Soulfunkjazz’s Blog

The Force (1977) (Vinyl Remasterized by SFJ)
At the height of their powers, Kool and the Gang was the most devastating funk band on the planet, more powerful than even the JBs. Equally capable of delivering highly spiritual, jazzy grooves or punishing party anthems, their versatility placed them far ahead of the pack in the 70s.
From their base of Jersey City, the band was assembled around the core of Robert “Kool” Bell (bass), Ronald Bell (keys, horns), George Brown (drums), the guitar tandem of Woody Sparrow and Charles Smith and Ricky Westfield (keys). The horn section was comprised of Spike Mickens, Clifford Adams and Dennis Thomas. Honing their skills by playing gigs as the Jazziacs, most did not stop to think that they were teenagers. A promoter’s mistake led to their being billed as Kool and the Flames, and they went with the flow, renaming themselves Kool and the Gang. It was sensible to build the group around Kool since he was the musical and organizational bedrock of the group. But don’t be mistaken – every member made significant contributions to the sound.
Gene Redd recognized their enormous potential and signed them up to De-Lite in 1969. Several tentative covers punctuated the first album, indicating their inexperience in the studio. It was a different story on stage, so the decision was made to record them live for the next few albums.
The plan worked, as their audience grew and the band won the praise of James Brown, who was notorious for ignoring anything not in his immediate circle. The Godfather had good reason to be checking the competition: with their airtight ensemble skills and more flexible repertoire, he knew it was only a matter of time before they challenged his funk supremacy.
After years of preparing for the big time, the moment finally arrived with the release of Wild and Peaceful. Anchored by “Funky Stuff” and “Jungle Boogie,” two early pre-disco dancefloor smashes, the record officially made them funk superstars.
From that point on, the Gang was riding high with “Higher Plane,” “Rhyme Time People,” “Open Sesame” and “Spirit of the Boogie.” LPs were a complete experience, with fans latching on to sleeper cuts like “Summer Madness” or “Wild and Peaceful” which indulged their jazz sensibilities. Other recordings, notably “Father Father” and “Fruitman,” made reference to their beliefs as members of the Nation of Islam.
Like many classic funk acts, they had a hard time adjusting to the new rules of disco. “Open Sesame” proved they could lay down a progressive disco groove when inspired, but the consensus was that their sound was becoming outdated.
The album “the force” was the final installment of the original Kool and the Gang. The lack of radio play for this album presumably led to the identity switch to a pleasant but toothless pop outfit. (allthingsdeep.com)
Tracks:
1. A Place in Space
2. Slick Superchick
3. Just Be True
4. The Force
5. Mighty, Mighty High
6. Oasis
7. Life’s a Song
8. Free
**Listen**

Nota: Agradecimientos a Guido (Italia) y Kunio (Japon) por hacer llegar esta magnifica pieza de coleccion. Remasterizado desde el vinilo con el esfuerzo de Mauricio (Funkjazz) y Claudio (Yayofunky).

Out Of  Control (1984)
Although they were nearly a decade on from their ’70s heyday, the Brothers Johnson, with Leon Sylvers at the production helm, still managed to set a few grooves on fire among the heavy, heady crop of synthesized R&B that flooded the adult contemporary market. There’s an interesting interplay between the strong bass and vocals, supported by a smattering of guitar and a markedly slow tempo, which ensured that the single “You Keep Me Coming Back” would power into the R&B Top 20. Much of Out of Control follows through with much the same attitude, with nary a true funk-fueled jam to be found. Some of the duo’s original intent survives on “I Came Here to Party” and the title track, but such stompers are few and far between, merely filling space in between the ballads and soft soul numbers which dominate the set, leaving the smart “Dazed” to fall somewhere in between. Out of Control probably won’t thrill the socks off the brothers’ funk fans, but there are still moments which merit a closer listen. And despite the soft sonics which proliferate, the Brothers Johnson certainly proved they were worthy of their staying power, while so many of their peers fell soundly by the wayside. (AMG)
Tracks:
1. You Keep Me Comin’ Back
2. Lovers Forever
3. Do You
4. Let’s Try Love Again
5. I Came Here to Party
6. Out of Control
7. Save Me
8. Tokyo
9. Dazed
10. It’s All over Now
**Listen**

