Gwen Guthrie (1982).
Gwen Guthrie’s first album for Island Records — a unique little soul set from the early 80s, recorded in Nassau with backing from Sly & Robbie — in a groove that’s totally great! The rhythms here are really at the heart of the set — not in a way that eclipses Gwen’s vocals, but which does plenty to make the record stand out from the pack at the time — in a groove that’s partly clubby, mostly soulful, and which has some key elements from its Nassau connection! Other players on the date include Wally Badarou on keyboards and Sticky Thompson on percussion — and titles include “Peek A Boo”, “Your Turn To Burn”, “God Don’t Like Ugly”, “Dance Fever”, “Getting Hot”, “Your Turn To Burn”, and “For You”. CD features 2 bonus tracks — “It Should Have Been You (Larry Levan mix)” and “Peek A Boo (extended 12″ version)”.(Dusty Groove Inc.).
Tracks:
01. Peek-A-Boo
02. Getting Hot
03. Your Turn To Burn
04. Dance Fever
05. For You (With A Melody Too)
06. It Should Hace Been You
07. Is This Love?
08. God Don’t Like Ugly
09. It Should Hace Been You (Mixed By Larry Levan)
10. Peek-A-Boo (Extended 12″ Version)
Gwen Guthrie – Gwen Guthrie (1982)
Junio 30, 2009 a 11:54 pm (Post Disco, R&B)
Bootsy Collins – Anthology – Glory B Da Funk’s On Me (2001)
Junio 30, 2009 a 11:39 pm (Funk)
Anthology, Glory B Da Funk’s On Me! (2001)
William “Bootsy” Collins cut his teeth playing bass with the James Brown band in 1970, but when he landed in George Clinton’s Parliament/Funkadelic crew in the mid-’70s, he quickly became a figurehead of Clinton’s messier, trippier cartoon funk. Throughout the 1976-82 period condensed into this two-disc set, Bootsy and his Rubber Band were essentially P-Funk for kids. His records had all the stage-crowding chaos of the Mothership, with the politics and priapism replaced by goofy spiels about the excellence of, well, Bootsy, plus squelchy, googly sounds and his infamous star-shaped shades. The tone he got out of his star-shaped bass, like huge bubbles surfacing from the bottom of a lake, was heavy enough that he could slow things way, way down–”Jam Fan (Hot)” crawls like no other hard-funk record. That, in turn, let him be the half-serious loveman Clinton couldn’t risk being (check out the wacky, spacy slow jam “Munchies for Your Love”). Glory B mostly collects unedited album tracks, though it also throws in 1980’s lost demi-hit “Freak to Freak” (credited to Sweat Band) and the ‘82 single “Body Slam!”
Tracks:
Disc 1.
1. Stretchin’ Out (In a Rubber Band)
2. Psychoticbumpschool
3. I’d Rather Be With You
4. Vanish in Our Sleep
5. Ahhh… The Name Is Bootsy, Baby
6. Pinocchio Theory
7. Munchies For Your Love
8. What’s A Telephone Bill?
9. Can’t Stay Away
10. Very Yes
11. Toto-Rooter
Disc 2.
1. Bootzilla
2. Hollywood Squares
3. Shejam (Almost Bootsy Show)
4. Bootsy Get Live
5. Jam Fan (Hot)
6. F-Encounter
7. Mug Push
8. Freak to Freak (Feat: Sweat Band)
9. Shine-O-Myte (Rag Popping)
10. Landshark (Just When You Thought It Was Safe)
11. Countracula (This One’s For You)
12. #1 Funkateer
13. Take A Lickin’ And Keep Kickin’
14. Body Slam (12″ Mix)
See in comments
Sweat Band – Sweat Band (1980)
Junio 30, 2009 a 8:17 pm (Funk)
Sweat Band (1980)
This was the first release on the Uncle Jam label. This was a fantastic project, mostly masterminded by Bootsy, that involved a number of P.Funkers. It was like a Bootsy album with almost no vocals from Bootsy; a Parliament album with two instrumentals; a Funkadelic album that was light in theme; a Brides or Parlet album that emphasized the musicians. In other words, it was a whole lot of good things rolled up into one.
