Category Archives: Funk
DR. JOHN-LOCKED DOWN.
DR. JOHN-LOCKED DOWN. One of the great survivors of music is Dr. John. It seems be’s been around since the dawn of rock ‘n’ roll. He was at the peak of his creativity between 1969 and 1974. During that time, Dr. John was on a roll that people thought would never end. Critically acclaimed albums …
PSYCHEMAGIK PRESENTS MAGIK CYRKLES.
PSYCHEMAGIK PRESENTS MAGIK CYRKLES. Sometimes, when you buy a compilation, the first time you play it, you’re blown away by its sheer eclecticism and totally smitten by the music. That was me, when I came across Leng Records’ latest compilation, Psychemagik Presents Magik Cyrkles. This is a double-album, compiled by the prolific UK production team …
THE MIRACLES-MIRACLES.
THE MIRACLES-MIRACLES. Having done the unthinkable and left Motown after fifteen years, twenty albums and several changes of lineup, The Miracles signed to Columbia and released Love Crazy in 1977. When Love Crazy was released in 1978, it reached number 117 in the US Billboard 200 and number nine in the US R&B Charts. While …
SWITCH-AM I STILL YOUR BOYFRIEND.
SWITCH-AM I STILL YOUR BOYFRIEND. When Switch moved from Motown imprint Gordy, to Total Experience Records in 1982, great things were forecast for them. Total Experience had beaten other labels to the signing of Switch and announced their signing of Switch in a December 1982 issue of Jet magazine. There was talk of Switch contributing …
BREAKWATER-SPLASHDOWN.
BREAKWATER-SPLASHDOWN. Imagine being one of the hottest unsigned bands in Philadelphia during the seventies and not even trying to get a deal with Gamble and Huff’s Philadelphia International Records. Not even knocking on Gamble and Huff’s door might seem strange or even, somewhat remiss. After all, Gamble and Huff were at the helm of …
THE GAP BAND-THE GAP BAND VI.
THE GAP BAND-THE GAP BAND VI. One of the most successful funk bands of the late-seventies and early eighties were The Gap Band. They enjoyed released fifteen studio albums during a twenty-five year period. Their career started with their 1974 debut Magician’s Holiday, while 1999s Y2k: Funkin’ Till 2000 Comz was their finale. The most …
BUNNY SIGLER-THAT’S HOW LONG I’LL BE LOVING YOU.
BUNNY SIGLER-THAT’S HOW LONG I’LL BE LOVING YOU. Back in the spring of 1974, Philadelphia International Records had a busy schedule of releases. They’d three albums scheduled for release. The first of this trio was M.F.S.B’s seminal Love Is The Message and the third was The O’Jays’ classic Ship Ahoy. In between these two …
THE MIRACLES-LOVE CRAZY.
THE MIRACLES-LOVE CRAZY. Not many groups have enjoyed the longevity that The Miracles enjoyed. Having released their debut album Hi..We’re The Miracles in 1961, they recorded seven studio albums for Motown between 1961 and 1964s I Like It Like That, which was never released. By the time The Miracles released Going To A Go-Go …
K.C AND THE SUNSHINE BAND-DO IT GOOD.
K.C AND THE SUNSHINE BAND-DO IT GOOD. Sometimes, people forget just how popular an artist or group were. One group people forget just how successful they were are K.C. and The Sunshine Band. With their unique fusion of disco, funk, soul and poppy hooks, K.C. and The Sunshine Band became one of the biggest …
UNDER THE INFLUENCE VOLUME 2-COMPILED BY PAUL PHILLIPS.
UNDER THE INFLUENCE VOLUME 2-COMPILED BY PAUL PHILLIPS. It doesn’t seem like a year since Red Greg compiled the first installment in the Under The Influence series. Time it seems, does go far too quickly. During that time, I’ve reviewed many compilations, but Red Greg’s was one of my favorites of 2011. Given how good …
DISCO RECHARGE-CHANGE-GLOW OF LOVE AND MIRACLES-SPECIAL EDITION.
DISCO RECHARGE-CHANGE-GLOW OF LOVE AND MIRACLES-SPECIAL EDITION. It’s quite a feat for any artist to release one critically acclaimed and commercially successful album, never mind two. What makes this even more remarkable is that both albums were released in the disco era. Not many artists managed this, but Change did. Change released their debut album …
BOBBY WOMACK-PIECES.
BOBBY WOMACK-PIECES. By 1977, when Bobby Womack entered the recording studio to record his twelfth studio album Pieces, his career had hit the buffers. Bobby’s music was no longer as successful as it had been in late-sixties and early-seventies. His two previous albums, BW Goes C&W and Home Is Where the Heart Is showed that …
DISCO RECHARGE-ULTIMATE-ULTIMATE AND ULTIMATE II.
DISCO RECHARGE-ULTIMATE-ULTIMATE AND ULTIMATE II. All too often, history repeats itself in music. This is as true in music as life. There are many examples of this, but a good example of this is the story of Bruce Weedon. Bruce who was one of the most innovative and creative disco producers of the late-seventies. No …
DISCO RECHARGE-COME INTO MY HEART AND USA-EUROPEAN CONNECTION-SPECIAL EDITION.
DISCO RECHARGE-COME INTO MY HEART AND USA-EUROPEAN CONNECTION-SPECIAL EDITION. For far too long, Boris Midney’s role in the development of Euro Disco has been overlooked. That is until now. Recently, the Disco Recharge label released a double-album of two of of Boris’ albums. This was Disco Recharge-Boris Midney Volume 1-Beautiful Blend and Caress. However, two …
DAN HARTMAN-RELIGHT MY FIRE.
DAN HARTMAN-RELIGHT MY FIRE. During his career, Dan Hartman wrote almost 250 songs and appeared on over one-hundred albums and worked with everyone from Loleatta Holloway, Dusty Springfield, Little Richard, Diana Ross, James Brown, Tina Turner and the Average White Band. Dan also released eight solo albums between his 1976 debut album Images and his …
DISCO RECHARGE-VOYAGE 3-SPECIAL EDITION.
DISCO RECHARGE-VOYAGE 3-SPECIAL EDITION. Since Harmless Records launched their Disco Recharge label in June 2012, they’ve revisited the first two of Voyage’s four albums, Let’s Fly Away and Voyage. For anyone who loves disco, these two albums were a very welcome rerelease and became part of their collection. Now for the latest instalment of the …
THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA-STREET SENSE.
THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA-STREET SENSE. Recently, I’ve been documenting the Salsoul Records rise to becoming disco’s premier label and the changes the label went through after 1978. Indeed, 1978 was a landmark year for Salsoul.Vince Montana Jr, the man who created, conducted, arranged and produced many of The Salsoul Orchestra albums between their 1975 debut The …
NEWBAN-NEWBAN AND NEWBAN 2.
NEWBAN-NEWBAN AND NEWBAN 2. After deciding to form a new band, sometimes one of the most difficult decisions its members make is choosing a name. After all, it has to be something original and catchy. For Albert “Duke” Jones Jr, and Peter Carroll Jr, they had what can only be best describes as one of …
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