Soulfunkjazz’s Blog

The Best Of War and More Vol. 2 (1996)
Since Avenue botched War’s The Best of War and More by neglecting to put on hit singles like “The World Is a Ghetto” and “Gypsy Man” — although there was plenty of room for both songs, among others — the company needed to assemble a second compilation to take care of all the leftover singles and songs that didn’t make the first volume. But, they managed to botch The Best of War and More, Vol. 2 as well. Sure, “The World Is a Ghetto,” “Gypsy Man,” “L.A. Sunshine,” “Good, Good Feelin’,” and several other R&B hit singles made the cut this time around, but the album is baited by an unnecessary remix of “Spill the Wine” by Junior Vasquez, plus selections from their latter-day albums (such as “Peace Sign”) that could have been replaced by more first-rate album tracks in the vein of the killer “Don’t Let No One Get You Down.” Still, if you want to supplement the first collection, the second volume is necessary. However, if you’re going to spring for just two discs of War, you might as well go with the comprehensive double-disc collection, Anthology. (All Music Group)
Tracks:
1. Lonely Feelin’
2. The World Is a Ghetto
3. Gypsy Man Allen
4. Don’t Let No One Get You Down
5. Ballero
6. L.A. Sunshine
7. Hey Señorita
8. Youngblood (Livin’ in the Streets)
9. Sing a Happy Song
10. Good, Good Feelin’
11. Cinco de Mayo
12. You Got the Power
13. Outlaw
14. Life (Is So Strange)
15. Peace Sign
16. Spill the Wine [Remix]
Listen:
**1** and **2**

Scotland’s Average White Band was in a celebratory mood on its third major-label release, the live double-album Person to Person. Following the crossover success of the band’s self-titled debut and subsequent Cut the Cake, Person to Person presented the six-piece R&B/funk act stretching out on most of its hits.

A record more pop in the career of this drummer, singer, composer and producer. It was stressed Reach Out.

Tracks:
1. Reach Out (I’ll Be There)
2. Looking at You, Looking at Me
3. Burning Up
4. Never Want to Be Without Your Love
5. Shake It Off
6. Dream Maker
7. Tina
8. Ain’t Nobody Ever Loved You

9. Black Boy

**Listen**

Best known for its 1979 hit “Glide,” Pleasure was a risk-taking, horn driven band that often brought jazz overtones to its funk/soul foundation. Pleasure, which shouldn’t be confused with the ’90s rock band Pleasure, wasn’t huge but enjoyed a small cult following. The band was formed in Portland, OR, in 1972, when guitarist Marlon “The Magician” McClain (born August 8, 1955), lead singer Sherman Davis (born March 15, 1952), and keyboardist Donald Hepburn (born June 30, 1950) joined forces with saxophonist Dennis Springer (born July 21, 1949), bassist Nathaniel Phillips (born December 30, 1955), trombonist Dan Brewster and drummer Bruce Carter (born December 28, 1956). Pleasure was a merger of two Portland outfits: Franchise (which included McClain, Phillips, and Carter) and the Soul Masters (which was Hepburn’s band and also included Springer, Smith, and Davis). The Oregon residents got a lucky break when trombonist Wayne Henderson, a founding member of the Jazz Crusaders, saw them performing in a Portland club — Henderson was impressed with what he heard, and his enthusiasm led to a deal with Fantasy (where he produced four of its six albums) in 1974. Pleasure’s debut album, Dust Yourself Off, came out on Fantasy in 1975 and was followed by Accept No Substitutes in 1976 and Joyous in 1977. After Joyous, there were a few personnel changes: Brewster left the band, and Donald Hepburn’s younger brother Michael (born May 21, 1953) came on board as a keyboardist/lead singer. Get to the Feeling, Pleasure’s fourth album, came out in 1978 and was followed by 1979’s Future Now, which contained the hit “Glide.” Pleasure’s cult following really swore by the band, but it wasn’t until “Glide” (which reached number ten on Billboard’s R&B singles chart) that the funksters finally scored a Top 10 hit. Trumpeter/flugelhornist Tony Collins (born May 16, 1957) was added to the lineup for Future Now, and Doug Lewis came on board as a lead guitarist for 1980’s Special Things, which was Pleasure’s sixth and final album. Unfortunately, Pleasure didn’t have any more major hits after “Glide,” and in 1981, the band broke up (All Music Group).
Tracks:
1. Celebrate The Good Things
2. Foxy Lady
3. Ladies’ Night Out
4. Happiness
5. Get To The Feeling
6. Farewell, Goodbye
7. Your Love Means Life (Memories)
8. Thanks For Everything
9. No Matter What
**Listen**

Black White & Co. was a french formation that made several releases including a few LP’s.The rare 12 inch ‘Action For Love’ is highly sought after and the track is also included on their ‘Black White & Co.’ LP. The maxi single was released in 3 different countries: France, Holland and Canada and features ‘Get The Funk’ on the flip. Below is a picture of the band. Lead singer Sidney later became a famous TV personality in France presenting a popular hip hop program.

