PEOPLE... HOLD ON. It's the ~~~ ILM 1970s SOUL/FUNK/DISCO ALBUMS POLL ~~~ results thread!

Wow, someone's number one? I'm the other (unranked) vote for it. I appreciate concept albums that don't embarrass themselves and this one has a really fun dynamic to it with different vocals getting to express their own fucked up jealousy scenarios.

High five to the other vote for Syreeta.

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112. The Temptations - All Directions (1972)
36 points • 2 votes

High five to the other vote for Syreeta.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka)

I had this Syreeta album pretty high on my list. I put her second album even higher.

There is obviously some essential Whitfield stuff but I much prefer the Ruffin/Smokey period.

I voted for the 'other' Syreeta album!

Enjoying this Blue Notes album, though there is some filler on there. Don't know them as an albums band. The title track is, of course, magnificent.

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111. Jorge Ben - Negro é lindo (1971)
36 points • 3 votes

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109 (TIE). Lou Bond - Lou Bond (1974)
36 points • 4 votes

If you haven't heard 'To the Establishment' yet, please drop everything NOW and take the next 11 minutes and 19 seconds to listen to this masterpiece. It's the single best thing I've discovered through this poll and I would never have heard it otherwise. So thank you to whoever mentioned Lou Bond on the nominations thread.

Next entry in 11:19...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7psjsGe6A3g

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109 (TIE). Donna Summer - Love to Love You Baby (1975)
36 points • 4 votes

Damn forgot to vote for that Lou Bond album...

Last one for today:

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108. The Spinners - Pick of the Litter (1975)
36 points • 5 votes

Lovely album.

RECAP:

108. The Spinners - Pick of the Litter (1975) 36 points • 5 votes
109 (TIE). Donna Summer - Love to Love You Baby (1975) 36 points • 4 votes
109 (TIE). Lou Bond - Lou Bond (1974) 36 points • 4 votes
111. Jorge Ben - Negro é lindo (1971) 36 points • 3 votes
112. The Temptations - All Directions (1972) 36 points • 2 votes
113. The Soul Children - Friction (1974) 35 points • 2 votes • 1 number one
114. Syreeta - Syreeta (1972) 35 points • 2 votes
115. Parliament - Chocolate City (1975) 34 points • 6 votes
116. Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - Wake Up Everybody (1975) 34 points • 5 votes
117. Isaac Hayes - Shaft (1971) 33 points • 5 votes
118. Bee Gees - Main Course (1975) 33 points • 4 votes
119 (TIE). Commodores - Commodores [a.k.a. Zoom] (1977) 33 points • 3 votes
119 (TIE). Ohio Players - Pain (1972) 33 points • 3 votes
119 (TIE). WAR - War (1971) 33 points • 3 votes
122. Margie Joseph - Margie Joseph Makes a New Impression (1970) 33 points • 2 votes
123 (TIE). Andy Bey - Experience and Judgment (1974) 32 points • 3 votes
123 (TIE). Barry White - Can't Get Enough (1974) 32 points • 3 votes
125. Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - I Miss You (1972) 32 points • 2 votes
126. The Delfonics - The Delfonics (1970) 31 points • 5 votes
127 (TIE). Parliament - Up for the Down Stroke (1974) 31 points • 4 votes
127 (TIE). Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan - Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan (1975) 31 points • 4 votes
129 (TIE). Earth, Wind & Fire - Gratitude (1975) 31 points • 2 votes
129 (TIE). Nina Simone - Emergency Ward! (1973) 31 points • 2 votes
131. The Dramatics - Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get (1972) 30 points • 5 votes
132. Curtis Mayfield - Back to the World (1973) 30 points • 4 votes
133. Ohio Players - Skin Tight (1974) 30 points • 3 votes
134. Al Jarreau - We Got By (1975) 30 points • 1 vote • 1 number one
135. Caston & Majors - Caston & Majors (1974) 29 points • 3 votes
136. Maze featuring Frankie Beverly - Maze (1977) 29 points • 2 votes
137. Van Morrison - Moondance (1970) 28 points • 2 votes
138 (TIE). Love Unlimited Orchestra - Rhapsody in White (1974) 28 points • 1 vote
138 (TIE). Noir - We Had to Let You Have It (1971) 28 points • 1 vote
138 (TIE). Ruby Andrews - Black Ruby (1972) 28 points • 1 vote

The Spinners are the same as Teddy with me. Top tier artist with no top tier albums. Gave them all the unranked vote. Honest I Do from this one is all time.

The Spinners' self-titled record is as top tier as it gets for me. It's nearly a Greatest Hits record all by itself.