“Hyper Space” is an excellent instrumental that spotlights Razor and Michael Hampton. “Freak To Freak” is an outstanding dance tune that is driven by great percussion, a fine guitar riff, a heavy bottom, and let-it-all-hang-loose singing. “Love Munch” is an amazing spotlight for Maceo, with the background of a light, Latin-sounding beat. He just goes off in solo after solo, then joins in with the rest of the band. The percussion here is also extremely sharp. “We Do It All Day Long” is interesting, with the short intro that emphasizes lyrics and the beat, and then later the longer version that gives each musician a turn. Great singing from the Brides/Parlet, too. “Jamaica” has Bootsy doing some very funky thangs with the space bass, interesting grooves from Razor, great drumming, weird chants and outbursts, and finally some singing from Bootsy. “Body Shop” is a more standard funk number that features good backup vocals from Garry Shider. The highlight is an incredible guitar solo. (www.duke.edu)
Personnel:
Producer: Bootsy Collins
Executive Producer: George Clinton
Arrangements: Fred Wesley & Bootsy Collins
Guitars: Mike Hampton, Garry Shider, Bootsy Collins
Keyboards: Joel “Razor Sharp” Johnson, Bernie Worrell, Maceo Parker
Space Bass: YSTOOB?WHO
Percussion: Carl “Butch” Small, Bootsy Collins
Drums: Bootsy Collins, Jerry Jones, thanks to Andy on “Jamaica” & “Munch”
Horny Horns: Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, Richard Griffith, Larry Hatcher
Vocals: Ray Davis, Linda Shider, Garry Shider, Carl “Butch” Small,
Larry Hatcher, Robert Johnson, Bootsy Collins, Lloyd Bridges, Philippe’ Wynne,
Jeanette Washington, Shirley Hayden, Janice Evans, Dawn Silva,
Jeannette McGruder, Sheila Horne, Michael “Clip” Payne, Patty Walker,
Ronnie Faust
Tracks:
1. Hyper Space
2. Freak To Freak
3. Love Munch
4. We Do It All Day Long
5. Jamaica
6. Body Shop
7. We Do It All Day Long (Reprise)
**Listen**
*Gracias por este cd a nuestro gran amigo Kunio
Starpoint – Starpoint (1980)
Junio 30, 2009 a 4:44 pm (Disco Funk)
Starpoint (1980) (CD Rip)
Starpoint, initially performing under the name “Licyndiana,” was originally formed in 1969 near Annapolis, Maryland by the children of two local doctors. Kayode Adeyemo, whose parents had been immigrants from Nigeria and Barbados was born and grew up in Crownsville, Maryland. His father, a doctor, worked with Dr. George Phillips at Crownsville Hospital. In this way, a young Kayode Ademeyo was introduced to Dr. Phillips’ four sons: Ernesto, Orlando, Greg, and George Jr. Soon thereafter, Adeyemo began jamming with the four Phillips brothers, each of whom were multi-instrumentalists. Initially, Adeyemo played bass guitar in the group. After this foundation had stabilized, Renée Diggs came on board as the lead singer, completing the Licyndiana line-up. With so much musical/instrumental talent between them, the Phillips brothers ultimately came to specialize in particular instruments within the band, with Ernesto Phillips handling lead guitar; Orlando Phillips on bass guitar, keyboards, and saxophone; Greg Phillips on drums; and George Phillips, Jr. on keyboards. Diggs and Adeyemo became the vocalists, with Diggs handling most of the lead parts. By the end of the 1970s, the band had scored a recording contract with Chocolate City Records, at which point they changed their name to “Starpoint.”
The group released their self-titled debut album in 1980. One of the singles from this album, “I Just Wanna Dance With You” became their first top 20 hit on the R&B chart. They would continue to release at least one album every year throughout the first half of the 80s, scoring several more minor hits on the R&B chart. When the band’s record label, Chocolate City went out of business, they remained with that label’s parent company, Casablanca Records for one more album, but they were eventually picked up by Elektra Records. Renée Diggs and Ernesto Phillips also became romantically involved. (Wikepedia)
Credits:
Arranged By – Starpoint
Bass [Ky], Percussion, Backing Vocals – Kayode Adeyemo
Bass, Saxophone [Tenor], Backing Vocals, Synthesizer [Obx-oberheim] – Orlando Phillips
Drums, Congas, Bongos, Backing Vocals, Percussion – Gregory Phillips
Engineer [Recording, Mixing] – Ray Bardani
Keyboards, Synthesizer – Marvin Ennis
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals – Renee Diggs
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Clavinet, Piano [Acoustic], Synthesizer [Obx-oberheim], Percussion – George Phillips
Leader [Rhythm], Guitar, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Percussion – Ernesto Phillips
Mastered By – George Marino
Producer, Arranged By, Mixed By – Lionel Job
Strings – City Strings
Written-By – E. Phillips, K. Adeyemo, M. Ennis, R. Diggs
Tracks:
1. Gonna Lift You Up
2. Let Me Love You
3. Never Find A Better Love
4. Don’t Leave Me
5. I Just Wanna Dance With You
6. You’re My Sunny Day
7. Get Ready, Get Down
8. Girl I’m Up For Your Lovin’
**Listen**
*Gracias Alexandre por tu aporte
The Jacksons – Triumph (1980)
Junio 29, 2009 a 1:30 am (Disco, Funk, Soul)
Triumph (1980).
