Martin's funk thread

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Not all messages are displayed: show all messages (391 of them)

The Headhunters' drummer was Harvey Mason, who was pretty ubiquitous as a session jazz musician in the 70's, but rarely gets as much praise as some of the more flashier drummers of ythe era, such as Billy Cobham (not that there's anything wrong with him). Anyway, he's among my favourite drummers of all time, just listen to "Shiftless Shuffle" by Herbie or Sunburst by Eddie Henderson and you know why.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 30 January 2006 13:58 (eighteen years ago) link

What about Mike Clarke? Didn't he drum for the Headhunters?

― Redd Harvest (Ken L), Monday, 30 January 2006 14:19 (eighteen years ago) link

Big in the US at one time, but no hits in the UK at all.

I cannot comprehend this (not that I would question Martin's knowledge).

just listen to "Shiftless Shuffle" by Herbie or Sunburst by Eddie Henderson and you know why.

Sunburst is one of my favorite albums of the era. Galaxy: UNGH!

"Never Buy Texas from a Cowboy" is easily the best thing the Brides of Funkenstein did. Rhino Handmade needs to reissue the album of the same name, just so it can be back in print.

― Andy_K (Andy_K), Monday, 30 January 2006 14:36 (eighteen years ago) link

POST MORE MARTIN! I'm loving your writing and envy that you have all this funk to listen to!

― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Monday, 30 January 2006 14:58 (eighteen years ago) link

So on Friday I got home from work to a package inside the front door, of CDRs filled with albums in MP3 form - just over 500 albums in total.

If I was you Martin, I'd check I hadn't died and gone to (funk) heaven.

http://www.rerock4ever.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/TS/PRLTSDRK304.jpg

― Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 30 January 2006 15:08 (eighteen years ago) link

An absolutely astonishing gift, and Martin's easily one of the few folks I'd trust to do justice to the subject. :-) Rah this thread!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 30 January 2006 15:10 (eighteen years ago) link

Have you got any Gap Band in this lot Martin? (Not that I want to pre-empt yr expositions.)

― The Man in the Iron-On Mask (noodle vague), Monday, 30 January 2006 15:16 (eighteen years ago) link

He doesn't. I told you that last night.

― Last Of The Famous International Pfunkboys (Kerr), Monday, 30 January 2006 15:27 (eighteen years ago) link

LOLZ.

I don't remember asking. Was I harping on?

― The Man in the Iron-On Mask (noodle vague), Monday, 30 January 2006 15:30 (eighteen years ago) link

You asked if i knew if he had any gap band and I said that they weren't on the dvdrs he got. He may well have the original vinyl.
Soul/Disco et al is very much his field I think.

I'm hoping Martin might review some of his own collection eventually to enlighten us all more.

― Last Of The Famous International Pfunkboys (Kerr), Monday, 30 January 2006 15:32 (eighteen years ago) link

... give the boy a chance, he's got 500 albums to review here, ov vey!

― Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 30 January 2006 15:35 (eighteen years ago) link

What about Mike Clarke? Didn't he drum for the Headhunters?

Yeah, sorry, I got things mixed up. Harvey Mason was the drummer for the original Headhunters, but Mike Clarke replaced him, and does indeed play on Survival of the Fittest.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 30 January 2006 16:15 (eighteen years ago) link

Andy K, Rick James had five singles chart between 41 and 60, but since we have never had more than 40 highlighted on TV or radio, this counts as no hits.

My Gap Band album collection remains at zero, sadly.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Monday, 30 January 2006 19:22 (eighteen years ago) link

Dammit I accidentally deleted my 'Kool & the Gang' (their debut) review, and don't have it in me to recreate it, but: 1st track, album title and act name are all the same, which I don't think I've come across before; tragically it doesn't go "Hey hey we're Kool and the Gang"; this is funk, but the roots of the more shiny, glossy, romantic disco act are all very obvious. It's a fine album.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Monday, 30 January 2006 19:26 (eighteen years ago) link

Oh no!!! Please rewrite it!!!

