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!

hey sam you have a lot of arsenal players to name. get to it!

I pm'd moka but he hasnt answered and i haven't seen him around so I think I will swap with him just to keep this on schedule.

14/6 -
21/6 - Abbott The Bricklayer
28/6 - The Rev Funkenstein
5/7 - moka Funka
12/7 - Turangalila Funkapus
19/7 - mbison the texan funkateer
26/7 - Shakey Mo Funkier
2/8 - Tom "Funkybutt" D
9/8 - Von Bootee!
16/8 - Polomint City FunKlata
23/8 - Doran D'VoidOfFunk
30/8 - pfunkboy

Will post the new ones in a few mins.

#1 Brass Construction - Brass Construction
http://henpantha.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/2060588634_a85c0e4fe5.jpg

One of the funkiest albums I own, terrific mix of funk, rock and horns. I thoroughly recommend this album to all of you. Most of you will know a track or 2 from this album.

Vocalist/instrumentalist Randy Muller was at the helm of two pivotal East Coast funk and disco aggregations in the '70s and '80s. One was Brass Construction; the other was Skyy. Muller, a vocalist and instrumentalist who doubled on keyboards and flute, organized the band with drummer Larry Payton, trumpeters Wayne Parris and Morris Price, lead guitarist Joe Arthur, vocalist/conga player Sandy Billups, saxophonists Michael Grudge and Jesse Ward, and bassist Wade Williamston. Their 1975 debut, produced by Jeff Lane, went platinum and contained two dancefloor anthems in "Moving" and "Changin.

Some bands enjoy their greatest success with their first release, and this Brooklyn-based funk ensemble is a good example. Their first single was the chart-topping "Movin'." Aside from the verse being chanted in unison, this aggressively paced dance number, with its catchy, melodious hook line, utilizes reeds and brass, complemented by keyboard and synthesizer solos from bandleader Randy Muller. The single moved its way to the number one spot on the R&B charts, the group's only chart-topper out of 17 singles that reached the charts, and one of two to ever crack the Top Ten. The follow-up single, "Changin'," has a similar arrangement at a slightly slower tempo. The melody is not seductive like its predecessor. Seeming to be more of a musical exhibition and less dance-oriented, it still managed to peak at number 24 on the charts. While the group's music is centered around its horns, the majority of the songs from this album feature vocals throughout the verses and choruses. Adding their social awareness to the mix on a couple tracks, all numbers are consistent with the album's dance/funk appeal.

Not on Spotify Link

#2 Slave - The Concept
http://i574.photobucket.com/albums/ss190/shuaberry/theconcept.jpg

Arguably the hottest of the '70s Ohio funk bands, Slave had a great run in the late '70s and early '80s. Trumpeter Steve Washington formed the group in Dayton in 1975. Vocalist Floyd Miller teamed with Tom Lockett Jr, Charlie Bradley, Mark Adams, Mark Hicks, Danny Webster, Orion Wilhoite, and Tim Dozier. Vocalists Steve Arrington and Starleana Young came aboard in 1978, with Arrington ultimately becoming lead vocalist

The amazing aspect about bands from Dayton is originality, there's no defining thread or sound to speak of, each group is unique. A short list of Dayton bands include the Ohio Players, Zapp, Lakeside, Sun, and Heatwave. Where's the trademark Dayton sound? Slave may be the most underrated of all, their brand of electronic, funk/soul, techno sound made for great albums. "Stellar Fungk" the title track (yes they spelled funk that way) is stimulating head music, enhanced by brain probing lead guitarist Marc "Drac" Hicks, powerful basslines from Mark Adams, and some ear popping synthesizer work by Carter Bradley. The title The Concept is misleading, the only concept to this fine collection of grooves and funky sounds is getting your boogie on.

Spotify Link
Non Spotify Link

#3
Kool & The Gang - Wild And Peaceful
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vjWyZWztimM/SYHmzFtbVHI/AAAAAAAAAgQ/H1NaE7fOtdQ/s400/folder.JPG

This is not the disco era Kool & The Gang. This is pure funk. This is before JT joined.

Formed as a jazz ensemble in the mid-'60s, Kool & the Gang became one of the most inspired and influential funk units during the '70s, and one of the most popular R&B groups of the '80s after their breakout hit "Celebration" in 1979. Just as funky as James Brown or Parliament (and sampled almost as frequently), Kool & the Gang relied on their jazz backgrounds and long friendship to form a tightly knit group with the interplay and improvisation of a jazz outfit, plus the energy and spark of a band with equal ties to soul, R&B, and funk.

