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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?

Checking out Chairmen Of The Board just now - some nice bits, especially early on, but it's not sticking as anything special

You dont even like the trilogy??

I just find the trilogy as exciting as anything in music

Tuomas, I hear you; I thought the blurbs were amusing as they don't even reference the musical strengths of the album.

I've listened to all 3 of your choices now.

I like quite a bit of Herbie's stuff from his lates 70s/early 80s period, but imo Perfect Machine has 3 pretty good tracks - which largely fail to transcend the period in which they were made (they sound less appealing as time passes) and the rest is interesting but not successful. Those 3 tracks being the title track, Vibe Alive and Maiden Voyage/P.Bop.

Herbie was the only one that I had heard before.

Listened to Betty Davis on my lunch hour - enjoyed it! ansd gonna listen to it again - there was a run of great tracks towards the end but I didn't look at the track titles when they came on - basically everything after the "I. Miller Shoes" song made me prick up my ears. So, I think a second listen to the album will be even more rewarding/enjoyable.

One listen yesterday afternoon of Leon - was a bit bored tbh - didn't excite me.

This date suit you , tom?

10/5 - a hoy hoy Winston
17/5 - Tannenbaum Schmidt
24/5 - Ismael Klata (Not a rangers fan honestly)
31/5 - funksclovetu
7/6 - Seandalai Funkify
14/6 - moka Funka
21/6 - Abbott The Bricklayer
28/6 - The Rev Funkenstein
5/7 - pfunkboy
12/7 - Turangalila Funkapus
19/7 - mbison the texan funkateer
26/7 - Shakey Mo Funkier
2/8 - Tom "Funkybutt" D

If there are any funk albums left for me to recommend, yes!

Tuomas, I hear you; I thought the blurbs were amusing as they don't even reference the musical strengths of the album.

I think the weirdest thing in the cover sticker is "first official reissue". I checked my CD copy of Betty Davis and it was published in 2000, I guess it it isn't official then? But the sound quality on it is fine, it doesn't sound like it was mastered from vinyl or anything. And according to Discogs there was an even earlier reissue by another label that came out in 1993.

Betty sounding super seductive on the last track, "I will take that ride" - makes me wish more of this album was like this.

Pfunk, wish you'd funkafied my name in that schedule reminder up above

i couldnt think of one other than Tannenfunkybum Schmidt.

Yo! Tannenbaum more apt for the Hip Hop thread

he doesnt need a krautrock name either, tom does though.

I think the weirdest thing in the cover sticker is "first official reissue". I checked my CD copy of Betty Davis and it was published in 2000, I guess it it isn't official then? But the sound quality on it is fine, it doesn't sound like it was mastered from vinyl or anything. And according to Discogs there was an even earlier reissue by another label that came out in 1993.

I'm trying find a source for this, but I remember when the Light in the Attic reissues came out reading that all previous reissues had been bootlegs and Davis hadn't seen a dime from them. In fact, iirc, she was living in very poor circumstances in Philly.

Oh, and I agree on the objectification stuff--I only brought up that Miles quote because it relates to the frankness of her lyrics. Her shows were picketed by Christian groups for advocating S&M, I heard.

FWIW: http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2007/04/betty-davis-gets-reissued

did the same Christian groups picket the ohio players?

I have no idea! I'm sure they weren't pleased about the OP, but the fact that a woman was singing about S&M was surely worse in their eyes.

those covers were S&M pervtastic too though!

have you seen the fold out for Honey? Pure filth.
The Ohio Players Best 1970's Album (Album Covers pics contained maybe NSFW)

and

The Ohio Players Best 1970's Album (Album Covers pics contained maybe NSFW)

nsfw btw

maybe elephant rob is waiting until he gets home to look?

I listened to the newly released Betty Davis and I'm liking it. One of the tracks really stood out but I forgot to take note of the title. I dont think anyone who likes the 1st 3 albums will be disappointed.

Sam put it on while you drink your beers!

ha maybe. let me drop a gem on 'em first.

a what?