― Last Of The Famous International Pfunkboys (Kerr), Monday, 30 January 2006 19:29 (eighteen years ago) link

Bar-Kays - Black Rock - Gotta Groove
This is actually two albums, but I didn't realise that when I grabbed it off one of the stack of DVDs, since it's in one folder (a twofer, presumably). It's kind of patchy, but you forgive a lot of a band that had most of its membership killed along with Otis Redding. There's all sorts tried here: the ground is Memphis soul, as befits Booker T & the MGs' stand-ins, but there's Sly-style psychedelia, a couple of bloody Beatles covers, soul ballads, and plenty of party music heading towards funk. Some is misjudged, but these people can really play, and when they get it right it's tremendous. There are about 10 Bar-Kays albums, and I'm looking forward to hearing the rest.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Monday, 30 January 2006 19:29 (eighteen years ago) link

Yeah thats a 2 albums on 1 cd job. Love it. Apart from the bloody beatles covers. Which were quite ubiquitous in soul and jazz albums in the 60s.

― Last Of The Famous International Pfunkboys (Kerr), Monday, 30 January 2006 19:45 (eighteen years ago) link

Yes, and almost always a terrible mistake. They were the worst tracks on a short sequence of Aretha albums, for instance.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 20:26 (eighteen years ago) link

Ha! I've learned to love or at least like the Aretha versions of "Eleanor Rigby" and "Let It Be," but I know what you mean.

― Redd Harvest (Ken L), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 20:32 (eighteen years ago) link

I like The Beatles, but i don't wish to ever hear any covers.
Especially "Yesterday" which is always bloody covered. It's impossible to escape.

My parents have a Tijuana Brass Band lp of Beatles Covers that someone gave them many years back. I doubt it's ever been played.

― Last Of The Famous International Pfunkboys (Kerr), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 20:42 (eighteen years ago) link

Maybe you should give it to the JBR and that could be her "way in."

― Redd Harvest (Ken L), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 20:43 (eighteen years ago) link

Betty Davis - s/t
This gave me a bit of a shock - it started with funky very heavy rock, kind of Led Zeppelin in style - and when she does rawk, her voice is very much in the Robert Plant territory. Once I'd adjusted (and much of the album is more clearly funk), it's a tremendously powerful bunch of musicians, a match for her might and aggression and sexiness. This is a really terrific album, maybe a great one.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 20:47 (eighteen years ago) link

But the Beatles covered "A Taste of Honey"!

xpost

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 20:50 (eighteen years ago) link

Found this on another site

Independent Lens
WPBA Jan 31 11:00pm Add to My Calendar
Series/Documentary, 60 Mins.

You can record this program to your TiVo. Learn more...

"Parliament Funkadelic: One Nation Under a Groove" Episode #701.
George Clinton expressed the cultural alienation of young African Americans with his band Parliament Funkadelic.

Original Airdate: October 11, 2005.

I hope this appears on the web somewhere.

― Last Of The Famous International Pfunkboys (Kerr), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 21:09 (eighteen years ago) link

It's great and disappointing.

― Andy_K (Andy_K), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 21:16 (eighteen years ago) link

Baby Huey - The Baby Huey Story
He had a lively soul band, a big voice, something like James Brown in style, but there wasn't much of him (musically - physically there was lots) and it's really patchy. Some of it is routine funky soul instrumental work, some of it falls very flat - but a few covers are spectacular. A 9-minute A Change Is Gonna Come is extraordinary, with some of the loudest and most piercing screaming ever: listen with caution. There are also a couple of excellent Curtis Mayfield covers.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 22:48 (eighteen years ago) link

Walter 'Junie' Morrison - 5
A major talent who had a very important hand in some of the greatest moments of Parliament, Funkadelic, the Ohio Players and others - and yet... This is limp. It's mostly pleasant, but the first two tracks go nowhere, and it's a hell of a job to get off the ground then, even though he punches it up here and there after that. Very disappointing indeed.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 22:49 (eighteen years ago) link

The other junie stuff is much better. Especially "Bread Alone".
Baby Huey died before he finished the album so i think Curtis Mayfield and the band had to finish it for him hence the instrumentals.

His one album was released posthumously.