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106 (TIE). Ohio Players - Pleasure (1972)
37 points • 2 votes

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106 (TIE). Ashford & Simpson - Is It Still Good to Ya (1978)
37 points • 2 votes

Bonus album highlight: the 12 inch mix of 'Flashback'

xxp cryptosicko

I want to agree with you but can't. The Green Grass cover is a mistake, the filler is not great and How Could I Let You Get Away was always a weird melody and lyric to me. The highlights are crazy high of course but it's not a top tier album imo.

Is It Still Good to Ya was top 5 on my list and this feels outrageously low. Had So So Satisfied in my top 10 as well but it seems unlikely to place now. I always liked Ashford and Simpson but it took relistening for this poll to make me realize I LOVE them. Sure, they are plenty histrionic and a bit Broadwayesque and I usually hate that but on those two albums it simply works. A husband and wife duo who are professional r'n'b songwriters just dedicating albums to their love. It's really unique. Shit like It Seems to Hang On and Maybe I Can Find It is overwhelmingly beautiful. The one album I can think of that is a kindred spirit is The xx debut. The background relationships are completely different obviously but that's a great "couple" album.

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105. Ohio Players - Fire (1974)
37 points • 3 votes

I just found out that Pleasure also had a great fold-out cover. Here it is:
https://justsoulyouknow.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/pleasure.jpg

Any others I missed?

xxp myself

Womack and Womack is an obvious parallel but they are way more toxic. Same goes for Richard and Linda, the Go-Betweens, Fleetwood Mac and X. Delaney and Bonnie come the closest.

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104. The Meters - Fire on the Bayou (1975)
37 points • 4 votes

Finally decided I don't really care for New Orleans r'n'b. Sparks of genius like Prof Longhair or Mother-in-Law excepted. Still voted for Yes We Can since that one is also kind of undeniable.

Fire above Pleasure, eh? Thought that Pleasure would be higher. Good to also see that Meters album place!

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103. Minnie Riperton - Perfect Angel (1974)
37 points • 5 votes

Way too low for "Fire on the Bayou", that's an awesome album, even though Meters purists apparently don't like it so much (because it has vocals and catchy songs). I especially love "Can You Do Without" for it's ridiculously funky groove, and "They All Ask'd for You" for listing all those animals. :)

xxp One more person voted for Fire, but the number of points for both albums is the same. So the people who voted for Pleasure rated it higher than they did Fire.

Wow, I didn't expect "Perfect Angel" to place below "Adventures in Paradise"... (Which is surely yet to come, right? Right?) But that's the correct order, IMO. As transcendant as "Lovin' You" is, in general I don't think Riperton's vocals work so well in a standard funk-rock setting, with no horns or strings. The more baroque arrangements of the album before and after this complement her talent better.

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102. Roberta Flack - Chapter Two (1970)
38 points • 3 votes

That was my #3... IMO Flack is kinda unfairly remembered mostly for "Killing Me Softly", or for her various cover versions of folk tunes and Leonard Cohen (which are undoubtedly great, don't get me wrong), but her first three albums are all flawless pieces folk-soul, and this one is the best of them.

already stoked to check out a bunch of these albums I've never heard before - and there are 101 left to come!

so 2 brilliant Ohio Players albums and a brilliant meters album placed while I was in bed. 3 of my votes right there

Yeah sorry, I didn't know when you'd wake up. But stay tuned, there's more coming up in the next hour.

xp - Which ones, Sean?

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101. Smokey Robinson - A Quiet Storm (1975)
38 points • 6 votes

Not counting James Brown, Smokey is probably my favorite soul man ever but I don't love this one. It's sort of gimmicky? The filler is schmaltzy af. Hope Where There's Smoke... is still to come cause that one is awesome.

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100. Patrice Rushen - Pizzazz (1979)
39 points • 5 votes

Wow, cool. I love Haven't You Heard completely. Should listen to this.

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99. Fontella Bass - Free (1972)
40 points • 2 votes

Album highlights: 'It Sure Is Good' and 'Talking About Freedom'

That was my #7. A great, gritty & political album, far away from "Rescue Me", if that's what you know Bass from. "It Sure Is Good" isn't on the original album though... It's included in the CD reissue, which has 5 bonus tunes from the same era that were released as singles but not on any album.

Oops, you're right. I hadn't noticed those were bonus tracks.

https://img.discogs.com/gxLTq5zvwKMmdiDLT9EM-hfDntI=/fit-in/600x600/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-3123644-1316886035.jpeg.jpg
97 (TIE). The Undisputed Truth - The Undisputed Truth (1971)
40 points • 3 votes

I should check that one out someday, I have their second album, which is pretty good.

Awesome cover too! (Though I'm not sure what's going on there; are they preparing for a spiritism session?)

Obvious album highlight: 'Smiling Faces Sometimes'

Slightly less obvious album highlight: 'Like a Rolling Stone'

xp - Yeah, it's hard to see what they're doing down there.

Cosmic Slop to thread!