36 Seasons

In a December 2014, interview with HipHopDX, Ghostface Killah said it took about 11 days to record the album.{{cite web|url=http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/interviews/id.2662/title.ghostface-killah-talks-36-seasons-says-rap-is-dumbed-down-speaks-against-police-brutality|title=Ghostface Killah Talks "36 Seasons;" Says Rap Is Dumbed Down & Speaks Against Police Brutality|date=8 December 2014|work=HipHopDX|access-date=16 December 2014}} Like Ghostface Killah's previous album, Twelve Reasons to Die, 36 Seasons is a concept album. The album follows the story of Tony Starks as he returns to Staten Island after nine years away seeking a quiet life but he finds this will be difficult to accomplish.{{cite web|url=http://www.pitchfork.com/news/57400-ghostface-killah-announces-new-album-36-seasons-shares-love-dont-live-here-no-more/|title=Ghostface Killah Announces New Album 36 Seasons, Shares "Love Don't Live Here No More"|work=Pitchfork Media|access-date=11 December 2014}}

Record store Get On Down was the only retailer to sell 36 Seasons in vinyl format. Get On Down also sold a CD bundle that featured the vinyl version, an instrumental CD, poster, graphic novel booklet, and a T-shirt.

{{Music ratings

|MC=72/100{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/36-seasons/ghostface-killah|title=Reviews for 36 Seasons by Ghostface Killah |work=Metacritic|access-date=11 December 2014}}

|rev1=AllMusic

|rev1Score={{rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/36-seasons-mw0002777979|title=36 Seasons - Ghostface Killah - Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards - AllMusic|author=David Jeffries|work=AllMusic|access-date=11 December 2014}}

|rev2=The A.V. Club

|rev2Score= C+{{cite web|url=http://www.avclub.com/review/ghostface-killah-tries-repeat-winning-formula-36-s-212439|title=Review: Ghostface Killah tries to repeat a winning formula on 36 Seasons |work=The A.V. Club|access-date=11 December 2014}}

|rev3=Billboard

|rev3Score={{rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/review/6397763/album-review-ghostface-killah-36-seasons|title=Album Review: Ghostface Killah Follows Up Wu-Tang Clan's Reunion Album With Solo Concept LP '36 Seasons'|date=9 December 2014|author=Paul Cantor|magazine=Billboard|access-date=26 December 2014}}

|rev4=Consequence of Sound

|rev4Score=B{{cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2014/11/album-review-ghostface-killah-36-seasons/|title=Ghostface Killah – 36 Seasons |work=Consequence of Sound|access-date=11 December 2014}}

|rev5=Entertainment Weekly

|rev5Score=A−Anderson, Kyle. Album. Ghostface Killah 36 Seasons. Entertainment Weekly. Page 78. December 5, 2014.

|rev6=Exclaim!

|rev6Score= 8/10{{cite web|url=http://exclaim.ca/Reviews/HipHop/ghostface_killah-36_seasons|title=Ghostface Killah - 36 Seasons|work=Exclaim!|access-date=11 December 2014}}

|rev7=Los Angeles Times

|rev7Score={{rating|2.5|4}}{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-ms-ghostface-killah-pop-reviews-20141209-story.html|title=Review: Ghostface Killah's '36 Seasons' delivers steely hip-hop |date=8 December 2014|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=11 December 2014}}

|rev8=The Observer

|rev8Score={{rating|3|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/dec/07/ghostface-killah-36-seasons-review-wu-tang-star-turf-warfare|title=Ghostface Killah: 36 Seasons review – Wu-Tang star makes a myth out of turf warfare|author=Killian Fox|work=The Guardian|access-date=12 December 2014}}

|rev9=Pitchfork

|rev9Score=6.0/10{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/20052-36-seasons/|title=Ghostface Killah: 36 Seasons|work=Pitchfork Media|access-date=11 December 2014}}

|rev10=Spin

|rev10Score= 7/10{{cite web|url=http://www.spin.com/reviews/spin-album-of-the-week-ghostface-killah-36-seasons/|title=Ghostface Killah, '36 Seasons' Review|work=SPIN|access-date=11 December 2014}}