― Last Of The Famous International Pfunkboys (Kerr), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 22:53 (eighteen years ago) link

I'm fuckin jealous! I never even knew that '76 live Bootsy thing was available! bah.

Otherwise Martin's opinions so far are pretty close to my own - you'll dig the other Betty Davis albums. she sure was sumthin.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 22:56 (eighteen years ago) link

Maceo is on it.

― Last Of The Famous International Pfunkboys (Kerr), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 22:59 (eighteen years ago) link

Hit submit too soon. I meant to say Maceo is on it (Bootsy Live In Oklahoma).

― Last Of The Famous International Pfunkboys (Kerr), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 23:00 (eighteen years ago) link

aaaargh!

*shakes fist at sky*

someone trade me a copy...?

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 23:11 (eighteen years ago) link

I don't know if it's an official release or not. I downloaded it a while ago.

― Last Of The Famous International Pfunkboys (Kerr), Tuesday, 31 January 2006 23:23 (eighteen years ago) link

Shakey check your email.

― Last Of The Famous International Pfunkboys (Kerr), Wednesday, 1 February 2006 00:17 (eighteen years ago) link

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0001EFU4Q.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

― Last Of The Famous International Pfunkboys (Kerr), Wednesday, 1 February 2006 03:38 (eighteen years ago) link

Bootsy's Rubber Band
04/07/78 Unknown, Washington, DC is a bootleg.

I have this too
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000257CV.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

― Last Of The Famous International Pfunkboys (Kerr), Wednesday, 1 February 2006 03:41 (eighteen years ago) link

Bar-Kays - As One
This is a 1980 album, and they'd long ago moved conclusively from soul instrumentals to being a funk band. There are plenty of vocals on this too. It's very uneven: some strong and solid funk mixed with some very poor ballads, slushy and weak. I'll get to several '70s albums in due course, but I wouldn't be surprised if this is right at the end of their good period. There's a sense of exhaustion, in parts.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Wednesday, 1 February 2006 23:02 (eighteen years ago) link

Funkadelic - live, 1981, Dayton, Ohio
A bootleg I assume, and a really fiery performance. It is in parts too heavy rock for my tastes - always a partial problem with Funkadelic - but a lot of it is great, really potent and hugely enjoyable. There are lots of live albums in the megastack, but I bet this ranks as one of the most exciting.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Wednesday, 1 February 2006 23:03 (eighteen years ago) link

Graham Central Station - s/t
It's Larry Graham of course, post Family Stone - but I don't think that excuses the dismal band name. You rarely feel confident that a slap bass solo isn't coming any moment now, but he doesn't do that too often, thankfully - and he is a hell of a bassist, so you do kind of forgive it when he does. More or less. It's a little uneven, but even on the weakest parts the playing is good, and at other times the beats are pounding and thrilling. I really liked it, and I'm hopeful that later albums may be even better.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Wednesday, 1 February 2006 23:04 (eighteen years ago) link

and I know this is the funk thread and not a jazz one - and I will have even less of interest to say about the jazz quarter of the megastack, so don't really intend to start a jazz thread - but I must mention that I also got to my first today by: Grant Green (First Session) - groovy guitar playing, entirely likeable though I never got that excited; and Jimmy McGriff (I've Got A Woman) - really thrilling hammond organ, edging very much towards Memphis soul from the jazz roots, and absolutely spectacular.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Wednesday, 1 February 2006 23:06 (eighteen years ago) link

That is actually my least favourite GCS. (i still like it but the others are better)

The 70s Grant Green is jazz-funk so im sure that A) you will love it B) write about it. The live albums are wonderful.

and Martin... Funkadelic will NEVER be too heavy rock for me.

― Last Of The Famous International Pfunkboys (Kerr), Wednesday, 1 February 2006 23:11 (eighteen years ago) link

weird - I think the 1st GCS is probably the best, maybe cuz its the most Sly-ish...? I *love* that Freddie Stewart/"funk box" workout on the record. Kerr I'm curious which ones you like more...? Their career seemed to be about steadily diminishing returns to me. My attention's pretty much gone by "My Radio Sho Nuff Turns Me On" (tho there's at least one great track on each album).