Winners (1981)
Smooth jazzy soul from the Brothers — still sounding wonderful at this point, producing themselves for the record, and using the best parts of all those lessons they learned from Quincy Jones! The bass is a bit down in the mix for this album — a good move, considering that 1981 was kind of drowning in bass-heavy soul — and the Brothers are wonderfully concentrating on their strong talent for a jazzy harmony vocal! The set’s polished without ever sounding too slick — a balance that the Brothers seemed to do better than most — and titles include “The Real Thing”, “Dancin Free”, “In The Way”, “Caught Up”, “Daydreamer Dream”, and “Hot Mama”. (DGA, Inc)
Tracks:
1. The Real Thing
2. Dancin’ Free
3. Sunlight
4. Teaser
5. Caught Up
6. In the Way
7. I Want You
8. Do It for Love
9. Hot Mama
10. Daydreamer Dream
**Listen**

Hot Box (1980)
In 1980, the carefully studio-crafted combination of funk and disco Fatback had been developing on their last few albums paid off with Hot Box, an album that spawned some serious R&B chart hits. The big hit from this long-player was “Gotta Get My Hands on Some (Money),” a song driven by a rock-solid synthesizer bassline and a freewheeling, Parliament-like rap about the singer’s need to score some cash to keep his head above water. It further spices up its funky stew with an array of vocal-harmony hooks and squiggly, ear-catching synthesizer flourishes to create one of Fatback’s finest hits. The album’s other notable success was “Backstrokin’,” a tune that layered plenty of saucy double entendres over a combination of elongated synthesizer lines and staccato horns. Sadly, the rest of the album never quite captures the infectious yet carefully controlled energy of these hits: the title track works hard but never builds up the head of steam that would make it come to life and “Come and Get the Love” sports a lovely group harmony hook but suffers from humdrum lyrics that lack a fresh take on its very traditional subject. The song that gets closest to the arresting quality of the singles is “Love Spell,” which triumphs over its uninteresting rap-styled lead vocal thanks to a doubled group vocal/synthesizer hook that digs deep into the listener’s consciousness and takes hold. Overall, Hot Box is a solid listen for Fatback fans but those interested in the album’s hits would probably be better off picking up a copy of The Fattest of Fatback. (AMG)
Tracks:
1. Hot Box
2. Come and Get the Love
3. Love Spell
4. Gotta Get My Hands on Some (Money)
5. Backstrokin’
6. Street Band
**Listen**

Blam!! [1978]
In the late ’70s and early ’80s, funk could be divided into two main categories: hardcore funk (which included Rick James, Graham Central Station, Cameo, the Gap Band, the Bar-Kays, and George Clinton’s Parliament/Funkadelic empire) and the lighter, softer sophisticated funk (“sophisti-funk” for short) of Rufus & Chaka Khan, the Average White Band, the Whispers, Heatwave, Chic, Dynasty, and Teena Marie. Before the arrival of J.T. Taylor in 1979, Kool & the Gang were the epitome of hardcore funk — and once he arrived, they epitomized sophisti-funk (which was also called “uptown funk”). Another group that epitomized sophisti-funk was the Brothers Johnson, whose third album, Blam!!, demonstrates that funk can be sleek and gritty at the same time. This 1978 classic is full of definitive examples of sophisti-funk; if you’re a lover of that style, tracks like “Ain’t We Funkin’ Now” (a major hit), “Mista’ Cool,” “Ride-O-Rocket,” and the title song are required listening. Equally strong are the mellow ballad “It’s You, Girl” and the pop-jazz instrumental “Streetwave,” both of which were well-received by quiet storm enthusiasts. The person the Brothers Johnson can thank for this album being so consistent is producer Quincy Jones, who really knew how to bring out the best in the group. A former jazz musician who shifted his focus to R&B/pop in the 1970s, Jones can be a real perfectionist. It was Jones who, in 1982, produced the best selling album of all time (Michael Jackson’s Thriller), and he rarely let the Brothers Johnson settle for second best. As a result, Blam!! is excellent from start to finish. (AMG)
Tracks:
1. Ain’t We Funkin’ Now
2. So Won’t You Stay
3. Blam!!
4. Rocket Countdown/Blastoff
5. Ride-O-Rocket
6. Mista’ Cool
7. It’s You Girl
8. Streetwave
**Listen**

