Ongoing Quest: Please help me.

[silencer]

Good Day to you all.

You people seem to have the resources and the knowledge to assist me in my search for true Funk Classics. I know perfectly well that there's always the matter of personal taste and all, but to circumvent that I thought I'd narrow the parameters (with an emphasis on METERS ;-)) and give plenty of nudges in the right (well, MY right anyway) direction.
Bass is highly important; wah-wah, clavinet, moog, Hammond and stuff are very welcome, too.

What I really dig (with a capital D):

The Meters: Just kissed my baby, Cissy Strut, Look-Ka Py Py
Sly & The Family Stone: In time
Stevie Wonder: Higher Ground (and Superstition of course)
Curtis Mayfield: Superfly
Clarence Wheeler & The Enforcers: Right on
Tower of Power: Soul Vaccination
Herbie Hancock: Hang up your Hang-ups, Watermelon Man
Commodores: Machine Gun (but not Brick House)
Ohio Players: Funky Worm, Fopp
Headhunters: God make me funky (if only the lyrics weren't so imbecile)
King Curtis: Memphis Soul Stew
Maceo Parker: Pass the Peas
Branford Marsalis (Buckshot LeFonque): Breakfast @ Denny's
Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers: Ashley's Roachclip
...and such like.
Thanks to Quinny for the tip regarding "Pieces of a Dream: Mt. Airy Groove", which I didn't know and very much like.

What I really should check out (according to you):

--- (Well, fill me in, folks. I very much appreciate your suggestions.) ---

[eddie]

Great pick with Ashley's Roachclip. If you like Machine gun by Commodores try Billy Preston's work. Dr. John "Right place, wrong time" is a hit also in that vein. Another group from New Orleans but later is Chocolate Milk. Try Little Sister's "You're the one".
I always recommend Slave and Steve Arrington but its later Funk.
My suggestion: Listen to sound samples of other tracks by these artists that you mentioned. Also, find out other sidemen who worked with them and hear there samples. Much of soul, jazz, and funk is diverse like Chuck Brown or Johnny Guitar Watson. One track is a ballad and the next is funk. For instance, Pieces of a Dream are now mostly smooth jazz and unlike Mt. Airy Groove.

Hope that's helpful.

[silencer]

Well, that's a rather generalized approach, if I may say so, but thank you for Dr. John and also the Little Sisters - actually I was hoping for that kind of precise suggestions. Please keep 'em coming! Thanks in advance.

[soulsta]

EDDIE


I am surprised judging by your list that you didn't mention stargaurd. (or is it starguard)

[Disco Funk]

Originally Posted by silencer

Good Day to you all.

You people seem to have the resources and the knowledge to assist me in my search for true Funk Classics. I know perfectly well that there's always the matter of personal taste and all, but to circumvent that I thought I'd narrow the parameters (with an emphasis on METERS ;-)) and give plenty of nudges in the right (well, MY right anyway) direction.
Bass is highly important; wah-wah, clavinet, moog, Hammond and stuff are very welcome, too.
--- (Well, fill me in, folks. I very much appreciate your suggestions.) ---

Your tastes are all over the map, so its kind of hard to give you specific recommendations. By all over the map, you're taking stuff from jazz funk, soul funk, pure funk, etc...

I think it would be better just to direct you to the compilations of breaks and beats since you seem to appreciate all kinds of grooves:

- the Pulp Fusion compilations (Harmless Records)
- The Breaks (Harmless records)
- Super Breaks (BGP)
- Kurtis Blow History of Rap Vol.1 (Rhino)
- DJ Pogo's Block Party Breaks (I think it's Strut)
- In Yo Face (Rhino)
- Kool & The Gang's Best of CD (the one from '69 to '76)
- James Brown's Best of CDs
- All of the Meters early Josie music, which were mostly instrumentals
- The Wild Magnolias self-titled album from '74
- Ultimate Breaks & Beats (a vinyl-only bootleg series that many rap artists/producers sampled from back in the late 80's)
- Sacks of Soul (vinyl only)
- Vinyl Dogs (vinyl only)

On these comps, you will find stuff you've already got, but discover other tracks you'll probably enjoy like:

It's A New Day by Skull Snaps
Hihache by Lafayette Afro Rock Band
Get The Funk Outta My Face by Brothers Johnson
Jungle Boogie by Kool & The Gang
Fat City Strut by Mandrill
Easin In by Edwin Starr

And so on.

There are audio samples on Amazon or allmusic.com for you to check out what the songs sound like. I can't really tell you what you will like, since there are going to be songs I really like that you won't like, so part of the journey of digging is buying compilations and discovering artists that way. If you like what you hear, then search out the records.

Disco Funk