Con Funk Shun – Touch (1980)

Octubre 29, 2008 a 8:59 pm (Funk)

Touch (1980)
This album starts off with the funk groove “Too Tight,” which peaked at number eight on the Billboard R&B charts. Complemented by the swinging horn intro, the lyrics and the vocals are an enticement to the dancefloor. It’s followed by another dance-flavored track, “Lady’s Wild,” which features a catchy hook and a party ad lib. Two mellowed-out numbers in “Give Your Love to Me” and “Can’t Say Goodbye” never made the charts. The former offers jazzy interlude solos by Michael Cooper (rhythm guitar) and Felton Pilate (trombone), and the latter is a quiet storm favorite. (Artistdirect, AMG)
Tracks:
1. Too Tight
2. Lady’s Wild
3. Give Your Love to Me
4. Pride and Glory
5. Kidnapped
6. Welcome Back to Love
7. Touch
8. Can’t Say Goodbye
9. Play Widit
**Listen**

3 comentarios

The Commodores – Natural High (1978)

Octubre 28, 2008 a 11:36 pm (Funk)

Natural High (1978)
The Commodores’ sixth studio album, Natural High, is best known for the ballad “Three Times a Lady,” which became a staple of adult contemporary radio and reached number one on both the pop and R&B charts. “Three Times a Lady” was their first number one pop hit, and Lionel Richie was being recognized as a major crossover star. Not everyone liked “Three Times a Lady” — some people found the song to be much too sappy, and R&B purists argued that the Commodores were watering their music down. But even if “Three Times a Lady” isn’t your cup of tea, Natural High still has a lot to offer R&B fans. “X-Rated Movie,” “Such a Woman,” and “I Like What You Do” are exhilarating examples of hardcore funk, and those who appreciate artists like Heatwave and the Brothers Johnson will find a lot to admire about “Fire Girl” and “Flying High” (both of which are sleek examples of the sophisticated funk style). Meanwhile, “Say Yeah” (featuring Richie) is a first-rate R&B slow jam. Whatever your opinion of “Three Times a Lady” — whether you love it or hate it — the fact is that Natural High has more plusses than minuses and was a generally respectable, if imperfect, addition to the Commodores’ catalog.(Artistdirect, AMG)
Tracks:
1. Fire Girl
2. X-Rated Movie
3. Flying High
4. Three Times A Lady
5. Such A Woman
6. Say Yeah
7. I Like What You Do
8. Visions

**Listen**

4 comentarios

Slave – Bad Enuff (1983)

Octubre 28, 2008 a 7:15 pm (Funk)

Bad Enuff (1983)
After 1982’s disappointing Visions of the Lite, it was logical to assume that Slave was past its prime. But the Dayton funksters’ next album, Bad Enuff, turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Although it falls short of remarkable, this solid, pleasing album was a definite improvement over Visions of the Lite. Bad Enuff isn’t in a class with The Concept, Just a Touch of Love, or Stone Jam, but it’s an enjoyable, satisfying record -and unlike Visions of the Light, it proved that there could be life after Steve Arrington for Slave. This Jimmy Douglass-produced LP found the band unveiling a new lineup; original members Mark Adams (bass), Danny Webster (lead vocals, lead guitar), and Floyd Miller (lead vocals) were joined by several newcomers, including lead singers Eugene Jackson and Wayne Foote, keyboardist Kenny Hairston, saxman Albrey Rivers, and trumpeter Kenny Anderson. Despite all the personnel changes, Slave is instantly recognizable as Slave on lively, infectious offerings like “Bad Girl,” “Rendezvous,” and the single “Shake It Up.” While Visions of the Light had listeners lamenting Arrington’s departure from Slave, Bad Enuff proved that it could get along without him. Bad Enuff isn’t recommended to casual listeners, who would be better off sticking with the Midwesterners’ essential 1977-1981 work. But it isn’t a bad album to have in your collection if you’re among Slave’s die-hard fans. (Artistdirect, AMG)
Tracks:
1. Steppin Out
2. Bad Girl
3. Turn You Out (In and Out)
4. Shake It Up
5. Dance
6. Show Down
7. Rendezvous

**Listen**

1 comentario

Quincy Jones – The Dude (1981)

Octubre 28, 2008 a 4:00 am (Soul Jazz)

