Get Off Your Ass and JAM with The Rolling ILX Funk Listening Club: New Selections Weekly! Updated Mondays and Fridays! All ILXors and Lurkers Welcome!

last updated 2 minutes ago by i never promised you a whinegarten (forksclovetofu)] 162 new answers

yet no post. Is ilx playing tricks?

So what was everyones fave album of this weeks picks then?

anyone?

I've only checked out The Payback - fabulous, the best thing so far. The band is tight, the frontmanning assured. Lots of little stylistic things, nice horns, a couple of terrific runs where it almost goes hard bop - but always kept in the frame of it being a James Brown album, which makes it much more coherent than the three from last week. Those string things are strange, though, but I like 'em.

I doubt this'll be an original observation, but JB's basically a preacher, isn't he? I feel like I've spent an hour-and-a-half in church.

Just a wee reminder
4/5 - Tuomas
11/5 - a hoy hoy
18/5 - Tannenbaum Schmidt
25/5 - Ismael Klata
1/6 - forksclovetu
8/6 - Seandalai
15/6 - moka
22/6 - Abbott
32/6 - The Rev
6/7 - pfunkboy
13/7 - Turangalila

If anyone can commit to a week after Turangalila just shout out.

i killed my post, it was just a "hey did you guys know how to find these albums easily on the internet?" dumbass thing.

Spotify, Lala.com and the cough ^

That Chairmen of the Board album is fucking incredible. "Love at First Sight" does not stop at whatever it does to me.

I've made a SPOTIFY PLAYLIST with the albums of both weeks (minus the Mandrill which isn't available)

Will add to it as each week goes by.

Brad, I recommend you check out the album Bittersweet

everybody's got something to hide except for...

http://i43.tinypic.com/i71ssz.jpg

Nice, I have it on vinyl too along with 3 or 4 others. Where did you get it?

brick lane.

my hand looks fucked up in that pic.

Enjoying the Chairmen of the Board a lot more than I thought I would. Really love the Mellotron in "Life & Death part 1" and "White Rose" (should cross-ref this record with the prog listening thread maybe) and how the keyboard parts shift to more traditional soul/funk organ sounds in "Life & Death pt 2".

The keyboard parts all through this are delightfully fucked up -- super-choppy organs in "Let's Have Some Fun"...

I told you all it was a fantastic record! Please check out Bittersweet too, less weird more song-y but no less great. I cant really listen to one without another.

Sam, what Arsenal players are this weeks albums?

Payback- van Persie
CotB- Diaby
not yet heard the dr. john

hmmmm. Are you familiar with any dr john?

apart from the track cop shoot cop

btw sam subscribe to my playlists on spotify for these threads. Will make things easier for you.

sign me up for 7/20 or 20/7 or whatever date style u wish

Ok!

4/5 - Tuomas
11/5 - a hoy hoy
18/5 - Tannenbaum Schmidt
25/5 - Ismael Klata
1/6 - forksclovetu
8/6 - Seandalai
15/6 - moka
22/6 - Abbott
32/6 - The Rev
6/7 - pfunkboy
13/7 - Turangalila
20/7 - mbison

Tuomas should be choosing his albums to be ready for tuesday. Look forward to seeing what he picks, but lets see what everyone else thought of last weeks albums first!

I've become very fond of "I'll Stay" off week 1's Funkadelic, and also digging the album a whole lot more than my first listen. "Good Thought, Bad Thought"'s smooth rock guitars also very lovely (reminds me of Lethal Weapon soundtrack, but im my world that's a good thing).

Been enjoying this week's choices, though the Chairmen of the Board album was the only one that really made an big impression me. J. Brown and Dr. John both were enjoyable to listen, but they both sounded exactly as I imagined they would - solid stuff, but not much surprises there.

Is it okay if I post my choices and introduction texts tonight already? I'm kinda busy tomorrow, so I'm not sure if I have that much time to write then.

