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!

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

Also, They Say I'm Different has pretty awesome title/cover image combination:

http://lamortdudisque.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/betty-theysay.jpg

Cant beat a bit of Parlet or Brides Of Funkenstein.

Tuomas you can change your album pick if you want

I think it makes sense to hear her albums in order, so I think starting with Betty Davis is wise (and my wording was unclear: I actually meant "Betty Davis" is badass--I kind of enjoy that cognitive dissonance). "They Say" is definitely less tight than BD, but "They Say"'s title track is my favorite song of hers.

IIRC, the bonus tracks on BD are superb, maybe even rivaling the album proper (the reissue is on Lala btw).

(and Pee Wee Ellis is a JB sideman, no?)

I think so, yeah. The album features some other well-known instrumentalists too: "Pretty" Purdie, Stanley Clarke, Airto Moreira, Cornell Dupree, Larry Coryell...

betty's 'dedicated to the press' off Nasty Gal is immense

hey funkateers ILX R&B LISTENING CLUB week two: The Isley Brothers, Mary J. Blige, Robin Thicke has the isley brothers classic funk album 3+3 this week.

Pretty interesting that everyone here seems to know Betty Davis, but no one is familiar with the Leon Thomas - I kinda expected it to be the other way around. Has there been some sort of rise in her profile recently? When I came across her first two albums years ago in a local record store, I had no idea who she was, I just liked the album covers and song titles, and decided to give them a listen. I had read the Miles Davis autobiography in my youth, but I had no idea it was the same Betty who was married to Miles. Does Miles even mention Betty's funk career in the book? It's been so long since I read it that I can't remember.

her records have been rereleased several times of late, and am sure i've read pieces in MOJO on her. love leon's stuff w/pharoah sanders, must check out his solo stuff.

^^^exactly what I was about to say

wasn't she on the biggest record of the past 5 years or was it betty *somethingelse* on the carter iii?

betty swallocks?

xp
That was Betty Wright.

Speaking of rap and Betty Davis, there's a nice rap version of "Anti Love Song" called "The Anti-Love Movement" (featuring Talib Kweli) on this album.

In September 2009 Light in the Attic Records reissued Nasty Gal and her unreleased 4th studio album recorded in 1976, re-titled as Is It Love or Desire? (the original title was Crashin' From Passion). Both reissues contained extensive liner notes and shed some light on the mystery of why her 4th album, considered possibly to be her best work by many members of her band, was shelved by the record label and remained unreleased for 33 years.

Great picks - I think! I don't know the Leon Thomas and Herbie Hancock albums but I'm looking forward to checking them out.

the HH felt more electro to me. Felt very late 80s too.

Leon Thomas was very good, but it did feel more jazzy. I did enjoy it though, thanks for turning me on to such a good album , Tuomas!

Has anyone heard that previously unreleased 4th betty davis album?

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/419mZK-oTAL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

I think it's great!

wtf that's not her on the cover (is it?)

the HH felt more electro to me. Felt very late 80s too.

Yeah, I know it's kind of a borderline case, but I felt that Bootsy's basslines and Sugarfoot's vocals made it more funk than some other electro records with synth bass and fully vocoderized vocals. At least it should raise some questions about the definition of "funk"... Should an album be played with "proper" instruments (drums, guitar, bass, keyboards + optional horns) for it to count as funk, or is enough if it sounds "funky"? (Of course, even if you find the latter definition better, it can't be stretched too far, otherwise you'd have to count lots of rap/house/breakbeat/etc records as "funk" too.) With Perfect Machine, you have Bootsy on "proper" bass, a combination of "proper" funk vocals and vocoders, and Herbie playing some "proper" keyboards, but everything else is done with synths, drum machines, and turntables. Is that enough for funk?

Leon Thomas was very good, but it did feel more jazzy. I did enjoy it though, thanks for turning me on to such a good album , Tuomas!

No prob! BatST is such a little known gem (as is Leon Thomas' whole solo career) that it's always nice to introduce it to new people. I did consider choosing Full Circle, Thomas' next studio album which is a straight soul/funk with little jazz on it, rather than BatST... But Full Circle is the weakest of his studio albums (though it's still pretty good), and it isn't on Spotify, plus it's kinda hard to find even a physical copy of it. That said, I think the only real jazz piece on BatST is "Gypsy Queen". All the other tunes fall into a funk/soul/blues continuum, at least according to my ears.

Yeah, a lot of blues on it too (not surprising considering there's covers of 2 very well known blues tracks)

Really not a fan of Betty Davis' voice

What about the music?

It's fine, I'm surprised at Tuomas liking it as it's very rock in places, more so even than Funkadelic in some ways

Maybe cuz it's a female singer? That makes a difference round here to some.

okay, I'm sold on Funkadelic /Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On - offically essential in my book now!

yes!! It's many pfunk fans fave Funkadelic. Definitely the Eddie Hazel fans fave.

It's fine, I'm surprised at Tuomas liking it as it's very rock in places, more so even than Funkadelic in some ways

Doesn't Tuomas like early Funkadelic though? it's just that he prefers Parliament more.

http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/7610/bdfront.jpg

...the woman too wild for Miles!

TBH, in my blurb I specifically didn't want to make any references to Miles, as I thought Betty should be judged by her own merits. When I first heard the first two Betty Davis albums I had no idea she was Miles' ex, in fact I knew nothing of her backstory, I just liked the music. I think it's pretty crass that at this day and age an album by a female musician needs to be marketed by referencing her famous boyfriend, and by quoting another famous male musician about her looks on the album cover. Can you imagine a similar marketing strategy with any male singer?