Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version is the debut studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Ol' Dirty Bastard, released March 28, 1995, by Elektra Records in the United States.
Background
It was the second solo album, after Method Man's Tical, to be released from the nine-member Wu-Tang Clan following the release of their debut album. Return to the 36 Chambers was primarily produced by RZA, with additional production from Ol' Dirty Bastard, and affiliates True Master and 4th Disciple. The album features guest appearances from Wu-Tang Clan members GZA, RZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah and Masta Killa as well as Wu-Tang Killa Beez.
Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version peaked at number seven on the Billboard 200 and number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album sold 81,000 copies in its first week, and was certified Platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on March 26, 2019. Upon its release, the album received positive reviews from most music critics, with many complimenting Ol' Dirty Bastard's bizarre lyrical delivery and RZA's eerie production. The album was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 1996 Grammy Awards.
Critical reception
Upon its release, Return to the 36 Chambers received general acclaim, including award nominations and inclusions on year-end publications. The Dirty Version was nominated for the 1996 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, but lost to Naughty by Nature's Poverty's Paradise. In a 4-star review in 1999, Rolling Stone commented, "With his raspy, lisp-punctuated voice and half-sung, half-rapped style, Ol' Dirty Bastard may well be the most original vocalist in hip-hop history." In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source'''s 100 Best Rap Albums. Entertainment Weekly said that the album showed the "raw, innovative talent of their illest member ... The RZA's signature dissonant piano loops [sparkle] behind Dirty's delirious, reverberating delivery." Melody Maker said, "... an hour of cruel hard and frighteningly funny hip hop; the perfect companion piece to Wu-Tang's 36 Chambers ... the songs are driven by a vicious, unstable urgency."
By contrast, Select gave the album a negative review of two out of five. The review found the album inferior to Method Man's album Tical'', stating that "From the extremely long and unfunny – intro skit, it's obvious ideas are spread wafer thin across the 15 tracks."
Retrospectively, the album has continually seen positive coverage. Pitchfork gave a 9.3/10 to the album in a classic review, lauding it as "a work of orchestrated negligence and a makeshift classic."
Track listing
Track listing information is taken from the official liner notes and AllMusic.
Personnel
Musicians
Ol' Dirty Bastard – assistant engineer, mixing, producer, vocals
RZA – producer, mixing, vocals
Ghostface Killah, GZA, Masta Killa, Method Man, Raekwon, Killah Priest, Sunz Of Man, Brooklyn Zu – vocals Buddha Monk – vocals, mixing Big Dore – producer vocals