Released during the summer of 1980, just as the hits from Michael’s Off the Wall were sliding off the charts, Triumph became the Jacksons’ first Top Ten pop album since 1972’s Lookin’ Through the Windows. This despite the album-opening “Can You Feel It,” promoted with a spectacle of a video that made the Jacksons into gigantic superheroes capable of transforming bridges into bendable rainbow tubing, stalling at number 77 on the Hot 100. It didn’t make much of an impact on the R&B chart either, but then again, its supernatural anthemic stomp is more a fireworks program finale than something as small scale as a mere single. As on 1978’s Destiny, the Jacksons wrote and produced the material, this time with keyboardist Greg Phillinganes bumped up to associate producer, and with an uptick in star backing — including but not limited to Ronnie Foster, Phil Upchurch, Webster Lewis, Michael Boddicker, and Ollie Brown, as well as Triumph holdovers Michael Sembello, Thomas Washington, and Nathan Watts. The other singles, including “Lovely One” (very nearly “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” reheated) and “This Place Hotel” (an elaborate six-minute affair, written and arranged by Michael, that could have easily swollen to greater length) propelled the album into sales greater than that of Destiny, and it’s equally durable (and markedly slicker) all around. (All Music Guide)
Tracks:
1. Can You Feel It
2. Lovely One
3. Your Ways
4. Everybody
5. This Place Hotel
6. Time Waits For No One
7. Walk Right Now
8. Give It Up
9. Wondering Who
Michael Jackson – Dangerous (1991)
Junio 27, 2009 a 4:11 am (Pop)
Michael Jackson – Dangerous (1991)
Despite the success of Bad, it was hard not to view it as a bit of a letdown, since it presented a cleaner, colder, calculated version of Thriller — something that delivered what it should on the surface, but wound up offering less in the long run. So, it was time for a change-up, something even a superstar as huge as Michael Jackson realized, so he left Quincy Jones behind, hired Guy mastermind Teddy Riley as the main producer, and worked with a variety of other producers, arrangers, and writers, most notably Bruce Swedien and Bill Bottrell. The end result of this is a much sharper, harder, riskier album than Bad, one that has its eyes on the street, even if its heart gets middle-class soft on “Heal the World.” The shift in direction and change of collaborators has liberated Jackson, and he’s written a set of songs that is considerably stronger than Bad, often approaching the consistency of Off the Wall and Thriller. If it is hardly as effervescent or joyous as either of those records, chalk it up to his suffocating stardom, which results in a set of songs without much real emotional center, either in their substance or performance. But, there’s a lot to be said for professional craftsmanship at its peak, and Dangerous has plenty of that, not just on such fine singles as “In the Closet,” “Remember the Time,” or the blistering “Jam,” but on album tracks like “Why You Wanna Trip on Me.” No, it’s not perfect — it has a terrible cover, a couple of slow spots, and suffers from CD-era ailments of the early ’90s, such as its overly long running time and its deadening Q Sound production, which sounds like somebody forgot to take the Surround Sound button off. Even so, Dangerous captures Jackson at a near-peak, delivering an album that would have ruled the pop charts surely and smoothly if it had arrived just a year earlier. But it didn’t — it arrived along with grunge, which changed the rules of the game nearly as much as Thriller itself. Consequently, it’s the rare multi-platinum, number one album that qualifies as a nearly forgotten, underappreciated record. [In 2001, a remastered edition was released with a detailed booklet]. (AMG)
Tracks:
1. Jam
2. Why You Wanna Trip on Me
3. In the Closet
4. She Drives Me Wild
5. Remember the Time
6. Can’t Let Her Get Away
7. Heal the World
8. Black or White
9. How Is It
10. Give in to Me
11. Will You Be There
12. Keep the Faith
13. Gone Too Soon
14. Dangerous
Roy Ayers – No Stranger To Love (1979)
Junio 26, 2009 a 11:11 pm (Jazz, Soul Funk)
No Stranger To Love (1979).
