Dee, John, 1527-1608, English mathematician and occultist. He was educated at Cambridge. Accused of practicing sorcery against Queen Mary I, he was acquitted and later was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I, for whom he drew up valuable hydrographical and geographical materials on newly discovered lands. He also made calculations in preparation for adoption of the Gregorian calendar in England, which he vainly sought. He is better remembered, however, for the more sensational side of his career. His interest in crystal gazing, divination, and the occult led to his association with Edward Kelly, who claimed to have discovered the alchemical secret of transmuting base metal to gold. Dee and Kelly spent several years abroad, patronized by various nobles and monarchs. When Dee finally broke with Kelly and returned to England, he found himself generally shunned and much of his property destroyed. Although he maintained the favor of Elizabeth and was warden of Manchester College (1595-1604), he later retired to seclusion, and died in poverty. Dee wrote extensively on his occult experiments and on mathematics, natural science, and astrology. His diary was edited in 1842 by J. O. Halliwell-Phillips.

Dee. 1 River, c.90 mi (140 km) long, rising in the Cairngorms, Aberdeenshire, E Scotland, and flowing E past Ballater to the North Sea through an artificial channel at Aberdeen. The channel was constructed (1872) to improve Aberdeen's harbor. Celebrated for its beauty, the Dee also has notable salmon fisheries. 2 River, c.50 mi (80 km) long, rising in Dumfires and Galloway, SW Scotland, and flowing generally S to the Irish Sea. There are five power stations in the Dee basin.

Dee, Welsh Dyfrdwy, river, c.70 mi (110 km) long, rising in the Cambrian Mts., Gwynedd, NW Wales, and flowing NE through Llyn Tegid (Bala Lake), then meandering through a picturesque course NE, N, and NW along the border with England and past Chester to the Irish Sea. At low tide the long, broad, shallow estuary is an expanse of sand, across which the narrow stream flows. Thomas Telford's aqueduct crosses the Dee near Trevor. Sluices at the outlet of Llyn Tegid control the river's flow.

The Cactus Album (The Cee/Dee) was the debut album by 3rd Bass, released on Def Jam. The album received positive reviews from the hip hop press, and the group gained some publicity by being arguably the second white group to achieve hip hop credibility, after the Beastie Boys. The album generally features songs that are lyrical showcases or are about women (such as the hidden sexual meaning of "Oval Office"). The song, "Sons of 3rd Bass" can be viewed as a dis to the Beastie Boys (who had recently severed ties with 3rd Bass' record label, Def Jam) in that it references them in several lines such as:

Swarm to the lyrics cause Serch is your father

Screaming "Hey Ladies," why bother?

The album is notable for featuring Daniel Dumile (on '"The Gas Face") in his recording debut. At the time, he was recording under the alias Zev Love X, a member of the rap duo KMD, but would later come to be known as MF DOOM.

The Cactus Album peaked at #5 on Billboard's Top Hip Hop/R&B Albums chart and at #55 on the Billboard 200 chart. In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source Magazine's 100 Best Rap Albums.

Track listing

1. "Stymie's Theme" – :13
2. "Sons of 3rd Bass" (Berrin/Citrin/Nash) – 4:46
3. "Russell Rush" – :25
4. "The Gas Face" (Berrin/Dumile/Nash/Prince Paul) – 3:48
5. "Monte Hall" (Berrin/Berrin/Citrin/Nash) – 5:26
6. "Oval Office" (Berrin/Citrin/Nash) – 3:32
7. "Hoods" – :17
8. "Soul in the Hole" (Berrin/Citrin/Nash) – 3:49
9. "Triple Stage Darkness" (Berrin/Citrin/Nash/Nash) – 4:10
10. "M.C. Disagree" – :44
11. "Wordz of Wisdom" (Berrin/Citrin/Nash) – 6:31
12. "Product of the Environment" (Berrin/Citrin/Nash) – 6:15
13. "Desert Boots" – :22
14. "The Cactus" (Berrin/Citrin/Nash) – 4:40
15. "Jim Backus" – :04
16. "Flippin' off the Wall Like Lucy Ball" (Berrin/Citrin/Nash) – 3:16
17. "Brooklyn-Queens" (Berrin/Nash/Prince Paul) – 3:37
18. "Steppin' To the A.M." (Berrin/Nash/Sadler/Shocklee/Shocklee) – 4:50
19. "Episode #3" – :11
20. "Who's on Third" (Berrin/Citrin/Nash) – :59
21. "Wordz of Wisdom, Pt. 2" (Berrin/Citrin/Nash) – 7:56