1.- Mister Swing

2.- Overture

3.- Risin’ Up

4.- Sexy Automatic

5.- So Nice

6.- Stop

7.- Unlimited Funk

8.- Wanna Jam

9.- Believe In You

10.- Betcha Dance

Another in their series of rampaging, outlandish Defunkt sessions with trombonist Joseph Bowie and his comrades ripping through funk, R&B, jazz, blues, rock, and many other things. Sometimes they aim too high or try something that flops, but they keep right on experimenting and eventually create something no other band would even attempt.
Tracks:
1. Illusion
2. I Tried To Live Alone
3. Cocktail Hour (Blue Bossa)
4. Ooh Baby
5. Avoid The Funk
6. Big Bird (Au Private)
7. For The Love Of Money

Skyy
A New York City octet, one of three funk and/or disco bands in which producer/keyboardist Randy Muller was involved. The original lineup featured Denise, Delores, and Bonny Dunning as vocalists, with guitarists Solomon Roberts and Anibal Anthony Sierra, keyboardist Larry Greenberg, bassist Gerald Lebon, and drummer Tommy McConnell. Muller organized the group and they recorded for Salsoul from the late ’70s until 1984. Their biggest hit was “Call Me” in 1981, an R&B chart-topper. They could do sweeping funk tracks, dance-oriented cuts, or light ballads, although they never enjoyed the crossover success of a group like Atlantic Starr. They moved to Capitol in 1986 and enjoyed their biggest hit in quite some time with “Givin’ It (To You),” a Top Ten R&B single. They recorded Start of a Romance for Atlantic in 1989 and landed another hit with “Real Love.” Their most recent release was Nearer to You in 1992. (All Music Group)
Tracks:
1. Bad Boy
2. Married Man
3. Questions No Answers
4. Now That We’ve Found Love
5. Hey Girl
6. Show Me The Way
7. She’s Gone
8. Swing It
**Listen**

With a bottom-heavy funk sound driven by bright and brilliantly arranged killer horn riffs, the Ohio Players were one of the best and most consistent of the 1970s funk bands, and their approach and lyric sensibility in many ways prefigured the hip-hop explosion that hit some 30 years later. This two-disc, 24-track survey of their key Mercury Records tracks explodes like a party-in-a-box straight out of the gate, and includes the irresistible hits “Fire” and “Love Rollercoaster,” as well as lesser known (but no less impressive) sides like “Far East Mississippi” and the gorgeous “Time Slips Away.” This band still sounds great and that they also sound surprisingly contemporary in both tone and theme is revelatory. Everything essential is here.
Tracks:
1. Skin Tight
2. Jive Turkey
3. Heaven Must Be Like This
4. Fire
5. I Want to Be Free
6. It’s All Over
7. Fopp
8. Sweet Sticky Thing
9. Love Rollercoaster
10. Let’s Love (Interpolated with “Let’s Do It”)
11. Alone [live]
12. Happy Holidays, Pt. 1
13. Who’d She Coo?
14. Bi-Centennial
15. Far East Mississippi
16. Only a Child Can Love
17. Feel the Beat (Everybody Disco)
18. O-H-I-O
19. Body Vibes
20. Merry-Go-Round
21. Good Luck Charm
22. Funk-O-Nots
23. Time Slips Away

From 1977, another exquisite harmonizing of horns, with a solid base of jazz, soul and funk.