When you obtained a Roy Ayers/Ubiquity album in the late ’70s you could usually count on two things: the funk smokers would be gritty and infectious, and the quiet storm tunes would be mellow and seductive. No Stranger To Love was no exception. Ayers comes through with some sweaty, get-down funk grooves, including “Shack Up, Pack Up, It’s Up (When I’m Gone),” “Slyde,” and the hit single “Don’t Stop the Feeling.” The quiet storm audience was bound to appreciate soft, relaxed, jazzy items like “No Stranger To Love/Want You” and Ayers’ remake of Bobby Caldwell’s “What You Won’t Do For Love.” When No Stranger To Love came out in 1979, the Disco Era was still in effect, so it isn’t surprising that Ayers adds a fair amount of disco gloss to “Don’t Hide Your Love.” Whether he’s in shake-your-booty mode or lover-man mode, Ayers exited the ’70s on a high note with this excellent LP.
Tracks:
1. Don’t Stop The Feeling
2. What You Won’t Do For Love
3. Shack Up, Pack Up, It’s Up (When I’m Gone)
4. Slyde
5. Not Stranger To Love / Want You
6. Don’t Let Our Love Slip Away
7. Don’t Hide Your Love
**Listen**
Slapbak – Ghetto Funkography (2002)
Junio 26, 2009 a 1:12 am (Funk)
Ghetto Funkography (2002).
Slapbak has been working the southern California funk circuit since 1991, when the band was organized by bassist and singer/songwriter Jara Harris. Over the course of more than a decade and several albums, the band has toured and played with some of America’s finest funk and soul groups, and has forged a sound that is solid and expert, if not exactly distinctive. That’s half the problem — the other half is a conspicuous lack of hooks, which are essential if you want to get away with such a derivative style. As it is, the song titles will give you a very good idea of what to expect: “So Funky How You Suck My Thumb,” “Getcha Funk On,” “Never Fake da Funk,” “Ain’t Yo Thang” — these are titles that bespeak an understanding of the genre, but not much motivation to expand its boundaries. Instead, what you get is a nice program of good, solid, greasy funk jams that owe royalties to Bootsy Collins and Cameo in their dense rhythmic propulsiveness and whimsical lyrics. “Groove in My Jacuzzi” works especially nicely, and “Wonderful Day” stands out among the tracks with its unusually Police-ish chorus. Pretty much everything else is by the numbers, which means it’s fun and functional and won’t hold your interest much beyond the fifth or sixth track.(All Music Guide).
Tracks:
01. So Funky How You Suck My Thumb
02. Ain’t Yoh Thang
03. Runnin’ Thangs
04. Getcha Funk On
05. Lay You Down
06. Get On Da Bus
07. Hit It One More Time
08. Roll With You
09. Droppin’ Bombs
10. Groove In My Jacuzzi
11. Fallen Circle
12. Strip
13. This Car Is Fast
14. Never Fake Da Funk
15. A Wonderfull Day
16. Thinking Of You
17. I Aint A Pimp Anymore
18. Popped That Cookie
Change – The Very Best (1998)
Junio 24, 2009 a 1:07 am (Disco, Post Disco, R&B)
The Very Best (1998).
Showcasing a youthful Luther Vandross prior to his solo jaunts, The Very Best of Change surveys the high points of the group’s four-record career. This compilation does a very adequate job of chopping away at the filler found on each of its individual records and focuses not only on the hits, but the stronger album tracks that might have gone unnoticed. Early house music fans will find Change’s attention to strong melodies and arrangements on par with many of its contemporaries (D Train, Aurra), but with a slightly sleeker R&B/Italo-disco edge. Fans of the group might find the notable absence of cult disco hit “Angel in My Pocket” irritating, but if you are only seeking out the hits then look no further than this compilation.(Rob Theakston-All Music Guide).
Tracks:
01. A Lover’s Holiday
02. Searching
03. The Glow Of Love
04. Paradise
05. Hold Tight
06. The Very Best In You
07. Hard Times (It’s Gonna Be Alright)
08. This Is Your Time
09. Don’t Wait Another Night
10. Change Of Heart
11. You Are My Melody
12. Say You Love Me Again
13. Turn On Your Radio
14. Let’s Go Together
**Listen**
Change – The Glow Of Love (1980)
Junio 24, 2009 a 12:45 am (Disco, Post Disco, R&B)
The Glow Of Love (1980).