The Dude (1981)
Now running his own Qwest label and a thousand other things, Quincy Jones still owed one more album to A&M — and he gave them a blockbuster, one that reached number ten, yielded three hit pop singles and made a star out of soul balladeer James Ingram. “Ai No Corrida,” and the leadoff track, is the Quincy Jones hit method par excellence — great pacing, superb sound, a catchy tune, a hot Ernie Watts tenor sax solo and you can dance to it, too. Stevie Wonder’s irresistible synthesizer hooks lift his “Betcha Wouldn’t Hurt Me,” and Q and omnipresent composer Rod Temperton are far-seeing enough on the title track to anticipate the rise of rap. But where does all of this pop wizardry, soon to assume mythic dimensions on Michael Jackson’s Thriller, leave the jazz listener? Yes, Quincy has thought of you too, however briefly, on Ivan Lins’ wistful “Velas,” where perennial house jazzer Toots Thielemans eloquently returns, taping his part in Belgium. Obviously, though, the main purpose here is to make hit pop singles, and The Dude does a pretty good job of that. (Artistdirect)
Tracks:
1. Ai No Corrida
2. The Dude
3. Just Once
4. Betcha’ Wouldn’t Hurt Me
5. Somethin’ Special
6. Razzamatazz
7. One Hundred Ways
8. Velas
9. Turn on the Action

**Listen**

2 comentarios

Phil Hurtt – PH Factor (1979)

Octubre 28, 2008 a 1:28 am (Funk Disco)

PH Factor

PH Factor (1979).
Largely known for his work with other disco and r&b musicians at the time (he was a collaborator on many of the Village People’s hits, as well as “I’ll Be Around” for the Spinners), Phil Hurtt stepped out into the spotlight on his own for this 1979 Fantasy full length. Songwriters and producers who become recording artists in their own right are a mixed blessing at times, especially in the r&b world. Thankfully Hurtt holds his own from the onset, with the high energy “Boogie City” leading the charge. The follow up “PH Boogie Factor” foreshadows much of the proto-house and r&b sound that would emerge later in the eighties. Most of the time Hurtt and follow background vocalists sound a touch too close to Earth, Wind & Fire but without the lush harmonies and arrangements that made Earth, Wind & Fire a powerhouse during the decade. This would be Hurtt’s swan song as a frontman, as he would return later in the year to the studio to record hits for The Ritchie Family and Grace Jones (AMG).
Tracks:
1. Boogie City
2. Ph Factor
3. I’ve Got The Power
4. I Think It’s About Time
5. Don’t Let This Momet Get Away
6. I’m In Love Again
7. Let It Flow
**Listen**

1 comentario

Bill Summers And Summers Heat – On Sunshine (1979)

Octubre 28, 2008 a 12:25 am (Funk Jazz)

On Sunshine (1979).

Tracks:

1. Walking On Sunshine

2. You’ve Got Me Lovin Again

3. She’s Gone

4. Music Land

5. Dancing Lady

6. Love’s All We Need

7. Feel The Heat

8. Learn To Live As One

9. Samba Of Oakland

2 comentarios

Billy Cobham – Crosswinds (1974)

Octubre 27, 2008 a 11:36 pm (Jazz Rock)

Crosswinds (1974)
Information
Tracks:

1. Spanish Moss – “A Sound Portrait”: Spanish Moss
2. Spanish Moss – “A Sound Portrait”: Savannah the Serene
3. Spanish Moss – “A Sound Portrait”: Storm
4. Spanish Moss – “A Sound Portrait”: Flash Flood
5. The Pleasant Pheasant
6. Heather
7. Crosswind

5 comentarios

George Clinton & The P-Funk All Star – Dope Dogs (1998)

Octubre 27, 2008 a 11:33 pm (Modern Funk)


Dope Dogs (1998)
George Clinton’s most focused album of the ’90s slams a barrel of P-Funk down your throat without even giving you the opportunity to swallow. The P-Funk All Stars get a co-credit on this one, bouncing and funking alongside their leader nearly every step of the way. In typical Clinton fashion, Dope Dogs is all over the place: funk, R&B, hip-hop and ass-busting beats cover most of the ground. It all sticks together, however, on a loose-grooved concept about dogs (hasn’t most of Clinton’s post-”Atomic Dog” stuff been leading to this anyway?), the government and drugs, and how they’re tied together in one huge nationwide conspiracy (it makes even less sense on record than it does here). But Clinton always has been about the funk of the matter, and Dope Dogs clearly has that, and its tight astro-rhythms, in the right place. (AMG)
Tracks:
1. Dog Star (Fly On)
2. U.S. Custom Goast Guard Dope Dog
3. Some Next Shit
4. Just Say Ding (Databoy)
5. Help Scottie, Help (I’m Tweaking and I Can’t Beam up!)
6. Pepe (The Pill Popper)
7. Back Against the Wall
8. Fifi
9. All Sons of Bitches
10. Sick ‘Em (Instrumental)
11. I Ain’t the Lady (He Ain’t the Tramp)
12. Pack of Wild Dogs
13. Tales That Wag the Dog
14. My Dog

1 comentario

Quincy Jones – Sounds…And Stuff Like That (1978)

Octubre 27, 2008 a 11:22 pm (Soul Jazz)

Sounds…And Stuff Like That (1978).

