Category Archives: Funk
ASHFORD AND SIMPSON-HIGH RISE.
ASHFORD AND SIMPSON-HIGH RISE. Recently I wrote a review of Ashford and Simpson’s 1982 concept album Street Opera, which dealt with the problems couples face in economically tough times. They dealt with the problem how does a couple keep their love alive when money’s tight. The idea behind the album was the problems an ordinary …
LEON HAYWOOD-COME AND GET YOURSELF SOME.
LEON HAYWOOD-COME AND GET YOURSELF SOME. Back in 2000 when I was listening to a BBE Records compilation Strange Games and Funky Things III, compiled by Kenny Dope, I first heard what’s probably Leon Haywood’s best known track, I Wanna Do Something Freaky To You. It’s one of these compelling and catchy tracks that once …
ERNIE HINES-ELECTRIFIED.
ERNIE HINES-ELECTRIFIED. Ernie Hines was one of three artists who arrived at the We Produce label, a subsidiary company of Stax. The label had been set up by Stax’s co-owner, and label chief Al Bell, to expand Stax, making them big enough to stand alone company, following the discovery of the problems with the seven …
WILLIE HUTCH-ODE TO MY LADY.
WILLIE HUTCH-ODE TO MY LADY. Although Willie Hutch’s career spanned five decades, during which time he released a number of successful, influential and innovative albums, there are two albums that many people remember him best for. These two albums are The Mack, released in 1974, and Foxy Brown released in 1975, which were both soundtracks …
ASHFORD AND SIMPSON-STREET OPERA.
ASHFORD AND SIMPSON-STREET OPERA. Back in 1963, when Nikolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson met, they probably never envisaged that their musical partnership would last six decades, and see them write songs for some of music’s biggest names and record four albums that were certified gold. Husband and wife duo Ashford and Simpson had met in …
MEL AND TIM-MEL AND TIM.
MEL AND TIM-MEL AND TIM. Every artist dreams about having a hugely successful hit single, selling so many copies that they get a gold disc to hang on their wall. This happened twice to cousins Mel Hardin and Tim McPherson. Recording as Mel and Tim, their demo tape had so impressed soul singer, Gene Chandler …
JOHN GARY WILLIAMS-JOHN GARY WILLIAMS.
JOHN GARY WILLIAMS-JOHN GARY WILLIAMS. Sometimes, an otherwise good album is released at just the wrong time, and as a result, the album fails to do as well commercially, as it should’ve done. This was the case with John Gary Williams self-titled debut album John Gary Williams. His album was released just as Stax was …
THE DRAMATICS-WHATCHA SEE IS WHATCHA GET.
THE DRAMATICS-WHATCHA SEE IS WHATCHA GET. Earlier in October 2011, six albums which were originally released on Stax, were released having been remastered by Joe Tarantino. Previously, I’ve reviewed Shirley Brown’s Woman To Woman and Johnnie Taylor’s Taylored In Silk, both of which were great albums, and have hugely benefited from being remastered. The remastering …
ROSIE GAINES-WELCOME TO MY WORLD.
ROSIE GAINES-WELCOME TO MY WORLD. Many people reading this article may be thinking that they recognize the name Rosie Gaines, but can’t quite place her. They’ll have heard of her, but can’t quite remember where. To save you wracking your brains any more, I’ll tell you where you might have heard of her. Rosie used …
CHIC-CHIC.
CHIC-CHIC. Back in 1977, when I was growing up, one of the many sounds that immediately, grabbed my attention, was Chic. Not for me the angry, desolate sound of punk, that to me was a depressing, ugly sound, the anathema of what music should sound like. Instead, I’d become accustomed to The Sound of Philadelphia, …
JAMES BROWN-THE PAYBACK.
JAMES BROWN-THE PAYBACK. During his career, The Godfather of Funk, James Brown produced many albums, hence the nickname “the hardest working man in show business,” but The Payback his 1973 album is one of the high points in his long and illustrious career. It’s no exaggeration to say, that nowadays, The Payback is perceived by …
RUFUS FEATURING CHAKA KHAN-RUFUSIZED.
RUFUS FEATURING CHAKA KHAN-RUFUSIZED. By 1974, Rufus had come a long way from their humble beginnings as a Chicago bar band. The previous year 1973, Rufus had released their eponymous debut album Rufus, which only reached number 175 in the US Billboard 200. It was hardly the most successful debut album in music history, but …
CURTIS MAYFIELD-CURTIS.
CURTIS MAYFIELD-CURTIS. By 1970, Curtis Mayfield had left The Impressions, and decided to become a solo artists. This wasn’t the only major change in his life at this time. The other change was his founding of Curtom Records, an independent record label. Curtom Records released albums by Leroy Hutson, The Impressions, Donny Hathaway and The …
DR JOHN-GRIS GRIS.
DR JOHN-GRIS GRIS. Imagine the scenario that I’m going to describe, because it really happened, and it demonstrates that even the most experienced people in the music industry get things wrong. In January 1968, Dr John had completed his debut album Gris Gris, but when Ahmet Erteghun at Atlantic Records heard the record, he disliked …
THE TEMPTATIONS-PSYCHEDELIC SHACK.
THE TEMPTATIONS-PSYCHEDELIC SHACK. When people think of The Temptations music, they think of singles like My Girl, People Get Ready and Ain’t To Proud To Beg, their early songs, released on the Motown label. This was among some of the greatest music Motown ever released, it truly was sweet soul music. However, there was much …
WOMACK AND WOMACK-CONSCIENCE.
WOMACK AND WOMACK-CONSCIENCE. Back in 1988, one of my favorite tracks was Teardrops by Womack and Womack. It reached number three in August 1988 in the UK singles charts. It seemed that back then, it was never off the radio. Every time I put the radio on, went into a shop or a car passed, …
DAVID BOWIE-LET’S DANCE.
DAVID BOWIE-LET’S DANCE. In a recent article about Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), David Bowie’s 1980 album, I mentioned how this was the start of a really successful period for him. His next album was Let’s Dance, released in April 1983, and co-produced by NIles Rodgers of Chic. This was Bowie’s fifteenth album, in a …
CHIC-RISQUE.
CHIC-RISQUE. Recently I’ve going through my music collection and listening to a some of my favorite older music. This has included some old soul and funk from the sixties and seventies, especially, Southern Soul, early acid house and some of the best disco music from the seventies. This is something I do a lot, and …
RUFUS FEATURING CHAKA KHAN-RUFUS FEATURING CHAKA KHAN.
RUFUS FEATURING CHAKA KHAN-RUFUS FEATURING CHAKA KHAN. In a previous article on Chaka Khan and her album Chaka, I mentioned how, originally, she was the vocalist with the legendary funk band Rufus. This gave Chaka her big break into the music business, and by their second album, Rags To Rufus, released in 1973, the band …
ESTHER PHILLIPS-ALL ABOUT ESTHER PHILLIPS.
ESTHER PHILLIPS-ALL ABOUT ESTHER PHILLIPS. If I was to ask most people, have they ever heard of Esther Phillips or her music, I’m pretty sure that most people would say no, who is she? That to me is a huge shame, because they’re as yet, unaware of one of the most talented, versatile and underrated …
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