1. Dance To The Music

2. Addicted To Your Love

3. I Just Wanna Turn You On

4. A Love For You (And A Love For Me)

5. What’s Goin’ Down

6. Sexual Revolution

7. Can’t Break The Habit

8. Keep On Playin’ That Funky Music

9. Doin’ It To The Bone

10. Beware Of The Rip-Off

After taking a break from aggressive, sweaty funk on Mr. Mean, the Ohio Players made an artistically successful return to it with the neglected Jass-Ay-Lay-Dee. By 1978, their popularity had decreased considerably, and funk fans were much more interested in what newer arrivals like Cameo, Bootsy Collins, Slave and Rick James were up to. But the Players still had some life left in them, and energetic offerings like “Dance (If Ya Wanta),” “Sleepwalkin’” and the single “Funk-O-Knots” aren’t anything to be ashamed of. This album may not be in a class with Skin Tight, Fire, or Honey, but it’s certainly decent. Jass-Ay-Lay-Dee turned out to be the Players’ last album for Mercury — after that, they moved to Arista and recorded one more worthwhile album, 1979’s Everybody Up. And when the early 1980s rolled around, a downsized version of the Players would end up on Boardwalk and record the worst albums of their career. )All Music Group)

Tracks:
1. Funk-O-Nots
2. Sleepwalkin’
3. Jass-Ay-Lay-Dee
4. Nott Enuff
5. Time Slips Away
6. Shoot Yer Shot
7. Dance (If Ya Wanta)

For its fourth and final album, Seawind joined forces with producer George Duke — a heavyweight who had both jazz and R&B credentials. Duke’s roots were jazz, but by the late ’70s, he had made R&B his main focus. Because he knew R&B and jazz equally well, the eclectic Duke was ideal for Seawind; after all, Seawind was a funk/soul combo that also provided jazz-fusion instrumentals. With this self-titled album (which shouldn’t be confused with Seawind’s self-titled debut album), the Hawaiian unit finally scored a major hit single. “What Cha Doin’,” the snappy funk tune that opens this 1980 LP, enjoyed extensive airplay on both R&B and Top 40 stations — this time, quiet storm DJs weren’t the only radio people paying attention to Seawind. With Duke’s help, the band delivers a solid album; Seawind is as pleasing on “Pra Vose” (a Brazilian-flavored fusion instrumental) as it is on the funky “Shout” and relaxed quiet storm offerings like “Still in Love” and “The Two of Us.” Nonetheless, this isn’t Seawind’s most essential release — that honor goes to its self-titled debut album, with Window of a Child being the first runner-up. But it was still an enjoyable way for Seawind to say goodbye. (All Music Group)
Tracks:
1. What Cha Doin’
2. The Two of Us
3. Love Him, Love Her
4. Everything Needs Love
5. Shout
6. Still in Love
7. Pra Vose
8. I Need Your Love

**Listen**

After being on nearly a two-year hiatus, the veteran R&B/funk aggregate signed with the now-defunct Boardwalk Records after being with Mercury for seven years and a brief stay with Arista. Hoping to jumpstart their once prosperous status, the Ohio Players recorded two Otis Redding classics: “Try a Little Tenderness” and “Sittin’ on the Dock of Bay.” Reduced to a quartet on this recording, they lay their patented style on the former. Beginning as a soulful ballad, the track kicks into high gear with Leroy “Sugar” Bonner’s trademark baritone complemented by horns and a groovin’ bassline. The single only managed to reach the number 40 position on the Billboard R&B charts after ten weeks, but it was truly deserving of a better outing. “Sittin’ on the Dock of Bay” was never released. The Ohio Players did not present anything new on this single; this is probably more a tribute to Redding. There are also two other featured singles that were promoted by the label: “Sometimes I Cry” and “Skinny.” The former is a slow, drifting song with a twist of country & western that is unlike any other Ohio Players recording; the single never charted. The latter, the title track, is a funky composition driven by Bonner’s scratch baritone and a delayed, groovin’ bassline; it posted a #46 rating after ten weeks.(All Music Group)
Tracks:
1. Try a Little Tenderness
2. Sometimes I Cry
3. Skinny
4. Try to Be a Man
5. Boardwalkin’
6. Call Me
7. Sitting on the Dock of the Bay
8. It Takes a While
9. Hard to Love Your Brother

L.T.D. suffered quite a loss when Jeffrey Osborne, a jewel of a lead singer, left to pursue a solo career in 1980. For L.T.D., losing Osborne was like the Commodores losing Lionel Richie or Van Halen losing David Lee Roth — it was a major blow, although not a fatal one. Osborne was replaced by two new lead vocalists: Leslie Wilson and Andre Ray, both of them talented, expressive soulsters who demonstrated that they could handle the job nicely. Many Osborne admirers greeted Love Magic, L.T.D.’s first post-Osborne album, with skepticism, but this 1981 LP is surprisingly successful. A few of the tunes, in fact, are excellent, including the sweaty funk hit “Kickin’ Back,” the sweet ballad “April Love,” and the sociopolitical “It Must End” (which finds L.T.D. making an unexpected detour into reggae). And even though most of the other songs fall short of remarkable, they’re still decent. Love Magic isn’t among L.T.D.’s essential albums, but it’s an enjoyable effort that proved there could be life after Jeffrey Osborne for the soul/funk band.(All Music Group)
Tracks:
1. Kickin’ Back
2. Burnin’ Hot
3. Cuttin’ It Up
4. Stay On The One
5. Love Magic
6. April Love
7. It Must End

