THE nights are drawing in and the mince pies are appearing on our supermarket shelves, so it must be time for Record of the Quarter: Q3, writes Joe Theobald, aka DJ Captain Wormhole.

The smokin’ hot joint I’ve picked to place on the podium this time is Wu-Tang Clan’s The W. Released in 2000, this record isn’t necessarily the Wu’s best but it is the first I ever heard.

As a 12-year-old I was actually a bit underwhelmed. Gravel Pit, the radio-friendly single that got my attention, is not representative of the cold, cut-throat, bass laden beats and lyrics that comprise the rest of the album.

It’s very much a ‘parental guidance advised’ affair and although the 12-year-old Capt Wormhole was kindly blessed with very liberal parents, even they baulked at the no-holds lyrical tone when this CD cycled through the multi-changer on that long old drive down through France all those years ago.

Sixteen years later and the CD has found its way back into my multi-changer and I’m not ashamed to use a cliché here: it’s an underrated classic.

The first few tracks set the tone; Raekwon, Inspectah Deck and Ghostface Killah deliver ruthless verses on Hollow Bones, wrapped around a tricky little sample from Syl Johnson. The album is less polished in its lyrical execution than 1993’s 36 Chambers – with tougher delivery over cold, hard drums and raw sorrowful samples. And lots of bass.

One Blood Under W is a pure killer, a dirty ragga chorus from Junior Reid and precision MCing from Masta Killa with his signature Brooklyn drawl, plus a cool little slice of the James Bond Theme. Next up it’s East meets West coast on Conditioner; Ol’ Dirty Bastard and special guest Snoop Dogg. Those two were born to collaborate and the result is pure haze. One can only wonder at the volume of verdant herbal remedy consumed during that particular session.

Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off) is arguably the main event, a play-out masterclass in raw hip-hop that demonstrates why the Wu are often considered the very best. Each verse takes it up a level and on the seventh the beat transitions into the hardest drum break I know of, obliterated by the dirtiest opening bar I know of, courtesy of U-God. Cappadonna kills it and GZA throws down a slick verse about Jesse Owens.

The song that follows has probably the heaviest beat on the record, and an appropriately heavyweight guest appearance from Nas, then a nice little number with South Park’s Chef, then another jump up party tune, then the inevitable Gravel Pit (which I usually skip these days).

Ninety-five per cent pure unadulterated dopeness from the kings of East Coast Hardcore.