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 2 February 2006 00:27 (eighteen years ago) link

"It is in parts too heavy rock for my tastes - always a partial problem with Funkadelic"

DOES NOT COMPUTE

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 2 February 2006 00:47 (eighteen years ago) link

Ain't No Doubt About It, Release Yourself,Now Do You Wanna Dance, My Radio Sho Nuff Turns Me On are my faves.

I forget what "Mirror" sounds like. I havent listened to GCS in a long while So I guess i'll play the cds this week. Maybe i'll like the 1st one better?

― Last Of The Famous International Pfunkboys (Kerr), Thursday, 2 February 2006 00:52 (eighteen years ago) link

"Ain't No Doubt About It - produced by GOD"

never fails to crack me up.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 2 February 2006 00:54 (eighteen years ago) link

Whats the GCS like after those albums? I just recently got Star Walk but I haven't played it yet. And I haven't heard the stuff they did after that either.

― Last Of The Famous International Pfunkboys (Kerr), Thursday, 2 February 2006 01:23 (eighteen years ago) link

Maze ft. Frankie Beverly - Joy and Pain
This is more smooth soul than funk, from a few years after my love of soul fades away. Beverly is a very good singer, but I find the music a bit bloodless - the whole thing sounds like they've replaced studio musicians with some machines, without using any of the advantages of that. I didn't care about any of the songs, and the funkier numbers seemed perfunktory (sorry). I can just about imagine adjusting to its style and growing to like it (it's not so far from my favourite act ever, Al Green, in some ways), but today I didn't. (Also it's quite quiet, and with these volume-capped walkmans of today and a temporary partial deafness in one ear, I may have failed to appreciate some subtleties.)

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Thursday, 2 February 2006 20:22 (eighteen years ago) link

Sly & The Family Stone - Dance to the Music
An uneven album - lots of psychedelia and funk, quite a lot of rock and soul, some pop and R&B. The title track is of course a spectacularly successful mix of all of these things, but they don't necessarily find the same kind of blend on all of the others. Even so, the quality of the playing and the sense of fun and brightness more than sustains a good level - it just doesn't hit great too often after the opener.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Thursday, 2 February 2006 20:24 (eighteen years ago) link

the Dance to the Medley thing in the middle really wears out its welcome. Martini makes fun of it in the "Off the Record" Sly book (paraphrasing: "Dance to the Medley, Dance to the Shmedley - it was all a joke to Sly, just bullshit")

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 2 February 2006 21:02 (eighteen years ago) link

My memory of it is that Sly was hurt and disappointed by the commercial failure of "A Whole New Thing" (which is, incidentally, a WAY better album than "Dance to the Music") and that he adopted the "glorified Motown" beats on "Dance to the Music" just to get an easy, quick hit and gain some clout in the record industry to do what he wanted...

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 2 February 2006 21:05 (eighteen years ago) link

Skipping 291 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Mico Wave - 1987 - From The Inside Out!!!

P-Funk of a reasonably enjoyable kind, more at the funk end than the heavy rock end, maybe even more Bootsy than Clinton. Another that didn't make a powerful impression, I'm afraid.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 21:44 (eighteen years ago) link

Funkadelic - 1970 - Funkadelic
An excellent early album with a bit more '60s R&B and soul still audible, not too excessive an amount of heavy rock guitar, and some strong funk.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 21:45 (eighteen years ago) link

James Brown - Live At The Apollo
Okay, I had this already, but um, it was labelled with the wrong year so maybe it was a different - nah, really I just wanted to include it on one of these CDs, and I particularly wanted to play it now because I just got the 33 1/3 book on it by one Douglas Wolk, so it was a good time to play it again. The book's terrific, by the way, and it makes me hear a bunch of new things in this, but it was already one of my all-time favourite albums, certainly one of my three favourite live albums ever. It's an exhilirating, fiery experience.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 21:46 (eighteen years ago) link

Mandrill - Just Outside Of Town
I really like Mandrill. They try all sorts of things. Not all of them work, but hardly any strike me as not worth hearing, and some are terrific. This for instance features some cool jazzy vibes, and some of the best super-heavy funk I've heard. There are dull spots, but I like a band that makes me check my diskman (which plays MP3 disks with a dozen or so albums on) to see if we have moved on to some other act.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 21:46 (eighteen years ago) link

