The Essential (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five album)


The Essential is a 2CD slipcased compilation album by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. It was released in 2007 on the Union Square Music label. Although titled to Grandmaster Flash alone, it does not contain any tracks from Flash's later Elektra Records albums and mainly features tracks from The Message era and subsequent singles. The eight page booklet contains a brief October 2006 essay by Quinton Scott and features pictures of Flash from the photo session originally used for his album.
The rear slipcase and sleeve notes state that the set contains "all the classics from Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five in their glorious original versions." Despite this, several tracks are edited and mistakes have been made regarding the group credits and song titles.

Track listing

CD1
  1. "The Birthday Party" – 5:47
  2. "Freedom" – 5:07
  3. "The Message" – 3:12
  4. "New York New York" – 7:21
  5. "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel" – 7:10
  6. "It's Nasty " – 7:51
  7. "Scorpio" – 4:44
  8. "She's Fresh" – 4:56
  9. "Showdown" – 5:53
  10. "Flash to the Beat " – 4:22
CD2
  1. "White Lines " – 4:29
  2. "Pump Me Up" – 4:44
  3. "Step Off" – 7:08
  4. "Beat Street Breakdown" – 5:11
  5. "Jesse" – 5:07
  6. "The Message II " – 6:45
  7. "Freestyle" – 4:46
  8. "King of the Streets" – 5:13
  9. "We Don't Work for Free" – 5:01
  10. "Internationally Known Pt. 1" – 6:52