To Change’s detractors, the studio group was nothing more than a poor man’s Chic. But knowledgeable disco and R&B enthusiasts knew better; Change wasn’t a carbon copy of Chic any more than jazz great Chet Baker was a clone of Miles Davis. Without question, Change was heavily influenced by the Nile Rodgers/Bernard Edwards sound; nonetheless, Change had an energy of its own, and anyone who seriously listened to its first album, The Glow of Love, could easily tell the difference between Chic and Change (just as serious jazz fans can tell the difference between Baker’s trumpet playing and Davis’). Produced by Jacques Fred Petrus and arranged by David Romani and Paolo Gianolio, this 1980 debut is a disco/R&B masterpiece. The playful opener “A Lover’s Holiday” is Change’s best-known song, but the group is just as captivating on the sassy “It’s a Girl’s Affair” and the passionate “Angel in My Pocket.” Meanwhile, Luther Vandross is featured on “Searching” and the dreamy, laid-back title song, which became a quiet storm favorite and demonstrates that not everything Change recorded was aimed at the dancefloor. In 1980, Vandross had yet to provide his first solo album, although many of the people who heard his performances on those two gems agreed that a solo career was inevitable; and sure enough, his first big solo hit, “Never Too Much,” came out the following year. Excellent from start to finish, The Glow of Love is Change’s most essential album. (Alex Henderson-All Music G.)
Tracks:
01. A Lover’s Holiday (A Jim Burgess Mix)
02. It’s A Girl’s Affair
03. Angel In My Pocket
04. The Glow Of Love
05. Searching
06. The End
07. Searching (Parkside Remix)
**Listen**
Patrice Rushen – Straight From The Heart (1982)
Junio 23, 2009 a 11:42 pm (Funk, Fusion, Jazz, Post Disco, R&B)
Straight From The Heart (1982).
An early-’80s jazz-pop-R&B synthesis as durable and pleasing as any other, Straight from the Heart was Patrice Rushen’s most successful album, at least from a sales standpoint: it peaked at number 14 on the pop chart, 25 slots higher than 1980’s Pizzazz. Still working with a core group of associates — including Freddie Washington, Charles Mims, Paul M. Jackson, and Marlo Henderson (along with a still young Gerald Albright) — that went back to her earlier Elektra albums, the material here is as slick as ever, but not at the expense of lighter rhythms or less memorable melodies. Much of the album’s popularity can be attributed to the club hit “Forget Me Nots,” Rushen’s most-known single — a breezy, buoyant mixture of handclaps, fingersnaps, twisting bass, and Rushen’s typically blissful (and not overplayed) electric piano, not to mention the incorporation of a bad bass-and-percussion breakdown. (If you were born after the mid-’70s or so, you’d be more likely to recognize the song as the basis of Will Smith’s “Men in Black.”) Beyond a forgettable ballad or two, the only disappointment is the Brenda Russell collaboration on “Breakout!,” where rock affectations (gnarling electric guitar, grimacing vocal tactics that suit neither Rushen nor Russell) damage what could’ve been a bigger hit. “Remind Me,” despite not being released as a single, is a sweet and low-slung groove that has been sampled and interpolated by no less than a dozen significant rap and R&B songs — including Faith Evans’ “Fallin’ in Love,” Notorious B.I.G.’s “Unbelievable,” MoKenStef’s “He’s Mine,” and Junior M.A.F.I.A.’s “I Need You Tonight.” But it’s not like anything about this album requires that kind of validation. [Rhino's 1996 reissue adds the 12" versions of all three singles, including seven very replayable minutes of "Forget Me Nots," as well as two single edits.](Andy kellman – All Music Guide).
Tracks:
01. Forget Me Nots
02. I Was Tired Of Being Alone
03. All We Need
04. Number One (Instrumental)
05. Where There Is Love
06. Breakout!
07. If Only
08. Remind Me
09. (She Will) Take You Down To Love
10. Forget Me Nots (12″ Version)
11. Breakout! (12″ Version)
12. Number One (Instrumental 12″ Version)
13. Forget Me Nots (Single Version)
14. Breakout (Single Version)
**Listen**
Patrice Rushen – Pizzazz (1979)
Junio 23, 2009 a 12:33 am (Disco Funk, Jazz, R&B)
Pizzazz (1979).