8. Now

One of guitarist John Scofield’s best sessions for Gramavision, this live date features his regular band of the period, a quartet with keyboardist Robert Aries, electric bassist Gary Grainger and drummer Dennis Chambers, who had been playing together regularly for a year at that point. The close communication between the musicians on such numbers as “Pick Hits,” “Protocol” and “Blue Matter” could only come from the players fully understanding each other’s musical personalities. The music, electric but adventurous, funky but definitely exploratory jazz, is difficult to describe, but easier for Scofield’s fans to enjoy.

Tracks:
1. Picks And Plays
2. Pick Hits
3. Heaven Hill
4. Protocol
5. Blue Matter
6. Thanks Again
7. Trim
8. Georgia on My Mind
9. Make Me

Switching over to Blue Note, which was then reaping a fortune with Donald Byrd’s R&B outfit, Eddie Henderson pursued a harder, earthier, more structured, funk-driven sound on his first album, while maintaining some of his marvelously spacier instincts for spice. Henderson continued to keep several components of the Herbie Hancock Septet together, for drummer Billy Hart, bassist Buster Williams, reedman Bennie Maupin, and now trombonist Julian Priester are back. But this time, Hancock is replaced by George Duke, and fusionaire bassist Alphonso Johnson and drummer Harvey Mason (late of the Headhunters) are added — and these switches make much of the difference. Duke is as much of an techie as Herbie was; he delights in flaunting his Echoplex and burbling, shooting, twinkling synthesizer effects. Henderson himself is more into electronic echo and wah-wah effects than before, definitely pursuing the current Miles Davis line but in a brighter, more tonally brilliant manner, and Maupin has many impassioned and creepy (on bass clarinet) moments. The title track, a ruminative Henderson tune with a leaping funk beat, and Mason’s archetypical funk workout “Hop Scotch” are the best cuts. (All Group Music)
Tracks:
1. Explodition
2. The Kumquat Kids
3. Sunburst 5:49
4. Involuntary Bliss
5. Hop Scotch
6. Galaxy
7. We End in a Dream

**Listen**

The signs of decline were all over this 1984 S.O.S. release. Even though they scored two big hits, with the title track checking in at a lofty number six, the exuberance and energy were fading. The strength and creativity are gradually yielding to the prevailing pop, it is no longer the same.

Tracks:
1. No One’s Gonna Love You
2. Weekend Girl
3. Just The Way You Like It
4. Break Up
5. Feeling

6. I Don’t Want Nobody Else
7. Body Break

When a debut album is as promising as the S.O.S. Band’s first album, one fears the possibility of a sophomore slump — meaning that the second album won’t live up to the promise of the first. Too, the S.O.S. Band’s second album, does, in fact, find the Atlanta residents experiencing a bit of a sophomore slump. But “bit” is the operative word; Too is far from a disaster. While the S.O.S. Band’s self-titled debut album of 1980 was superb, this 1981 follow-up is merely decent. And in that sense, the LP is somewhat of a disappointment — but certainly not a major disappointment. “Do It Now,” “It’s a Long Way to the Top,” and other up-tempo funk-dance singles are likable and catchy; they just aren’t exceptional. If the S.O.S. Band’s first album was the funk-dance equivalent of champagne, Too is more like a beer. And when you have come to expect champagne, beer is a letdown — even if it is a beer of decent quality. But all was certainly not lost for the S.O.S. Band. A few years after Too, the Atlanta residents joined forces with the hit-producing songwriting team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis — and that alliance resulted in a creative and commercial revitalization for the S.O.S. Band. Again, Too isn’t a bad album, but it isn’t among the Atlantans’ essential releases and is only recommended to collectors and hardcore fans. (All Music Group).
Tracks:
1. It’s a Long Way to the Top
2. Do It Now
3. There Is No Limit
4. You
5. Stay
6. Are You Ready?
7. Do You Know Where Your Children Are?
8. For the Brothers That Ain’t Here
9. Unborn Child

**Listen**