Yeah, Im up for moving funk club to mondays, as it gives everyone a full working week to listen and post.
I'll just rearrange the dates.

Post now if you want Tuomas.

Funk club is now Monday start.

3/5 - Tuomas
10/5 - a hoy hoy
17/5 - Tannenbaum Schmidt
24/5 - Ismael Klata
31/5 - forksclovetu
7/6 - Seandalai
14/6 - moka
21/6 - Abbott
28/6 - The Rev
5/7 - pfunkboy
12/7 - Turangalila
19/7 - mbison

sign me up for another date wouldja

OK, done!

3/5 - Tuomas
10/5 - a hoy hoy
17/5 - Tannenbaum Schmidt
24/5 - Ismael Klata
31/5 - forksclovetu
7/6 - Seandalai
14/6 - moka
21/6 - Abbott
28/6 - The Rev
5/7 - pfunkboy
12/7 - Turangalila
19/7 - mbison
26/7 - Shakey Mo Funkier

I cant help feeling that the thread runs out of steam by the end of the week.

Would people object If 1 extra album was posted (by me) on say a Friday??

Cuz I have a lot of classic funk to share

and i cant wait 2 months for another go

plus Pfunkboys Friday Funk Bonus Album has a great ring to it

No objection as such, but I can't really keep up as it is.

I'm doing it anyway, funk is timeless so you can always listen later and post. But you know you want to hear Pfunkboys Friday Funk Bonus Album! It's an optional extra that will funkify your fridays!

My selection of albums coming up soon!

Ok! Remember to ask a mod to change the title too

Should we have the person picking the albums name in the title too?

Leon Thomas - Blues and the Soulful Truth (1972)
http://www.ifmusic.co.uk/images/product_images/Leon%20Thomas%20-%20Blues%20And%20The%20Soulful%20Truth%20book-1.jpg

Leon Thomas was best known for his collaboration with Pharoah Sanders, especially on the epic “The Creator Has a Master Plan”. But in the late 60s and early 70s he also released four fine solo albums, which unfortunately have gotten much less attention than the Pharoah collabs. Thomas’ first two solo albums were pretty much in the same free/soul jazz mold as his work with Pharoah, but on Blues and the Soulful Truth he took a turn to a funkier direction. The album begins with a greasy southern funk piece called “Let’s Go Down to Lucy”, and ends with a reworking of the blues classic “C.C. Rider”, and between the two you have a microcosm of what was going in funk/soul/fusion in the early 70s: from hippie psychedelia to apocalyptic political imagery to pure sex. All of Thomas’ four albums are well worth checking out, but this is probably the best (and the only one available on Spotify), a slept on masterpiece.

Spotify link

Betty Davis - Betty Davis (1973)
http://www.weirdorecords.com/cpCommerce/images/products/fullimages/BETTY-DAVIS-400_3346.jpg

Betty Davis’ titular solo recording is a rarity among funk albums, in that it was lead by a woman, and all the tunes are also written and produced by her. However, as compositions the tunes here are hardly memorable - there isn’t a single catchy chorus or pop hook to be heard. Nor is Davis a good singer by any definion: her register and technical capabilities are limited. What makes her songs special, though, are the lyrics, and especially her rather unique vocal style. Pretty much all her tunes are about sex, from the point of view of a liberated woman who’s out there for pleasure, not for romance. And she doesn’t sing them like a stereotypical sex kitten, but instead bends and twists and drawls her voice in ways few other female singers have done before or after. What makes the album truly funky, besides her voice, is the brilliant backing band that includes musicians like former Sly and the Family Stone members Larry Graham and Gregg Errico. Even if the record is lacking in the songwriting department, the grooves here are undeniably deep and fat. I’m not sure whether I could call Betty Davis a great album, but it certainly is a memorable one.

Unfortunately this one isn’t available on Spotify, but it shouldn’t be too hard to find elsewhere. My copy of the album has 8 tracks and ends with “In the Meantime”, but apparently there’s also a newer reissue with some bonus tracks added to the end.