When Patrice Rushen was being lambasted by jazz snobs for making the switch from jazz instrumentalist to R&B/pop singer, she was also winning over quite a few people. R&B fans didn’t care if she was no longer playing long, improvised piano solos with Joe Henderson or Hubert Laws; they loved her singing, and couldn’t have cared less what jazz snobs thought of her new direction. Rushen’s profile in the R&B world continued to increase with Pizzazz, her second album for Elektra and fifth overall. The song that did the most to make this LP a success was “Haven’t You Heard?,” a gem of a single that soared to the top of R&B radio play lists and was among Rushen’s biggest hits. Many listeners bought Pizzazz because of “Haven’t You Heard?,” and they quickly discovered that the rest of the album was also excellent. Drawing on such influences as Earth, Wind & Fire, Minnie Riperton, Stevie Wonder, and the Emotions, Rushen has no problem holding an R&B lover’s attention with treasures that include the funky opener “Let the Music Take Me,” the soulful ballad “Settle for My Love,” and the perky “Keepin’ Faith in Love.” Pizzazz might have received tongue-lashings from jazz critics, but from an R&B/pop perspective, it’s among Rushen’s most rewarding and essential albums.(All Music G.).
Tracks:
1. Let The Music Take Me
2. Keepin’ Faith In Love
3. Settle For My Love
4. Message In The Music
5. Haven’t You Heard
6. Givin’ It Up Is Givin’ Up
7. Call On Me
8. Reprise
**Listen**
The Gap Band – Gap Band II (1979)
Junio 21, 2009 a 11:37 pm (Funk)
Gap Band II (1979).
The Gap Band II has often been described as the Wilson Brothers’ second album, but truth be told, it was their fourth. However, the vast majority of fans that they acquired with 1979’s The Gap Band never heard the little-known albums they had recorded in 1974 and 1975. So even though that 1979 breakthrough wasn’t really their debut album, it was the first Gap Band album that enjoyed a great deal of attention — arguably, that self-titled album was to the Wilson Brothers what Meet the Beatles was to John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. And with the gold The Gap Band II, they continued to forge ahead commercially and creatively. Produced by Lonnie Simmons, this excellent album boasts five-star funk gems like “Party Lights,” “Steppin’ (Out),” “Who Do You Call,” and the Parliament-minded hit “I Don’t Believe You Want to Get Up and Dance (Oops).” George Clinton and the Ohio Players are both strong influences on the funk tracks, while Earth, Wind & Fire’s influence asserts itself on the smooth quiet storm slow jam “No Hiding Place.” But the Gap Band never sounds like it is going out of its way to emulate any of its influences; in fact, the Wilson Brothers are recognizable and distinctive regardless of who is influencing a particular song. Even when they make a surprising, totally unexpected detour into pop/rock/soft rock on “The Boys Are Back in Town,” they’re recognizable as the Gap Band. Not to be confused with the Thin Lizzy smash, this congenial tune wouldn’t have been out of place on a Billy Joel, Elton John, or Chicago album. But R&B, not pop/rock, was the Gap Band’s forte, and Gap Band II is a funk/soul album first and foremost. It is also among the Wilson Brothers’ most essential releases.(All Music Guide).
Tracks:
1. Steppin’(Out)
2. No Hiding Place
3. I Don’t Believe You Want To Get Up And Dance (Oops!)
4. Who Do You Call
5. You Are My High
6. Party Lights
7. The Boys Are Back In Town
**Listen**
The Gap Band – Gap Band IV (1982)
Junio 18, 2009 a 11:52 pm (Funk)
Gap Band IV (1982).
Gap Band IV featured a complete lineup of up-tempo, mid-tempo, and alluring ballads. The feature releases, in order, were “Early in the Morning,” “You Dropped a Bomb on Me,” and “Outstanding.” The first two are energized numbers seasoned around horrific basslines and Charlie Wilson’s dazzling vocals. Respectively, they peaked at number one and two on the Billboard R&B chart. Not as aggressive, the latter is a festive number paced an unorthodox percussive beat. It claimed the number one spot on the Billboard R&B chart as well. There were no other official selections to grace Billboard. However, every song visited radio, and rightly so. The sentimental numbers “Stay With Me,” “Seasons No Reason to Change,” and “I Can’t Get Over You” have become standard among R&B radio. The latter features a sentimental flügelhorn exhibition by Ronnie Wilson. Mellow numbers always seem to retain that timeless appeal whereas up-tempo numbers fade with time. This album is different; the up-tempo numbers remain inviting as well. This is a great album.(All Music G.)