Personnel

• MC Serch - Producer, Performer
• Daddy Rich - Producer, Performer
• Pete Nice - Producer, Performer
• Steven Ett - Editing
• Adam Gazzola - Editing
• Prince Paul - Producer
• Kevin Reynolds - Engineer
• Nick Sansano - Engineer
• Keith Shocklee - Producer
• Hank Shocklee - Producer
• Chuck Valle - Engineer
• Eric "Vietnam" Sadler - Producer
• Bruce Buchalter - Engineer
• Curt Frasca - Mixing, Engineer
• Greg Gordon - Engineer
• Mark Mendelbaum - Engineer
• Sam Sever - Producer
• Howard Zucker - Art Direction, Design
• Cey Adams - Design, Logo Design

Samples

The following lists some of the songs and sounds sampled on The Cactus Album.

Sons of 3rd Bass

• Spinning Wheel by Blood, Sweat & Tears

The Gas Face

• I Like It by The Emotions
• Respect by Aretha Franklin
• Think by Aretha Franklin

Monte Hall

• Black Frost by Grover Washington Jr.

Oval Office

• Hot Pants...I'm Coming, I'm Coming, I'm Coming by Bobby Byrd
• I'm Gonna Get You by Sir Joe & Free Soul Quartermain
• So Much Trouble in my Mind by Sir Joe & Free Soul Quartermain
• Ashley's Roachclip by Soul Searchers
• Din Daa Daa by George Kranz

Soul in the Hole

• Heaven & Hell is on Earth by 20th Century Steel Band
• Sister Sanctified by Stanley Turrentine

Triple Stage Darkness

• This House is Smokin by B. T. Express
• UFO by ESG

Wordz of Wizdom

• Inaugural Address by President John F. Kennedy
• Assembly Line by The Commodores
• Love is Alive by Gary Wright
• Dream Weaver by Gary Wright
• Amen Brother by The Winstons
• Everyone's Gone to the Movies by Steely Dan

Product of the Environment

• Blind Alley by Emotions
• Blow Your Head by The J. B.'s
• Soul Power '74 by Maceo & the Macks
• Simple Song by Meters

The Cactus

• Peace Frog by The Doors
• Dawn's Highway by Jim Morrison

Flippin' off the Wall Like Lucy Ball

• Down in the Hole by Tom Waits

Brooklyn-Queens

• You Got the Best of My Love by The Emotions
• Got to Be Real by Cheryl Lynn
• Jungle Jazz by Kool and the Gang
• A Wild and Crazy Guy by Steve Martin
• You Haven't Done a Thing by Stevie Wonder
• The Metal Melter by Milt Jackson & the Ray Brown Big Band

Steppin' To the A.M.

• Shack Up by Banbarra
• Mother Earth by Kool and the Gang
• Stoned to the Bone by James Brown
• Spoonin' Rap by Spoonie G
• Can't Find the Judge by Gary Wright
• Time by Pink Floyd
• Root Down (And Get It) by Jimmy Smith
• Time to Get Ill by The Beastie Boys

Who's on Third

• Who's on 1st by Abbot & Costello

Wordz of Wisdom, Pt. 2

• Inaugural Address by President John F. Kennedy
• Assembly Line by The Commodores
• Love is Alive by Gary Wright
• Never Let Me Down Again by Depeche Mode
• Amen Brother by The Winstons

Charting singles

Year	Title	Chart Positions
		Rap Singles	R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	Dance Music Maxi-Singles Sales	Dance Music Club Play
1989	"Steppin' to the A.M."	#5	#54	#50	??
1990	"The Gas Face"	#5	??	31	??
1990	"Brooklyn-Queens"	??	??	??	20

References