Rare Groove ?

[Bastian78]

Just kidding :roll: welcome to the board my friend

hi......i didnt check this board until few days after i posted. And suddenly there were 42 replies. So i didnt understand what happened. But i'm quite happy with the explanation. :lol:

[originalbigm]

I've missed this thread completely but it was interesting reading.The british have always had their own style of labeling music genres and this is no exception.Rare Groove is as others have observed old school funk,soul and R&B.It's not rocket science folks and like others have observed most of this was the style of music that I recall being the prime genre of music being played in the discos of the early 70's pre the "disco" style.
By the way Quinny like you my memory tends to fail me more frequently as I approach the sixth decade.However I did remember the song titles of your two artists in your soul/funk listing.

Nino Tempo & 5th Ave Sax
Sister James and Come See Me Round Midnite

Bobby Byrd
I Know You Got Soul

[jazz_pilgrim]

I moved up into London town in around '84 and I really got into the Rare Groove scene. What Forrrce wrote - he was spot on!!

It was very much a London thing - one reason for that is that the signals from the pirate radio stations were only of such strength that they could reach maybe a 30-mile radius around London. I know that for sure because I moved into London from a town 35 miles outside London, and I had to rig up a makeshift booster aeriel from copper wire - just to received a very crackly signal when I lived in my home town!

And the rare groove scene was definitely driven by the pirate radio stations.

Club wise, Forrce got it right when he mentioned warehouse parties. Rare Groove parties did not take place in luxurious night clubs with sophisticated light shows. Quite the opposite. The venues were very much run down - maybe a one-off - advertised by word of mouth. I remember going to one-off Rare Groove nights in a disused warehouse in Hammersmith, a disused cinema in Hackney. I remember going to Rare Groove club that was an upstairs room near to Piccadily - very dark and dingy and with basic facilities. But superb funk!

My regular venue was a room above a pub in Clapham Common, and unfortunately for Quinny, the Friday nights alternated with Seventies Funk on one Friday and Northern Soul on the next! Excellent nights both of them!!

Facilities may have been limited, but the sound systems were OK and the atmosphere was really special, and the people were great.

A lot of the regular West End London Clubs began to play a lot more seventies music as well, I recall.

Music wise - it was fantastic to be able to purchase all this wonderful Seventies music. One record label in particular, Urban Records, was repsonsible for the re-release of a lot of Roy Ayers' back catalogue and for many James Brown/JB's/Maceo and the Macks etc trax, for example, I bought

James Brown - Funky Drummer
James Brown - Get Up Offa That Thing
Maceo and the Macks - Cross The Tracks
JB's - Soul Power '74
Roy Ayers - You Send Me
Jackson Sisters - I Believe In Miracles

- all on Urban

I bought the Don Blackman EP 12", I bought Clyde Alexander and Sanction on a US import 12" and a host of others.

Amazingy, even Sister Sledge got a look in on the scene as Thinking Of You 8) became massive in the London clubs in the mid 80Ts !! It then got re-released and reached a healthy position in the pop charts I recall! I am sure a few of you Brits remember the late ( :cry: ) Steve Walsh who championed many such records ... respect to the man ..

As for the Stock Aitken Waterman Roadblock record - the story goes that they made the record, exported it off to the USA on a white label promo 12" and the it was RE-IMPORTED back into the UK (for credibility purposes) and they fooled everybody! But hey! it was such a good record that who cared? I didn't!

Having been away for a few months, I see that the same old tired debates are going on. It seems to me that Quinny still does not like obscure records or underground music. If one believes that if a record was good only if it could become a hit recordi - surely that means that you would have to rely on other people to buy a record in enough numbers before you can consider liking it. And all those obscure records, whether 70Ts sound rare grooves or Northern Soul monsters are passed by.

My opinion? I don't give a stuff if it is obscure or whether it sold a million. What matters for me is WHAT COMES OUT OF MY LOUDSPEAKERS when I play the record. And there are plenty of Seventies funk and Northern Soul records that move me as much as the great disco hits did!

JP is back!! :P :P

:) :)

[efunk_adelic]

Originally Posted by jazz_pilgrim

My opinion? I don't give a stuff if it is obscure or whether it sold a million. What matters for me is WHAT COMES OUT OF MY LOUDSPEAKERS when I play the record. And there are plenty of Seventies funk and Northern Soul records that move me as much as the great disco hits did!

JP is back!! :P :P

:) :)

very well said Jazz... I feel the same way... I love a little disco with my funk... 8)

[Stan]

All great points jazz_pilgrim :D

Nice to see you BACK

[efunk_adelic]

Jazz,


speaking of that URBAN records label you are talking about... last summer I bought JAMES BROWN'S FUNKY PRESIDENT (PEOPLE IT'S BAD) with SHE'S THE ONE ... i've never seen that song on any JB LP. Anyways you can see it in the Disco Records file on Bernie's Library...

[Forrrce]

'She's The One' was unissued, prior to that 12". There were also 2 twelves of it! Get hunting...