Tracks:
1. Early In The Morning
2. Seasons No Reason To Change
3. Lonely Like Me
4. Outstanding
5. Stay With Me
6. You Dropped A Bomb On Me
7. I Can’t Get Over You
8. Talkin’ Back
**Listen**
Rufus – Party ’til You’re Broke (1981)
Junio 18, 2009 a 2:35 am (Funk, Post Disco, R&B)
Party’Til You’re Broke (1981).
One of the most commercially successful funk groups of the ’70s, the multi-racial Rufus are today best remembered for launching the career of soul diva Chaka Khan, whose fiery lead vocals were easily the band’s focal point. Powered by Khan – who was eventually billed in addition to the group – and an unerring sense of groove, Rufus scored an impressive string of hit singles on both the pop and R&B charts, which lasted through the ’70s and up to Khan’s official departure in 1983.
Party ‘Til You’re Broke is the ninth studio album by funk band Rufus, released on the MCA Records label in 1981. Party ‘Til You’re Broke which was the band’s second album not to be fronted by Chaka Khan. Rufus reunited with Khan again for the recording of Camouflage which was to be their final full-length studio album together.[All Music G.]
Tracks:
01. Tonight We Love
02. Hold On To A Friend
03. Love Is Taking Over
04. Secret Love
05. Party’Til You’re Broke
06. Can I Show You
07. You’re Made For Me
08. What Is It
09. We Got Tthe Way
10. Afterwards
**Listen**
Gracias Kunio.
Attitude – Pump The Nation (1983)
Junio 18, 2009 a 2:17 am (Electronic, Funk)
Pump The Nation (1983).
A wicked bit of 80s groove from this cool little combo — a trio that features lead vocals from Cindy Mizelle and Stephen Miller, plus supporting vocals and keyboards from Khris Kellow! The groove here is nice and lean — lots of bass and keys riffing out in a snapping, funky 80s groove sort of mode — with vocals that are spare and simple enough to fit right in with the highly rhythmic grooves. There’s almost a P-Funk influence at points, but one that’s much more stripped-down than George Clinton’s at the time — and titles include “Love Me Tonight”, “I Wanna Get To Know You Better”, “We Got The Juice”, “We’re Going Off”, and “If You Could Read My Mind”. CD features 2 bonus tracks — “We Got The Juice (dub)” and “Pump The Nation (extended)”.[Dusty Groove Inc.]
Tracks:
01. Pump The Nation
02. I Wanna Get To Know You Better
03. Love Me Tonight
04. We Got The Juice
05. If You Could Read My Mind
06. It’s Good For Me
07. We’re Gonig Off
08. Pump The Nation [Extended Version]
09. We Got The Juice [Dub Version]
B.T. Express – Non Stop + Shout [1975/1977 (2005)]
Junio 18, 2009 a 1:12 am (Funk, Soul Funk)
Non Stop + Shout (1975 – 1977)
Non Stop :
When one thinks of the cultural contributions that Brooklyn’s African-American neighborhoods made in the 1980s and 1990s, the people who immediately come to mind range from director Spike Lee to major rappers (the Fat Boys, Big Daddy Kane, MC Lyte, Biz Markie, among many others) to soul/urban contemporary singer James “D-Train” Williams. But back in the 1970s, Brooklyn was known for its disco-minded brand of funk. Brooklyn funk wasn’t the kind of hardcore funk that you expected from James Brown, George Clinton’s P-funk empire (Parliament/Funkadelic, Bootsy Collins, the Brides of Funkenstein, etc.), the Gap Band, Rick James, or the Ohio Players — it was funk-disco, and Brooklyn outfits like B.T. Express, the Crown Heights Affair, and Skyy were huge in the clubs (especially black clubs). When B.T. Express’ second album, Non-Stop, came out in 1975, Scepter assumed that it would fare well in dance clubs — and sure enough, club DJs went wild over this record. However, Non-Stop contained some major radio hits as well, including “Peace Pipe” and “Give It What You Got” (both of which reached number five on Billboard’s R&B singles chart). Meanwhile, “Still Good, Still Like It” and “Discotizer” are among that tracks that weren’t big radio hits but grabbed the attention of club jocks. The LP’s only ballad is a cover of the Burt Bacharach/Hal David favorite “Close to You”; although B.T. Express’ version is pleasant enough, the fact remains that romantic ballads were never its strong point. Up-tempo material is what defines Non-Stop and makes it one of the band’s finest, most essential albums.(AMG)