Robert "Kool" Bell and his brother Ronald (or Khalis Bayyan) grew up in Jersey City, NJ, and picked up the music bug from their father. A professional boxer, he was also a serious jazz lover and a close friend of Thelonious Monk. With Robert on bass and Ronald picking up an array of horns, the duo formed the Jazziacs in 1964 with several neighborhood friends: trombone player Clifford Adams, guitarists Charles Smith and Woody Sparrow, trumpeter Robert "Spike" Michens, alto saxophonist Dennis Thomas, keyboard player Ricky West, and drummer Funky George Brown (all of whom, except Michens and West, still remained in the group more than 30 years later).

The growing earthiness of soul inspired the Jazziacs to temper their jazz sensibilities with rhythms more akin to R&B, and the newly renamed Soul Town Band began playing clubs in Greenwich Village. After a mix-up with a club owner resulted in the group being billed Kool & the Flames, they moderated the title to Kool & the Gang and found a leg up with the tiny De-Lite Records. Three singles from their self-titled debut album hit the pop charts, and although the position wasn't incredibly high, Kool & the Gang became a quick success on the R&B charts. Always a staple of their appeal, the group's live act was documented on two 1971 LPs, Live at the Sex Machine and Live at P.J.'s, including left-field covers of "Walk On By" and "Wichita Lineman" (as well as the not so unusual "I Want to Take You Higher").

Studio albums followed in 1972 and 1973, but it was with Kool & the Gang's sixth LP, Wild and Peaceful, that they hit the big time. "Funky Stuff" became their first Top 40 hit at the end of 1973. Then both "Jungle Boogie" and "Hollywood Swinging" reached the pop Top Ten.

Prior to James "JT" Taylor adding pop flavor vocals, which help garner a handful of top selling albums, this was Kool & the Gang's most successful album, spawning three bonafide R&B hits. Produced by Robert Bell, and featuring Donal Boyce's incredulous vocals, these songs have held up well. The fast, chugging "Jungle Boogie" was a club favorite, while "Funky Stuff," with its "whoa whoa whoa" hook, was slower and spacier than "Jungle Boogie." The band formerly known as the Jazziacs got their first R&B number one with "Hollywood Swinging," a slightly faster than mid-tempo song with whistles, festive ambiance and lead vocals by keyboardist Ricky West. All three hits were inspired by Manu Dibango's "Soul Makossa," and were recorded in one night at a studio in midtown Manhattan. The title cut flash backs to their prerecording jazz days, when they dazzled New Jerseyites with their playing skills.

Spotify Link
Non Spotify Link

Digging the William Blake steal on that Slave album cover!

Do you own/have you heard all 3 of these albums Tom?

They have recently brought out one of those Original Album Series box sets for Slave, it has the first five albums. I just got it a few weeks ago and so far The Concept has been the stand out. Stellar Fungk is a brilliant opening track.

Brass Construction and Kool & the Gang are both great choices too.

Do you own/have you heard all 3 of these albums Tom?

No, but dled the Brass Construction. I'm away for a week or so, so have to forgo the others for the moment.

You off to South Africa to support the country you live in?

Kitchen Person, how much is that slave box set?

I thought moka was a lady?

I have no idea. He/She doesn't seem to be around anyway.

and hopefully not because I called her a him!
Everyone going to check out this weeks choices then?

Kitchen Person, how much is that slave box set?

― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Tuesday, June 15, 2010 1:47 PM (4 hours ago)

It's 14.99 on Amazon.co.uk, there's a few cheaper second hand around 13. It's a nice little set, all the albums are in cardboard sleeves and it's a lot cheaper than trying to find them individually.

It's also around $18.00 on Amazon.com.

2nd hand + shipping though. but £14.99 seems a good buy. Will look into it next month.

Hey everyone!

Sorry! I've been having trouble with my internet provider since Saturday and I wont be able to post my choices this week. I'm terribly sorry :(

No worries
Pencilled you in for

21/6 - Abbott The Bricklayer
28/6 - The Rev Funkenstein
5/7 - moka Funka
12/7 - Turangalila Funkapus
19/7 - mbison the texan funkateer
26/7 - Shakey Mo Funkier
2/8 - Tom "Funkybutt" D
9/8 - Von Bootee!
16/8 - Polomint City FunKlata
23/8 - Doran D'VoidOfFunk
30/8 - pfunkboy

If that doesn't suit you can try swapping with someone if you want.

so anyone heard this weeks albums yet?

First person to post gets the choice of a friday funk bonus

FRIDAY FUNK BONUS

Lafayette Afro Rock Band - Soul Makossa (1973)

Spotify

Non Spotify (dont know if it still works, soz)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51LhoyqPXWL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

The group was formed in Long Island, NY as the Bobby Boyd Congress; deciding America was already overloaded with funk acts, in 1971 they relocated to France (when frontman Bobby Boyd returned stateside the remaining members renamed themselves Ice and became the house session band at producer Pierre Jaubert's Parisound studio.)