Rick James - Fire It Up
This one feels a touch routine, a bit 'will this do?'. I like his style - with a dash of extra disco this time - so I'm happy to hear him even off form, but this is undistinguished work.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Sunday, 26 March 2006 16:52 (eighteen years ago) link

Sly & The Family Stone - Live Dallas TX 09-01-69
Not a great mix on what I take to be a bootleg, but when that isn't a problem this is tremendous, even though it comes before or right at the start of their greatest period.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Sunday, 26 March 2006 16:53 (eighteen years ago) link

Bar-Kays - Cold Blooded
Mid-'70s Memphis R&B by one of the band's line-ups. It's the kind of thing I can listen to all day - but in all honesty I could listen to it all day without getting to this rather ordinary though very skilled example of the style.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Sunday, 26 March 2006 16:53 (eighteen years ago) link

Chairmen of the Board - Bittersweet
I know it isn't one of the first couple of big hits that come to mind for most people from this band, but Bittersweet is probably my favourite of their songs. I don't know exactly what's going on in the chorus in technical terms, but I find it hugely affecting, and I think it may be General Johnson's best vocal performance. It also has a genuine 'what the fuck?' middle section. This album is mostly somewhere near this kind of elevated level, with a couple of weaker tracks but none of the MOR disasters of previous albums (the man responsible had left the band by now). A great album.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Sunday, 26 March 2006 16:54 (eighteen years ago) link

Graham Central Station - Live In London
I'm kind of getting bored with them by now, but this is thoroughly enjoyable when they do songs I like (mostly Sly numbers) and when Larry isn't too egotistical. Their own material doesn't hold up so well, I think.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Sunday, 26 March 2006 16:54 (eighteen years ago) link

Mutiny - Funk Plus The One
There is loads of P-Funk and related material in the megastack, and while I am loving some of it, and disliking the rock end of things, even the copyists who don't lean much that way, mostly, are sometimes pointless. Mutiny aren't bad, they sound like P-Funk, but I don't really see why we need them.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Sunday, 26 March 2006 16:55 (eighteen years ago) link

Fuzzy Haskins - Radioactive
He's no kind of singer, and while there's nothing terribly wrong with this - there's quite a lot of good playing, for instance - it's kind of routine, lacking any great songs to make up for the vocal inadequacies. Since he was a major member of the Clinton bands, see above for comments really.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Sunday, 26 March 2006 16:55 (eighteen years ago) link

oh also: sorry to anyone who cares, and I will try to get back to a better schedule than weekly.

Fortnightly?

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy (Kerr), Sunday, 2 April 2006 14:25 (eighteen years ago) link

ha, sorry: I'll try to catch up tomorrow, possibly...

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Sunday, 2 April 2006 18:57 (eighteen years ago) link

one year passes...

I wish Martin would start posting again.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Saturday, 14 April 2007 00:37 (seventeen years ago) link

this is an incredible thread.

― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Saturday, 14 April 2007 01:23 (seventeen years ago) link

Hell yeah.

― Bimble, Saturday, 14 April 2007 05:40 (seventeen years ago) link

one year passes...

Martin come back and finish the reviews!

― Pfunkboy Formerly Known As... (Herman G. Neuname), Friday, 28 November 2008 17:33 (fifteen years ago) link

two years pass...

classic

― cold gettin' dumb (m coleman), Wednesday, 27 July 2011 21:42 (twelve years ago) link

Forgot about this thread.

― Scharlach Sometimes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 28 July 2011 01:34 (twelve years ago) link

One of the first replies is bimble

― No. I think social networks need to keep it real (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 28 July 2011 01:36 (twelve years ago) link

I'll never forget his excitement about these dvdr-s. Hope they go to a good home. It's a real shame he never got to finish reviewing them always hoped he would one day come back to ilx and restart this thread.
RIP Martin. You and Bimble are going to have some great chats on a cloud.

― Armand Schaubroeck Ratfucker, Thursday, 28 July 2011 08:53 (twelve years ago) link

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.