Quincy Jones came up with another classy-sounding pop album loaded with his ever-growing circle of musician friends. Disco was king in 1978 and Jones bows low with the ebullient dance hit “Stuff Like That” — which is several cuts above the norm for that genre — along with a healthy quota of elegantly produced soul ballads. Yet amidst the pop stuff, Jones still manages to do something fresh and memorable within the jazz sphere with a gorgeous chart of Herbie Hancock’s “Tell Me a Bedtime Story.” Hancock himself sits in impeccably on electric piano, and violinist Harry Lookofsky painstakingly overdubs one of Hancock’s transcribed solos on 15 violins. Despite the cast of hundreds that is now de rigueur for Quincy Jones, the record does not sound over-produced due to the silken engineering and careful deployment of forces. (AMG)
Tracks:
1. Stuff Like That
2. I’m Gonna Miss You in the Morning
3. Love, I Never Had It So Good
4. Tell Me a Bedtime Story
5. Love Me by Name
6. Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)
7. Takin’ It to the Streets

4 comentarios

Hello world!

Octubre 27, 2008 a 11:12 pm (Uncategorized)

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!

1 comentario

George Clinton – Hardcore Jollies (Recopilation – 1997)

Octubre 27, 2008 a 12:30 am (Funk)

Hardcore Jollies (1997).

Not to be confused with the classic Funkadelic album of the same name from 1976, Hardcore Jollies compiles the best of George Clinton’s Capitol recordings from the ’80s. Clinton only recorded four albums for Capitol — Computer Games (1982), You Shouldn’t-Nuf Bit Fish (1983), Some of My Best Jokes Are Friends (1985), and R&B Skeletons in the Closet (1986) — none of them on a par with his Parliament/Funkadelic work and none particularly successful commercially. However, though Clinton struggled to make great albums as a solo artist, he still had quite a few great songs, the most well-known, of course, being “Atomic Dog.” In addition, this best-of compiles many of his other noteworthy songs from the ’80s, including “Hey Good Lookin’,” “Do Fries Go With That Shake,” and “Man’s Best Friend.” Unfortunately, three songs in particular are unexplainably missing here that were substantial hits: “Nubian Nut,” “Last Dance,” and “Double Oh-Oh.” Had these three songs been here, Hardcore Jollies would be a definitive showcase of Clinton’s work for Capitol. As it stands, however, this best-of perhaps places too much emphasis on Computer Games, compiling six of that album’s seven songs. And it’s also questionable whether or not you need the extended versions of “Hey Good Lookin’” (seven minutes and 52 seconds) and “Do Fries Go With That Shake” (ten minutes and 15 seconds). Nonetheless, despite being a bit unbalanced, Hardcore Jollies provides an excellent showcase of Clinton’s work in the ’80s. (AMG – Artist Direct)
Tracks:
1. Hey Good Lookin
2. Atomic Dog
3. Do Fries Go With That Shake?
4. Thrashin’
5. One Fun at a Time
6. Stingy
7. Computer Games
8. Bodyguard
9. Silly Millameter
10. Pot Sharing Tots
11. Bangladesh
12. Free Alterations
13. R&B Skeletons (In the Closet)
14. Man’s Best Friend
15. In The Cabin Of My Uncle Jam (P Is The Funk)

1 comentario

Mahavishnu Orchestra – John Mclaughlin Montreux Concerts (From 1984)

Octubre 26, 2008 a 5:52 am (Jazz Rock, Uncategorized)

Montreux Concerts (From 1984)

Information

Tracks: (Disc VIII)
1. Radio Activity
2. Nostalgia
3. East Side
4. Clarendon Hills
5. Bues For L.W.,It’s The Pits And Living On The Crest Of A Wave

1 comentario

Beggar & Co. – Monumet (1981)

Octubre 26, 2008 a 5:42 am (Uncategorized)

Monumet (1981)

Beggar & Co. is a British group that scored a number 15 U.K. hit with “(Somebody) Help Me Out” in 1981.