Recorded in Paris and New York under the production guidance of Pierre Jaubert ("Berjot"), the Lafayette Afro-Rock Band were a jazz-based super session group that created a heavy, dense, no compromise ghetto funk that has since been sampled by everyone from Public Enemy to Wreckz 'N' Effect.

Soul Makossa was the debut release of the Lafayette Afro-Rock Band. At the time the band’s popularity was primarily contained within Europe, but the album is now considered a raw funk gem by collectors everywhere. Everyone was quick to recognize such an abundance of talent in one group. Such classics as "Hihache and "Voodounon" have secured the band’s place in funk history.

At this point, we could go on and on, but for those who already know the band, you will be fully aware of what we mean. For those who are listening for the first time, the Lafayette Afro-Rock Band’s bandwagon is becoming larger and is ready to take people on their heaviest musical trip.

"Hihache" (track 5) has been sampled by:
* "Nobody Beats the Biz" by Biz Markie (1988)
* "Jingling Baby" by LL Cool J (1989)
* "No Delayin'" by Nice & Smooth (1989)
* "Ghetto Bastard" by Naughty by Nature (1991)
* "No Nose Job (Remix)" by Digital Underground (1991)
* "Oodles of O's" by De La Soul (1991)
* "Alright" by Kris Kross (1993)
* "Buck Em Down" by Black Moon (1993)
* "2 Cups of Blood" by Gravediggaz (1994)
* "Build & Destroy" by Channel Live (1995)
* "This Is How We Do It" by Montell Jordan (1995)

Also, House fans, The Idjut Boys excellent "Roll Over and Snore (Longstayer Mix)/(Live Mix) sampled track 6 "Voodounon" to great effect.

http://open.spotify.com/album/2qBtK11GR6r2Xi3pjx4Qki

kriss kross had more than 1 song?

will play this album shortly. not heard it before.

Abbott is up tomorrow

Abbott emailed me her picks as she is out for a day so i'll post them in a few mins

What did you think of Lafayette Afro Rock Band?

#1
Brick - Best Of Brick
http://images.uulyrics.com/cover/b/brick/album-the-best-of-brick.jpg

Brick was an Atlanta band that created a successful merger of funk and jazz in the '70s they called "dazz." Brick's roster included lead vocalist/saxophonist/flutist Jimmy Brown; guitarist/bassist/vocalist Regi Hargis Hickman; lead singer Ray Ransom, who doubled as a bassist/keyboardist/percussionist; and Eddie Irons, who did lead vocals and played drums and keyboards. They recorded "Music Matic" for Main Street in 1976, before signing to the CBS-distributed label Bang. Their first Bang single, "Dazz," topped the R&B charts and was number-three pop in 1976, and they continued on Bang until 1982. Brick scored two more huge hits in 1977, "Dusic" and "Ain't Gonna' Hurt Nobody," each with a chunky, propulsive beat and catchy, light pop-jazz refrain. Their last Top Ten R&B hit was "Sweat (Til You Get Wet)" in 1981.

This 1995 Epic release is easily the best introduction to the Atlanta-based group's unique fusion of funk, disco, and improvisational soul. With only one pronounced omission -- their later 1981 hit "Sweat (Until You Get Wet)" -- The Best of Brick covers all the major points of the group's short but influential seven-year recording career -- with a decided focus on their first two records. This is a fresh look at a group whose influence has remained steady over the past two decades.

#2
Betty Davis - They Say I'm Different
http://55secretstreet.typepad.com/.a/6a00d834525f2869e20120a6a4928f970b-500wi

Betty Davis' second full-length featured a similar set of songs as her debut, though with Davis herself in the production chair and a radically different lineup. The openers, "Shoo-B-Doop and Cop Him" and "He Was a Big Freak," are big, blowsy tunes with stop-start funk rhythms and Davis in her usual persona as the aggressive sexual predator. On the title track, she reminisces about her childhood and compares herself to kindred spirits of the past, a succession of blues legends she holds fond -- including special time for Bessie Smith, Chuck Berry, and Robert Johnson. A pair of unknowns, guitarist Cordell Dudley and bassist Larry Johnson, do a fair job of replacing the stars from her first record. As a result, They Say I'm Different is more keyboard-dominated than her debut, with prominent electric piano, clavinet, and organ from Merl Saunders, Hershall Kennedy, and Tony Vaughn. The material was even more extreme than on her debut; "He Was a Big Freak" featured a prominent bondage theme, while "Your Mama Wants Ya Back" and "Don't Call Her No Tramp" dealt with prostitution, or at least inferred it. With the exception of the two openers, though, They Say I'm Different lacked the excellent songs and strong playing of her debut; an explosive and outré record, but more a variation on the same theme she'd explored before.