}}

36 Seasons received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 72, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 18 reviews. David Jeffries of AllMusic said, "Inspiration flows out of the man throughout the album, and this end-to-end concept is executed with little note-spinning or boring lyrics that just serve the story, and while Twelve Reasons took a big giallo risk and nailed it, this more expected, '70s-favored success still surprises with its vigorous sense of purpose." Homer Johnsen of HipHopDX stated, "36 Seasons may not be Ghostface’s greatest project, but it is another notable addition to his extensive body of work. Rapping alongside Kool G Rap and AZ for the bulk of the album is certainly a treat, and the two have their own moments of glory. Production, on the other hand, simply does not hold on to the lyrical dynamism present between Ghost, Pharoahe Monch, AZ and G."{{cite web|url=http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/album-reviews/id.2394/title.ghostface-killah-36-seasons|title=Ghostface Killah - 36 Seasons|date=9 December 2014|work=HipHopDX|access-date=11 December 2014}} Michael Madden of Consequence of Sound said, "36 Seasons is the result of consummate artistic process and taste--a complete album both lyrically and musically."

Theon Weber of Spin said, "It's a small, controlled, uncommonly focused album, by an artist well into the kind of middle age that prizes refinement and brevity." Olivia Arezes of Exclaim! stated, "Ghost has always been considered a master of storytelling, and on 36 Seasons, he paints the usual sordid pictures in his songs, except this time he's cast an all-star team —Kool G Rap, AZ, Pharoahe Monch and others — as characters in an audio comic that's as action-packed as a kung-fu film." Matthew Fiander of PopMatters said, "His flow is solid on this album, and there’s no reason to suggest Ghostface is done, but if he is trying to recapture something, all we get here is sound and fury."{{cite magazine|url=http://www.popmatters.com/review/189382-ghostface-killah-36-seasons/ |title=Ghostface Killah: 36 Seasons |magazine=PopMatters |access-date=2015-05-24}}

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.{{cite AV media notes|title= 36 Seasons |year= 2014 |type= booklet |publisher= Tommy Boy}}

{{Track listing

| headline = 36 Seasons track listing

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| total_length = 40:15

| title1 = The Battlefield

| note1 = featuring AZ, Kool G Rap & Tre Williams

| writer1 = {{hlist|Dennis David Coles|Anthony Cruz|Nathaniel Thomas Wilson|Wes Mingus|Josh Werner|Gintas Janusonis}}