Light Up The Night (1980)
Light Up the Night marked the end of an era for the Brothers Johnson — it was the last of four albums that Quincy Jones produced for the Los Angeles siblings, and it was the last time a Brothers Johnson album was truly excellent instead of merely decent. When Jones was producing the Brothers Johnson’s albums from 1976-1980, he gave them something their subsequent albums lacked — consistency. Even though George and Lewis Johnson recorded some decent material after Light Up the Night, none of their post-Jones albums had the type of consistency that Jones gives this 1980 release. The album gets off to an impressive start with the major hit “Stomp!” (a definitive example of the smooth, sleek brand of funk that was termed sophisticated funk in the late ’70s and early ’80s), and the tracks that follow are equally memorable. From the sleek sophisti-funk of “You Make Me Wanna Wiggle,” “This Had to Be” (which was co-written by Michael Jackson and employs him as a background vocalist), and the title song to the tender R&B/pop ballads “Treasure” and “All About the Heaven,” Light Up the Night is without a dull moment. (AMG)
Tracks:
1. Stomp!
2. Light up the Night
3. You Make Me Wanna Wiggle
4. Treasure
5. This Had to Be
6. All About the Heaven
7. Smilin’ on Ya
8. Closer to the One That You Love
9. Celebrations
**Listen**

Carl Carlton (1981)
Detroit native Carl Carlton got his start in the record business through baseball. When a neighbor yelled down from an apartment window to some kids playing baseball in vacant lot to stop playing ball and to turn that radio off, they yelled back “that ain’t no radio, that’s Carl!” The neighbor ran down to see where this astonishing soulful voice was coming from.
In the life, many people in the music business promised to work with Carlton, but the only one to come through was veteran soul singer Leon Haywood. He flew Carlton to California and worked with him in his recording studio. Getting him a singles deal with the label that he was signed to, 20th Century, Haywood produced a cover of his own “This Feeling’s Rated Xtra” with a James Ingram tune, “Fighting in ihe Name of Love” on the B-side. It charted briefly, doing well enough for 20th Century to release the next single, “She’s a Bad Mama Jama.” “She’s a Bad Mama Jama” earned Carlton a gold record in 1981, staying at number two for eight weeks straight, kept out of the number one spot by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie’s “Endless Love.” An album, Carl Carlton, was released with a front cover of a shirtless Carlton showing off his chiseled physique. The album went gold also. Such success afforded Carlton the opportunity to appear on such top-rated TV shows as Solid Gold, Soul Train, and American Bandstand and to tour major venues doing some dates with Rick James. The next single was “I Think It’s Gonna Be Alright,” a gentle acoustic guitar-laced ballad that briefly charted. Various rappers have rapped over “She’s a Bad Mama Jama” in later years. (AMG)
Tracks:
1. Sexy Lady
2. Let Me Love You Till the Morinig Comes
3. Don’t You Wanna Make Love
4. This Feeling’s Rated X-Tra
5. She’s a Bad Mama Jam (She’s Built,She’s Stacked)
6. I’ve Got That Boogie Fever
7. I Think It’s Gonna Be Alright
8. Fighting in the Name of Love
**Listen**

Right On Time (1977)
Potentially viewed as something of a warm-up for Quincy Jones before producing Michael Jackson’s wildly successful Off the Wall and Thriller albums, the Brothers Johnson’s first two releases spawned hits like “I’ll Be Good to You” and brought George and Louis Johnson to a mass audience of their own. (Louis, in fact, would go on to play bass on those first two sessions by the King of Pop.) As with the Jackson discs, Jones creates a seamless mix of pop and funk on the Brothers sophomore release Right on Time, helping to create the group’s second chart-topper “Strawberry Letter 23″ as well the equally effervescent, minor R&B hit “Runnin’ for Your Lovin’.” With Earth, Wind & Fire’s airy dancefloor hits in mind, the Brothers also deliver polished funk tracks like “Right on Time” and “Never Leave You Lonely,” as well as more pop-friendly material like “Free Yourself, Be Yourself” and “Love Is.” And with one of the best jazz arrangers in the business behind the board, the Brothers couldn’t forgo some instrumentals here as well, specifically the breezy, funk-in-a-quiet-storm number “‘Q’” and the less intriguing, synthesizer jam “Brother Man.” An enjoyable and even infectious collection that, in its sophistication, certainly avoids being just some sort of dry run for Jones. (AMG)
Tracks:
1. Runnin’ for Your Lovin’
2. Free Yourself, Be Yourself
3. “Q”
4. Right on Time
5. Strawberry Letter 23
6. Brother Man
7. Never Leave You Lonely
8. Love Is
**Listen**