#3
The Isley Brothers - Between The Sheets
http://www.dustygroove.com/images/products/i/isleybrothe_betweenth_101b.jpg

Compared to their past material, Between the Sheets lacks a consistent mix of sultry ballads and funky dance numbers. There are really only two Isley Brothers' classics on this project: "Choosey Lover" and the title song "Between the Sheets." The former has a romantic flow and the latter is just shy of mid-tempo but not a bona fide ballad. (When one thinks of a quiet thundering storm, this song's bassline comes to mind; as soothing as it is, it also has that trembling effect.) It fell short of number one, peaking at three on the Billboard R&B charts. It was becoming obvious that the group's continuity was fading -- not so much from dissension within the group, but more so from dwindling interest in the music industry among group members (it was the group's last album as 3 + 3). Marvin and Ernie Isley and their brother in-law Chris Jasper would release an album the following year as Isley Jasper Isley.

^Abbott's picks

What did you think of Lafayette Afro Rock Band?

― De que estas hablando? (Tannenbaum Schmidt),

Not got round to it yet! I keep meaning to.

I will today

Putting it on now tannenbaum!

Promising start!

Oh yeah, Lafayette Afro Rock Band's cover of "Soul Makossa" is great and pretty close to the original

"Soul Makossa" is a 1972 single by Cameroonian makossa saxophonist Manu Dibango. It is often cited as one of the first disco records. In 1972 David Mancuso found a copy in a Brooklyn West Indian record store and often played it at his Loft parties. The response was so positive that the few copies of "Soul Makossa" in New York City were quickly bought up. The song was subsequently played heavily by Frankie Crocker, who DJed at WBLS, then New York's most popular black radio station. Since the original was now unfindable, at least 23 groups quickly released cover versions to capitalize on the demand for the record. Atlantic eventually licensed the song from the French record label Fiesta.[3] Their release of it peaked at #35 on the Billboard chart in 1973; in 1999 Dave Marsh wrote that it was "the only African record by an African" to crack the top 40. At one point there were nine different versions of the song in the Billboard chart. It became "a massive hit" internationally as well.

This really is terrific stuff, Oglenon is wonderful.

oh and funk fans pop over to ROLLING ILX R&B LISTENING CLUB: Join in! All ILXors and Lurkers Welcome! NEW PICKS EVERY MONDAY! it was my turn today and I picked 3 70s albums that will interest you all.

please

I know the hits from the Isley and Brick albums but not the albums themselves. Betty Davis I defend rather strenuously on the Betty Davis thread (linked here somewhere I think)

I still hate that betty davis thread, i do not want to read it again. So post about her here!

Guys, Brick makes my heart soar with joy, so give it a listen if you're at all curious.

and you will make her heart fall if you dont play it

Lafayette Afro Rock Band is pretty good! I'd strongly recommend their follow-up 'Malik' as well.

Contains their only hit I think 'Darkest Light'.

Must check that out then.

ok time for a friday funk bonus

tom d you wanna do it?

What, just like that? Need more time than that.

fair enough, i'll do it then unless anyone else fancies it?

Friday Funk Bonus
The Headhunters - Survival Of The Fittest
http://www.dustygroove.com/images/products/h/headhunters_survivalo_101b.jpg

A landmark bit of jazz funk -- from one of the greatest backup groups of the 70s! Herbie Hancock first brought The Headhunters to light -- working with the San Francisco-based combo that included Bennie Maupin, Mike Clark, Paul Jackson, and Bill Summers -- using their sound to give his work the right dose of funk it needed to reach new audiences during the decade. This album's the first to feature the group on their own, without Herbie -- and if we don't mind saying so, they sound even better without him! The whole thing's a wonderful mix of jazz funk grooves and very unusual rhythms -- and the record contains the monster full length version of "God Make Me Funky", which is 9 minutes and 35 seconds of non stop funk, plus the cuts "If You've Got It, You'll Get It", "Magic", and "Here & Now". (Original pressing. Cover has some ring & edge wear and a small name in pen on front.) © 1996-2010, Dusty Groove America, Inc.

Spotify Link

where is shakey mo these days?

28/6 - The Rev Funkenstein
5/7 - moka Funka
12/7 - Turangalila Funkapus
19/7 - mbison the texan funkateer
26/7 - Shakey Mo Funkier
2/8 - Tom "Funkybutt" D
9/8 - Von Bootee!
16/8 - Polomint City FunKlata
23/8 - Doran D'VoidOfFunk
30/8 - pfunkboy