, and hope he gets true success w/this album!

Admittedly, this is not an album for the faint of heart. Even the edited version contains some foul language and questionable subject matter.

But please, Eminem is not to be taken too seriously. He is darkly comedic. If dark comedy is offensive to you, don't buy the album.

On the other hand, the lyrics are clever, the beats rock solid, and the production spectacular.

I am no doubt a big Eminem fan---I happen to own all of his albums. But I really think that the producers should've refrained from releasing "clean" versions of the album mainly because the songs lose its great rhythm. We all know that his lyrics are laden with unprintable expletives all over. So, expectedly, every other word is censored, and having all those short silent spaces or blurred sounds in between words are just so distracting and enough to give the listener a big headache.

Also, some of Enimen's witty humor is lost in the clean version. Perfect cases in point are that of "My Name Is" and "Guilty Conscience." Try to listen both to the explicit and the clean versions and you'll know what I mean.

If you're thinking of buying the Slim Shady LP, just buy the explicit version instead. If you're too young and impressionable to buy it, then I suggest that you wait a few years until you're old enough. Enimen talks about pretty heavy stuff on the realities of life in his own unique and well, "un-mainstream" way, which definitely requires a very mature and critical way of thinking.

Artist- Eminem Album- The Slim Shady LP (edited) genre- New Age Rap rate- 9 out of 10

badness:

First Look: Profanity2 sexuality1 humor6 loudness1 badness3

comments-

Eminem is an overall pretty good singer, but buy the edit! , the album has the hits My name is..., Guilty Conscience, Brain Damage, and Just dont give a