Herbie Hancock - Perfect Machine (1988)
http://soulfunkjazz.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/hh-perfect-machine-del1.jpg

This is a controversial choice, as it’s by no means a pure funk album. But 80s electro-funk was obviously built on the foundation of 70s funk, and Perfect Machine is one of the funkiest examples of the genre. The first track is probably more electro than funk, and the last one (not counting the two bonus remixes on the CD reissue) is an odd experimental piece, but it’d be pretty hard not to call the tunes between them “funk”. How could you not, when you have Bootsy Collins on bass, Sugarfoot (of Ohio Players, featured here two weeks ago) on vocals and Herbie Hancock on keys? Perfect Machine is also the best among the three electronic albums by Herbie that resulted from his collaboration with Bill Laswell, even though Future Shock is better known due to the hit status of “Rockit”. Basically, I chose this album because I don’t think the listening club should limit itself only to classic 70s funk, and Perfect Machine is a good example of funk’s evolution and fusion with more electronic styles. Also, it’s lots of fun!

Spotify link

One question that came to my mind when writing about Betty Davis: why are there so many well-known female soul singers but so few in funk? I guess funk is inherently a more masculine genre than soul, but what makes it so?

those are some cool fucking album covers.

Yeah, the Leon Thomas cover especially is one of my favourites of all time.

why are there so many well-known female soul singers but so few in funk?

There's Ruth Copeland.

Interesting choices. Tuomas. Betty White album rules, Dunno the Leon Thomas at all, and an interesting Herbie Hancock, and my friday funk bonus pick will be a companion to it!

I would call Betty Davis a great album, though I think I prefer They Say I'm Different. It's possible that the novelty of a female funk performer is a factor, but that album is simply badass. There's a real cognitive dissonance to something like "If I'm In Luck, I Might Get Picked Up" when it's clear that Davis doesn't need to wait around for some fairly limp-sounding dude to pick her up.

I'm sure most of you have heard the infamous line from Betty's former husband, Miles Davis, that "Betty was too wild for me."

Updated funk club Spotify playlist http://open.spotify.com/user/pfunkboy/playlist/3MgBpnaCdBMRHwXbeVFMb9

Oh yeah, I guess I should warn that even though Blues and the Soulful Truth is much less jazzy than the previous two Leon Thomas albums, there is some jazz on it, especially on "Gypsy Queen". But I can't imagine anyone on this thread being afraid of jazz.

"Gypsy Queen" also has one my favourite record sleeve credits of all time: Firecrackers by Leon Thomas, Pee Wee Ellis, Lillian Seyfert and Tony May. You can actually hear the firecrackers on that track!

I would call Betty Davis a great album, though I think I prefer They Say I'm Different. It's possible that the novelty of a female funk performer is a factor, but that album is simply badass.

Oh yeah, They Say I'm Different is nice too. I think that album has better lyrics (and more obviously feminist lyrics too, like you said "If I'm In Luck, I Might Get Picked Up" is an odd choice of phrase on the first album), and somewhat better songs too. But I think the backing band on it is weaker and kinda less funky, which is why I chose the debut album here.

huh never even heard of the Leon Thomas, very curious. Great cover. (and Pee Wee Ellis is a JB sideman, no?)

don't know that particular Herbie album either but am in general a big fan of his electro/funk stuff.

Betty Davis is classic but agree with elephant that "They Say I'm Different" probably woulda been my pick. Lyrics are classic obviously, but yeah the grooves are monster. And this one has the Journey dude on it too, right? lolz. never heard the bonus tracks, are they on a par with the rest of the album...?

as far as women in funk goes there are some greats, but most of them were ensemble/groups (Labelle, Parlet, the Brides of Funkenstein) or fronting other people's bands (Lynn Collins) - Betty stands out as a bandleader/songwriter/producer, which is a fairly unique combo in the genre.

funk wasn't nearly as retrograde sexist as reggae, for example