Tracks:
1. You Need Love
2. Laughing On
3. Somebody Help Me Out
4. Mule (Chant No. 2)
5. Break It Up
6. Got to Get Away
7. Bahia de Palma
8. I Tried to Write a Song
9. That’s Life
10. Keep on Writing

2 comentarios

Billy Ocean – Nights (Feel Like Gettin’ Down)(1981)

Octubre 25, 2008 a 4:13 pm (Uncategorized)

Nights (Feel Like Gettin’ Down)(1981)
Information
Tracks:
1. Are You Ready
2. Don’t Say Stop
3. Whatever Turns You On
4. Another Day Won’t Matter
5. Nights (Feel Like Getting Down
6. Who’s Gonna Rock
7. Stay the Night
8. Everlasting Love
9. Taking Chances
10. Stay The Night (Versión 12”)
11. Are You Ready (Maxi)

1 comentario

Axiom Funk – Funkcronomicon (1995)

Octubre 24, 2008 a 7:17 pm (Modern Funk)

Funkcronomicon (1995)

Producer Bill Laswell’s Axiom project Axiom Funk was launched under the auspices of a “supergroup,” and was certainly one of the most far-reaching and vibrant collections of funk to emerge — astonishingly long after the genre’s heyday. P-Funk keyboardist Bernie Worrell was initially the flashpoint for the project’s Laswell/Parliament/Herbie Hancock core, his associations fortuitously coalescing just as Laswell was striving to expand his Axiom empire. Bringing together key players from all decades, he then twisted the mix with clever combinations of newly recorded material and sessions recorded long ago but never released. The Sly Stone tracks were recorded during Maceo Parker’s All the Kings Men period, while the Eddie Hazel tracks were among the last he ever recorded, shortly before his death in late 1992. In all its guises, however, Funkcronomicon is a masterpiece. From the old-school jams of George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Worrell, and Hazel to Hancock’s jazzed-out funk and the righteously fresh sounds of reggae rhythm section Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, this fat double disc really packs a punch. Add the alternative rock stylings of Anton Fier, best known for his work with the Feelies and the Golden Palominos, and the resulting brew is almost unbelievable. Tracks previously released — “Cosmic Slop,” “Pray My Soul,” “Sacred to the Pain,” “Sax Machine,” “Telling Time,” and “Tell the World” — are cunningly interspersed with new and unreleased material. And, in the end, although old and new schools rub smooth shoulders, it’s hard to tell where one ends and another begins.(AMG)

Tracks:
Disc: 1
1. Order Within the Universe – Worrell, Bernie
2. Under the Influence (Jes Grew) – Clinton, George
3. If 6 Was 9 – Hendrix, Jimi
4. Orbitron Attack – Cook, G
5. Cosmic Slop – Clinton, George [1]
6. Gree-Base (Godzillatron Cush) – Laswell, Bill
7. Tell the World – Collins, Bootsy
8. Pray My Soul – Cook, G.
Disc: 2
1. Hideous Mutant Freekz – Clinton, George
2. Sax Machine – Collins, Bootsy
3. Animal Behavior – Laswell, Bill
4. Trumpets and Violins, Violins – Hendrix, Jimi
5. Telling Time – Skopelitis, Nicky
6. Jungle Free-Bass – Laswell, Bill
7. Blackout – McKnight, D.
8. Sacred to the Pain – Cook, G.
Listen: **CD1** – **CD2**

1 comentario

Freedom – Free (1980)

Octubre 23, 2008 a 3:28 pm (Funk)

Free (1980- Malaco Records).
Tracks:
1. Time to Get It On
2. Caught (Special Way)
3. Freedom Funk It Up/ Funky With You (3 and 4 Original LP)
4. The After Party
5. Come on and Dance
6. Lovelight
7. The Funktionary
8. Funny Way
9. We Were Lovers
10. Funny Way (Reprise)
**Listen**

1 comentario

Don Blackman – Don Blackman (1982)

Octubre 22, 2008 a 9:24 pm (Funk)

Don Blackman (1982)

Pianist/singer/writer Don Blackman, born 1953 in Queens, NY, grew up surrounded by jazz influences; a cousin was McCoy Tyner’s friend and saxophonist Charles McPherson – a Charlie Parker disciple – was Blackman’s neighbor. Blackman played with McPherson’s group in 1968 alongside Sam Jones and Louis Hayes when he was 15 years old.
He switched to electric piano and toured with Parliarment/Funkadellic in the early ’70s. He later became an original member of Lenny White’s Twennynine (“Peanut Butter”), a key piece in Jamaica Queens’ ’70s’ jazz-funk explosion. A deal with GRP/Arista birthed the solo LP Don Blackman (1982), a good set saddled by poor promotion.
His extensive resumé includes Kurtis Blow sessions and singing “Haboglabotrin” on Bernard Wright’s ‘Nard album. A fixture in New York studios, he has worked on sessions for a long list of artists including Nagee, David Sanborn, and Roy Ayers. And his composition “Live to Kick It” graced Tu-Pac’s R U Still Down (Remember Me) release.