| extra1 = {{hlist|Fizzy Womack|The Revelations}}

| length1 = 3:46

| title2 = Love Don't Live Here No More

| note2 = featuring Kandace Springs

| writer2 = {{hlist|Coles|Angela Johnson|Malik Abdul-Rahmaan}}

| extra2 = {{hlist|Malik Abdul-Rahmaan|The Revelations}}

| length2 = 3:48

| title3 = Here I Go Again

| note3 = featuring AZ & Rell

| writer3 = {{hlist|Coles|Cruz|Gerrell Gaddis|Mingus|Werner|Janusonis}}

| extra3 = {{hlist|Fizzy Womack|The Revelations}}

| length3 = 3:28

| title4 = Loyalty

| note4 = performed by Kool G Rap & Nems

| writer4 = {{hlist|Wilson|Travis Doyle|Mingus|Werner|Janusonis}}

| extra4 = The Revelations

| length4 = 1:57

| title5 = It's a Thin Line Between Love and Hate

| note5 = performed by The Revelations

| writer5 = {{hlist|Jackie Members|Richard Poindexter|Robert Poindexter}}

| extra5 = The Revelations

| length5 = 3:59

| title6 = The Dogs of War

| note6 = featuring Shawn Wigs & Kool G Rap

| writer6 = {{hlist|Coles|Shawn Simons|Wilson|Mingus|Janusonis}}

| extra6 = The Revelations

| length6 = 3:48

| title7 = Emergency Procedure

| note7 = featuring Pharoahe Monch

| writer7 = {{hlist|Coles|Troy Donald Jamerson|Mingus|Werner|Janusonis}}

| extra7 = The Revelations

| length7 = 2:42

| title8 = Double Cross

| note8 = featuring AZ

| writer8 = {{hlist|Coles|Cruz|Mingus|Werner|Janusonis}}

| extra8 = The Revelations

| length8 = 2:20

| title9 = Bamboo’s Lament

| note9 = performed by Kandace Springs

| writer9 = {{hlist|Johnson|Abdul-Rahmaan}}

| extra9 = {{hlist|Malik Abdul-Rahmaan|The Revelations}}

| length9 = 1:57

| title10 = Pieces to the Puzzle

| note10 = featuring AZ

| writer10 = {{hlist|Coles|Cruz|Mingus|Werner|Janusonis}}

| extra10 = The Revelations

| length10 = 2:35

| title11 = Homicide

| note11 = featuring Nems & Shawn Wigs

| writer11 = {{hlist|Coles|Doyle|Simons|Abdul-Rahmaan|Mingus|Werner|Janusonis}}

| extra11 = {{hlist|Malik Abdul-Rahmaan|The Revelations}}

| length11 = 3:21

| title12 = Blood in the Streets

| note12 = featuring AZ

| writer12 = {{hlist|Coles|Cruz|Mark Howard James}}

| extra12 = {{hlist|The 45 King|The Revelations}}

| length12 = 2:03

| title13 = Call My Name

| note13 =

| writer13 = {{hlist|Coles|Cruz|Janusonis}}

| extra13 = The Revelations

| length13 = 2:11

| title14 = I Love You for All Seasons

| note14 = performed by The Revelations

| writer14 = Sheila Young

| extra14 = The Revelations

| length14 = 2:20

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Deluxe Edition bonus tracks

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| total_length = 71:00

| title15 = The Battlefield

| note15 = Instrumental

| writer15 =

| extra15 = {{hlist|Fizzy Womack|The Revelations}}

| length15 = 3:43

| title16 = Love Don't Live Here No More

| note16 = Instrumental

| writer16 =

| extra16 = {{hlist|Malik Abdul-Rahmaan|The Revelations}}

| length16 = 3:29

| title17 = Here I Go Again

| note17 = Instrumental

| writer17 =

| extra17 = {{hlist|Fizzy Womack|The Revelations}}

| length17 = 3:29

| title18 = Loyalty

| note18 = Instrumental

| writer18 =

| extra18 = The Revelations

| length18 = 1:26

| title19 = The Dogs of War

| note19 = Instrumental

| writer19 =

| extra19 = The Revelations

| length19 = 3:05

| title20 = Emergency Procedure

| note20 = Instrumental

| writer20 =

| extra20 = The Revelations

| length20 = 2:47

| title21 = Double Cross

| note21 = Instrumental

| writer21 =

| extra21 = The Revelations

| length21 = 2:21

| title22 = Pieces to the Puzzle

| note22 = Instrumental

| writer22 =

| extra22 = The Revelations

| length22 = 2:34

| title23 = Homicide

| note23 = Instrumental

| writer23 =

| extra23 = {{hlist|Malik Abdul-Rahmaan|The Revelations}}

| length23 = 3:21

| title24 = Blood in the Streets

| note24 = Instrumental

| writer24 =

| extra24 = {{hlist|The 45 King|The Revelations}}

| length24 = 2:05

| title25 = Call My Name

| note25 = Instrumental

| writer25 =

| extra25 = The Revelations

| length25 = 2:14

}}

{{reflist}}

{{Ghostface Killah}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2014 albums

Category:Albums produced by the 45 King

Category:2010s concept albums

Category:Ghostface Killah albums

Category:Tommy Boy Records albums