OK, I guess I'll volunteer to do the week after Tom, if these are still going in August. Can't provide Spotify links but I won't choose anything impossibly rare. Pfunkboy can call me Von Bootee!

Throwing on Leon Thomas now, looking forward to the yodeling...

Unfortunately the fact that BatST is a more straightforward funk/soul effort means that there's yodeling only on one or two tracks. If yodeling is what you want, check out the first two Leon Thomas albums (Spirits Known and Unknown and The Leon Thomas Album).

10/5 - a hoy hoy Winston
17/5 - Tannenbaum Schmidt
24/5 - Ismael Klata (Not a rangers fan honestly)
31/5 - funksclovetu
7/6 - Seandalai Funkify
14/6 - moka Funka
21/6 - Abbott The Bricklayer
28/6 - The Rev Funkenstein
5/7 - pfunkboy
12/7 - Turangalila Funkapus
19/7 - mbison the texan funkateer
26/7 - Shakey Mo Funkier
2/8 - Tom "Funkybutt" D
9/8 - Von Bootee!

there we go. At this point we have more volunteers for picking albums than listeners/posters!
Post your thoughts on the albums folks!

I'll be posting my friday bonus funk pick at midnight.

finally settled on my three choices for when I'm due to choose.

pfunk, what should I listen to next by Funkadelic/Parliment after seriously getting into "Standing On The Verge...." - shamefully know little by them

Prob. "Maggot Brain" for Eddie Hazel in full effect. "Let's Take It to the Stage" is quite similar to "Standing On The Verge" in some ways.

yeah the 1st 3 probably. Standing... is from the classic middle period.

pfunk, what should I listen to next by Funkadelic/Parliment after seriously getting into "Standing On The Verge...." - shamefully know little by them

dude be patient these guys are bound to take up a fair chunk of recommendations on this thread

have a read at

http://www.duke.edu/~tmc/motherpage/discog-funkadelic.html

then http://www.duke.edu/~tmc/motherpage/discog-top.html

the thing is their catalog is deep AND wide - there's a lot in there, and not all of it is of a piece. the first couple Funkadelic albums bear little to no resemblance to, say, late-period Parliament.

xpost: yeah, I've heard Maggot Brain and didn't like/understand it. But those links, pfunk, help in placing their mid-period so I'll check albums immediately before and after "Standing On The Verge"

So, anybody have anything more to say about this week's albums? I thought they would raise a little more discussion.

I think the mid-period stuff is wildly underrated - the run from Cosmic Slop through Tales of Kidd Funkadelic is remarkably consistent and probably the most deeply rewarding. The period often gets overlooked by the rock fans on the one hand who prefer the earliest, fuzzed out/prot-metal material and also by the dance fans who like the later bubbly, synth-heavy, hit-laden stuff (i.e., One Nation Under a Groove and on). But the middle period stuff is FULL of amazing sounds, its where Clinton hit his stride as a producer, and where Bernie Worrell comes to the for, but there's still plenty of guitar heroics, great riffs, Temptations-style group vocals, and loopy concepts. Honestly this is the stuff I pull out most often.

My recommendation for where to go after Standing would be Cosmic Slop, tbh.

xp

sorry Tuomas I haven't gotten to the Herbie yet, been a busy week for me!

Unfortunately the fact that BatST is a more straightforward funk/soul effort means that there's yodeling only on one or two tracks.

Oh don't worry, I know where to find the yodeling if I need it, thanks! Pretty enjoyable LP overall, nice variety in vocal approaches and instrumentation. Didn't care much for the two blues standards, I've heard enough cover versions over the years.

The Betty Davis album slams hard - all her albums do - and the woman herself makes for stunning album cover art. But yeah, her screech can be a little hard to take after listening awhile. (Approaches sheer white noise at times, practically!) Still, I'm glad these records were made, and glad that they're all available again.

thread full of lols + me defending Betty's catalog against some jerks

the mid period is a lot of pfunk fans fave because its the funk-rock period where eddie hazel writes most of it, after that he was incarcerated I think.

Drunk rather than incarcerated, I fear

no, i believe he was in and out of jail, possibly due to addiction

It was the booze that killed him though

20 years later!