Tracks:
1. Yabba Dabba Doo
2. Heart’s Desire
3. Holding You, Loving You
4. Deaf Hook-Up Connection
5. You Ain’t Hip
6. Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide
7. Since You Been Away So Long
8. Never Miss A Thing
**Listen**

2 comentarios

Taste Of Honey – Classic Masters (2002)

Octubre 22, 2008 a 6:42 pm (Funk Disco)

Classic Masters (2002)

Capitol records recognized that Universal had a good thing going on with their 20th Century Masters series, realizing that it was a perfect way to offer new greatest-hits collections in a classy, eye-catching fashion. Fortunately, they also learned from the mistakes of Universal (who took a while to get off the ground with their initial volumes of the series) and began rivaling the overall quality of latter-day volumes of 20th Century Masters with the initial volumes of their own series, Classic Masters. Case in point is Taste of Honey’s edition of the series. What’s nice about it is that it does its job cleanly and stylishly, offering all of the group’s hits, along with selected highlights, in 12 crisply remastered tracks. Yes, some fans could want a more thorough compilation, but they would have to be serious listeners. For the majority of listeners, though, this delivers everything they need in a very good greatest-hits package – and it’s quite representative of the rest of this fine line.

Tracks:
1. Boogie Oogie Oogie
2. You’re in Good Hands
3. Disco Dancin’
4. Do It Good
5. Dance
6. Rescue Me
7. I’m Talkin’ ‘Bout You
8. Sukiyaki
9. I’ll Try Something New
10. We’ve Got the Groove
11. This Love of Ours
12. I Want to Be Your Girl
**Listen**

1 comentario

Mary Jane Girls – Mary Jane Girls (1983)

Octubre 22, 2008 a 2:50 am (Uncategorized)

Mary Jane Girls (1983).

Rick James was riding so high at Motown in the early ’80s that they signed his backup band and let James produce a couple of albums for them. This self-titled debut actually proved to be better than anticipated. The foursome got four R&B hits from this album, with “All Night Long” just missing the Top 10. They were no great shakes as vocalists, but made up for it with a visual act that took male listeners’ minds off the fact that they were hearing, in some instances, minimal harmonies and leads.(AMG).
Tracks:
1. Candy Man
2. Boys
3. Prove It
4. Jealousy
5. You Are My Heaven
6. On The Inside
7. All Night Long
8. Musical Love

2 comentarios

Larry Graham & Graham Central Station – My Radio Sure Sounds Good To Me (1978)

Octubre 22, 2008 a 2:21 am (Funk)

My Radio Sure Sounds Good To Me (1978).

Benny Golson is hardly the first person one would expect to co-produce a funk/soul album. In the late ’50s, the Philadelphian made a name for himself in the jazz world playing tenor sax alongside the likes of Lee Morgan and Curtis Fuller in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers — and his name continues to be synonymous with hard bop. But there isn’t a trace of bop to be found on My Radio Sure Sounds Good to Me, a funk/soul LP that Golson produced with Larry Graham. This record marked the first time that Graham called his band Larry Graham & Graham Central Station (as opposed to simply Graham Central Station). But despite the name change and despite Golson’s presence, Radio is state-of-the-art GCS — gritty 1970s funk jams (“Pow,” “Boogie Witcha, Baby,” “It’s the Engine in Me”) are right at home with sentimental soul ballads (“Is It Love?”) and gospel-influenced message songs (“Mr. Friend”). Golson handles most of the LP’s horn and string arrangements, but his jazz background doesn’t make its presence felt — not even in a subtle way. Graham hired Golson to co-produce an R&B project, and he did what he was paid to do. My Radio Sure Sounds Good to Me isn’t GCS’ most essential album, but it’s a solid effort that is easily recommended to anyone with a taste for gutsy, horn-powered 1970s funk.
Tracks:
1. Pow
2. My Radio Sure Sounds Good To Me
3. Is It Love?
4. Boogie Witcha, Baby
5. It’s The Engine In Me
6. Turn It Out
7. Mr. Friend
8. Are You Happy?

1 comentario

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