David McCallum is best known as an actor — The Man from U.N.C.L.E. in the 1960s, Ducky on NCIS decades later — but in 1967 he released a solo album of orchestral pop arranged by David Axelrod. "The Edge" is a dramatic, cinematic instrumental featuring lush strings, a driving rhythm, and an atmosphere of tension that sounds like a film soundtrack in search of a movie.

Dr. Dre sampled "The Edge" for "The Next Episode" — one of the most recognizable hip-hop tracks of the 2000s — and that single usage transformed an obscure orchestral pop record into a hip-hop touchstone. It's one of sampling's most unlikely stories: a TV actor's vanity album from 1967 providing the musical foundation for a West Coast rap anthem that would be heard billions of times.