Look Out For # 1 (1976)
The Brothers Johnson first earned national recognition as recording artists by singing the sensuously funky mid-tempo number “Is It Love That We’re Missin’,” featured on Quincy Jones’ album Mellow Madness. The dynamic duo maintains that same groove on this, its debut release for A&M Records. The first single was the moderate number “I’ll Be Good to You,” which is soothing like a ballad but inducing like a liquid funk cut. The guitar tandem landed on top of the R&B charts with this gold-selling single. They returned to the Top Five with the bona fide funk jam “Get the Funk out of My Face,” which peaked at number four. Their remake of the Beatles’ classic “Come Together” comes with a soulful twist. Aside from this remake, the Brothers co-wrote every other song on this album, including the untarnished instrumental “Tomorrow,” which later became a number one single for Quincy Jones’ Back on the Block. This album is consistent throughout. (AMG)
Tracks:
1. I’ll Be Good to You
2. Thunder Thumbs and Lightnin’ Licks
3. Get the Funk out Ma Face
4. Tomorrow
5. Free and Single
6. Come Together
7. Land of Ladies
8. Dancin’ and Prancin’
9. The Devil
**Listen**

Unlock The Funk (1980)
Arista Records. 1980.Produced by Harvey Mason. Locksmith Productions Inc. Coproducer Kenny Mason.
An obscure album of jazzy funk, produced by Harvey Mason, with a similar feel to some of his own work on Arista during the late 70s. The album has vocals on a numbers of cuts, in kind of a part ensemble funk mode that doesn’t always work best for the group. Fortunately, there’s some great moments that change the groove a bit — like the mellow stepper “It’s You”, which features lead vocals by Stephanie Spruill — and the sublime instrumentals “Blackjack” and “Cinnamon”, both of which have a totally sweet jazzy groove that’s got a great warm polish to it!. (DGA, Inc).  Vinyl remasterized Soulfunkjazz.
Tracks:
1. Unlock The Funk
2. BlackJack
3. Groove Town
4. It’s You
5. Cinnamon
6. TMI
7. Don’t Hurt Yourself
8. Someone Like You
9. Far Beyond
**Listen**

Shock (1981)
The second album of band, produced by Marlon McClain and Roger Sauce in 1981, Fantasy Records. The sogns (funk) are Electronic, Funk / Soul: Shock, Let’s Get Crackin’ and Let Your Body Do The Talkin’ (also in the album “Electrophonic Phunk, of Nebula Records, 1980: rare production). Other vinyl remasterized by Soulfunkjazz
Tracks:
1. Let Your Body Do The Talkin’
2. I Think I Love You
3. Stand Up
4. Shock
5. Let’s Get Crackin’
6. Got To Have Your Love
7. Each And Every Day
8. Shock Talk
**Listen**

Stellar Fungk: The Best Of Slave (1994)
The most remarkable thing about Slave’s music through its career was its commitment to simplicity. Sparse, yet dense arrangements in which everything wrapped itself around a potent bass melody and simple songwriting formula. No ostentatious production or over-the-top divas in acrobatic vocal hysterics. These were tight, jam-packed songs designed to make you move. Stellar Funk captures the best moments of Slave’s career and some of the most hypnotic funk ever to come out of Ohio, or the ’70s for that matter. (AMG)
Tracks:
1. Slide
2. he Party Song
4. Stellar Fungk
4.Are You Ready for Love
5. Just a Touch of Love
6. Stone Jam
7. Watching You
8. Steal Your Heart
9. Snap Shot
10. Wait for Me
11. Nobody Can Be You
12. Weak at the Knees
13. Dancin’ in the Key of Life
14. Feel So Real
15. Way Out
**Listen**