Shout :
If you notice some similarities between B.T. Express and Brass Construction, it’s no coincidence. B.T. Express was a major influence on Brass Construction, and the same guy who produced all of Brass Construction’s 1970s albums (Jeff Lane) also produced B.T. Express’ first four albums: 1974’s Do It (‘Til You’re Satisfied), 1975’s Non-Stop, 1976’s Energy to Burn, and 1977’s Function at the Junction. Released in 1978, Shout! was the first B.T. Express album that Lane didn’t produce. Instead, B.T. Express produced this LP with guitarist/songwriter Billy Nichols, who wasn’t an actual member but had been writing songs for the band since 1974. It was Nichols who wrote B.T. Express’ first major hit, “Do It (‘Til You’re Satisfied).” So he had a strong feeling for its music, and Shout! (which was Kashif’s last album with the band) isn’t a radical departure from the four B.T. Express albums that Lane produced. However, this is an uneven, disappointing record. “Shout It Out” (which reached number 11 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart) is a funk-disco gem, and the sociopolitical “Look at the People” is a catchy message song. But much of the material is merely average. Tracks like “Shake It Off,” “I Want You With Me,” and “You Got Something” aren’t terribly inspired or memorable, and point to the fact that B.T. Express was running out of steam in 1978. So not surprisingly, a lot of people who bought the “Shout It Out” single opted to pass on the Shout! LP, which is strictly for completists. (AMG)
Tracks:
1. Peace Pipe
2. Give It What You Got
3. Discotizer
4. Still Good, Still Like It
5. Close To You
6. You Got It – I Want It
7. Devil’s Workshop
8. Happiness
9. Whatcha Think About That?
10. Shout It Out
11. What You Do In The Dark
12. Put It In (Your Pocket)
13. I Want You With Me
14. Shake It Off
15. You Got Something
16. Look At The People
17. It’s In Your Blood
18. Ride On B.
Starpoint – Keep On It (1981)
Junio 17, 2009 a 2:16 am (Funk)
Keep On It (1981).
In the 1980s, Starpoint didn’t hesitate to be derivative. If Slave and Aurra were hot in the early ’80s, Starpoint could emulate that type of sound. But if Prince and his Minneapolis colleagues were ruling the R&B charts in the mid-’80s, the East Coast band could jump on that bandwagon and embrace the Minneapolis sound. So, not surprisingly, R&B critics tended to dismiss Starpoint as bandwagon jumpers. But while Starpoint was never innovative — its members were followers, not leaders — the band could be enjoyable at times. If you can get past its derivative nature, Keep on It is a decent, if unspectacular, listen. The title song is a blatant rip-off of Lakeside, but it’s also an infectious rip-off of Lakeside. And on other up-tempo dance-funk numbers such as “I Want You Closer” and “I Just Want to Be Your Lover,” Starpoint milks the Slave/Aurra groove for all its worth — and it does so with catchy results. The lyrics tend to be obvious and formulaic; this LP isn’t shy about resorting to every early-’80s funk and disco cliché imaginable. Nonetheless, Keep on It isn’t a bad record. In fact, its best tracks have a way of making listeners tap their feet even while they’re complaining about Starpoint’s lack of originality.(All Music G.)
Tracks:
1. I Just Want To Be Your Lover
2. For You
3. Interlude
4. Keep On It
5. I Want You Closer
6. Baby Let Me Do It
7. We’re Into Love
8. Starpoint’s Here Tonight
**Listen**
James Brown – Gravity (1986)
Junio 15, 2009 a 10:29 pm (Funk)
Gravity (1986).
Some moderately interesting late ’80s James Brown sessions. The title track featured an above average Brown vocal and some up-to-date production. But the album had the sound and feel of Brown trying to catch up with contemporary trends, a sad thing since so many hip-hoppers borrowed from Brown’s work in the first place.(All Music Group).
Tracks:
1. Gravity
2. Let’s Get Personal
3. How Do You Stop
4. Turn Me Loose, I’m Dr. Feelgood
5. Living In America
6. Goliath
7. Repeat The Beat (Faith)
8. Return To Me
